The Climate Investment Fund (CIF) Partnership Forum hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Cape Town was attended by more than 450 stakeholders from over 45 nations. Across two days a wide-range of topics around the CIFs were unpacked in panel discussions and interactive sessions, each providing a platform for stakeholders to table experiences and lessons learnt, writes Nicola Williams and Martin Walker of Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future.

Gender barriers prevent women across the developing world access funds for communities dealing with the effects of climate change, writes Kristin Palitza. Of the millions of dollars spent on climate change projects in developing countries, little has been allocated in a way that will benefit women. Yet, in Africa, it is women who will be most affected by climate change.

Name: Mafalda Duarte

Nationality: Portuguese

Country of residence: Tunisia

Organization: African Development Bank

Current Position: Principal Climate Change Specialist/CIF Coordinator

How long have you been in this position? 1 and a half years

"The Forest Investment Programs [FIP] are not just
investing with large scales interventions. The
plan itself is a government or country-led plan,
so the MDBs work with these countries to come
up with a plan that really addresses the needs
of each individual country, which builds on
existing plans, strategies and development
goals. If a country, such as Burkino Faso, has
certain other soft barriers, where some policy
work needs to be done or legal or regulatory
frameworks need to be changed, then this will
be addressed as well. So it’s not just an
investment in its typical sense,it’s a plan with
individual proposals which address the most
emerging needs to combat the drivers of
deforestation and forest degradation. So it’s
a mix of technical assistance and pure
investments, as we call it. ''

- Andrea Kutta, Senior program officer,
Forest Investment Program

The Outreach team has pulled together a list of available literature by representatives from Universities, UN bodies, Governments, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), the CIF Administrative Unit, the private sector and civil society groups. If you have a publication you would like added to this list please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it