Representatives Espaillat and Kamlager-Dove Lead Congressional Letter in Support of a Renewed U.S. Pledge to the Green Climate Fund

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) led a congressional letter to President Biden and key administration officials urging the United States to make a renewed pledge of financial support to the Green Climate Fund during the Fund’s ongoing “second replenishment” phase. The letter was sent in advance of the Green Climate Fund’s upcoming conference, which will take place in Bonn, Germany on October 5th.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest and most important financial entity for directing resources towards vulnerable nations and communities which allow them to adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Since its creation in 2010, the GCF has directed more than $45 billion to 228 approved projects in 129 developing countries. In doing so, the GCF has served as a climate lifeline for nations around the globe and has made critical investments in improving renewable energy generation and access, food and water security, forests and land use, and more.

According to the letter, “the U.S. is the only nation that previously made a ‘phase 1’ pledge to the GCF that has not yet also made a second pledge to the GCF for its ‘phase 2’ second replenishment. Because the U.S. is currently represented as the Co-Chair of the Green Climate Fund’s governing board, a renewed pledge by the U.S. for this second phase would send an important message to the global community about the United States’ resolute commitment to tackling our global climate crisis.”

“In advance of this week’s Green Climate Fund Conference, the United States has a tremendous opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to fighting climate change on a global scale by making a renewed pledge to the all-important Green Climate Fund,” said Rep. Espaillat. “I am proud to lead this letter, and I am grateful to the administration for its past and future prioritization of international climate finance. Should the administration choose to make a renewed pledge to the Green Climate Fund, Congress stands ready to support these efforts with the necessary funding to help preserve our planet for our children and our children’s children.”

“The international climate finance provided by the UN’s Green Climate Fund is necessary to help developing countries cut emissions and adapt to the adverse effects of a climate crisis they did not create but from which they disproportionately suffer," said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. "The U.S. took a meaningful step in April in pledging $1 billion to the GCF, the first such contribution in six years, and I urge the Biden Administration to continue U.S. climate leadership and make a second pledge at the upcoming High-level Pledging Conference in Germany."

Click here to read this letter in its entirety.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov