German Fast Start: Lessons Learned for Long-term Finance

The goal of the project was to identify lessons learned from the German experience with Fast Start Finance, an initiative which provides financial support for climate protection and mitigation measures in developing countries in the period 2010-2012.

Based on these lessons, it will make recommendations for long-term finance. The project will support the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) in the evaluation of the German Fast Start engagement with a view to deliver input for the ongoing negotiations on finance under the UNFCCC. The study is organized around three work packages as follows:

  • The first work package provides a statistical analysis of the German FSF project portfolio. Detailed assessments are provided according to selected criteria that are of relevance in the UNFCCC process;
  • The second work package introduces a recipient country perspective on Germany’s FSF. Through semi-structured interviews an assessment of in-country communication and implementation processes is provided. 10 case studies support the analysis of the effectiveness of Germany’s FSF. Consideration of national strategies and priorities as well as country involvement in project formulation are analysed;
  • The third work package examines potential special characteristics of German FSF and the communication of these issues. This work package explores how the use of innovative sources of finance has affected Germany’s delivery of FSF, communication about the initiative, and the development of a coherent climate finance policy for scaling up climate finance by 2020.