Cook Islands residents dedicated to combating climate change have urged representatives of the world’s largest climate fund to make its application process ‘easier and more accessible’.

The plea came from three of the eight people who spoke during a meet and greet between the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Cook Islands recipients of financing from the fund’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme at the Muri Beach Club Hotel in Rarotonga earlier this month.

“It has a lot of benefits, but I can see why people of other Pacific Island countries don’t persevere,” Enhanced National Adaptation Plan programme manager Raymond Newnham said.

“You have to be patient, you have to really stand by your proposal, and there’s a lot of work involved.”

Ministry of Infrastructure head Elizabeth Wright-Koteka said the Cook Islands had been a “guinea pig” for the GCF, becoming the Pacific nation to access the readiness programme in 2015 – a year after the fund, which bolsters projects focused on mitigating and adapting to climate change around the world, was established.

With nine readiness proposals to build capacity having been approved over the past eight years, Wright-Koteka said “we’re done with readiness ... we’ve been fully supported with readiness, but now it’s the next step”.

“Let’s get some projects going on the ground, because the criticism with GCF is that it’s slow putting the money out. It needs to be easier and more accessible.

“We need results on the ground that will make a difference to the lives of our people.”

Newnham said the process of applying for funds “can be very frustrating” and “adversarial” – with one recently-approved proposal taking two years to get through, held back by issues he considered minor.

“It’s an important area for our country, and we all want to contribute to its survival.”

Climate Change Cook Islands director Wayne King said the country had reached a point of readiness where it was time to “refocus on delivery”.

“Since 2019, we haven’t got a project through the door and I think it’s on all of us for that to happen,” King said.

“GCF as an organisation needs to better facilitate us coming together.”

GCF executive director Mafalda Duarte said the fund was unique to other global grant models and liaised with a wider range of groups than others, from banks to governments to non-government organisations.

“I urge you to continue to work with us in making the fund more responsive to the needs of the Cook Islands and this region,” Duarte said.

“We really must simplify access to the resources.

“We must continue to build on the capacity of the Cook Islands and the region. But, really move into the next phase, which is having the projects being implemented and delivering of the tangible resources into the communities, into the private sector, and into the countries.”

Duarte said it was “extraordinary” hearing about the Cook Islands’ eight-year journey with the fund.

“The Cook Islands were one of the pioneer countries in terms of accessing and benefiting from those resources, and it is now visible what has been achieved in terms of building the capacity.”

Wright-Koteka said the people who developed the readiness and project proposals for the Cook Islands “wear their hearts on their sleeve”.

“This is our land, and this is something I ask you to take into consideration. We wouldn’t waste our time putting something to you that we don’t need,” she said.

“We look forward to receiving the approval of the projects we submitted.”