Expectations towards the Loss & Damage Fund Board 

In 2024, we expect the LDF Board to: 

• Take a human rights-based approach in the further operationalization of the LDF and for all policies the LDF Board will develop and projects or programs it will approve.
• Put in place strong modalities for an enhanced Active Observer model at the level of the LDF Board, as well as policies, procedures, and governance structures that create an enabling environment that guarantees representation as well as active, full and meaningful participation for frontline communities, youth, women, Indigenous Peoples and environmental non-governmental organizations.
• Agree on provisions related to the information disclosure of its proceedings, including a commitment to webcasting all of its meetings and allowing all rightsholders, including Indigenous Peoples, and stakeholders the opportunity for remote participation as well as the timely and complete release of Board documents on the LDF webpage prior to the meetings and making all Board decisions and outputs publicly available and accessible
• Establish strong transparency and reporting mechanisms including a pro-active information disclosure approach to all Board proceedings.
• Develop and establish a centralized, effective, accessible and independent LDF accountability and grievance redress mechanism to ensure effectiveness, consistency in the consideration and investigation of complaints, the implementation of redress measures and actual remedy.
• Develop a dedicated set of LDF-specific social, environmental, and human rights safeguards, to ensure that the Fund’s activities focus on doing good through the promotion of human rights and doing no harm by causing or contributing to human rights violations.
• Develop and establish modalities to ensure access to small grants to communities, Indigenous Peoples from all seven socio-cultural regions and vulnerable groups (Governing Instrument §49(d)), ensuring that groups can directly receive funding via a small grants window.
• Prepare both an initial capitalization effort as well as a long-term fundraising and resource mobilization strategy for new, additional, predictable and adequate financial resources from all sources of funding, with a priority on public grant finance support.
• Put in place contribution policies that allow for inputs from innovative sources of finance that meet the principles of the Convention and the polluter pays principle. 
• For the consultation and negotiations of the World Bank FIF-hosting agreement put in place a negotiation and assessment process that allows for full and effective participation of civil society observers. This will be the first test of the willingness of the LDF Board to conduct its work transparently and absolutely necessary to allow for an independent legal assessment of whether a proposed FIF hosting agreement is in compliance with the COP28/CMA5 mandated conditions.