A National Designated Authority (NDA) is the national focal point, and serves as the main point of communication with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) “to ensure that activities supported by the Fund align with strategic national objectives and priorities, and help advance ambitious action on adaptation and mitigation in line with national needs”

The Climate Change Cook Islands (CCCI) division of the Office of the Prime Minister is the Cook Islands’ NDA.

The contact person is the Director of CCCI, and this person is the contact between the GCF and the Cook Islands. The establishment of the NDA is to foster country ownership.

The NDA is responsible for:

• Providing broad strategic oversight and advice of the Fund’s activities, as well as ensuring that projects align to national sustainable development objectives and frameworks, including national climate change strategies;

• Meeting with the public, private, and civil society stakeholders to discuss and prioritise potential projects to be financed by the GCF;

• Recommending potential nomination of institutions with the fiduciary standards to seek accreditation to the Fund to access direct financing. The NDA is responsible for identifying potential public, private, and non-governmental organisations to become accredited entities to the Fund;

•  Implementing the no-objection letter procedure that supports all funding proposals intended to be submitted to the Fund; and

• Providing leadership on the deployment of readiness support funding in the country. The NDA may access the funds for support directly or use an alternative institution (international, regional, national, sub-national, public, private, or NGOs) known as the ‘delivery partner’ who is well informed of the GCF readiness support activities.