As governments and institutions undertook to design the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) in 2007-2008, it was recognized that if the CIF are to contribute to an effective global solution to climate change, it would be crucial for their lessons and experiences to be shared in an inclusive, transparent and strategic manner.
 
With that purpose in mind, it was agreed to incorporate into the CIF process a Partnership Forum to serve as a regular venue in which all stakeholders could share CIF-related ideas and experiences and engage in dialogue on the CIF’s strategic directions, results and impacts.
 
The Forum is designed as an annual gathering of the spectrum of all stakeholders engaged in the CIF. The stakeholders who convene together at the Forum include representatives of donor and eligible recipient countries, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), UN and UN agencies, Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Adaptation Fund, bilateral development agencies, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, private sector entities, and scientific and technical experts.
 
The Partnership Forum is co-chaired by the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development and a country representative elected by countries participating in the Partnership Forum. At the Partnership Forum, donor and recipient countries will agree, within their respective caucuses, on their representation on the Trust Fund Committee.
As agreed by the CIF Trust Fund Committees in November 2008, the Forum will be convened annually to discuss CIF strategic directions, results and impacts. On October 14, 2008, the World Bank hosted the first annual Partnership Forum in Washington DC and on March 18, the Partnership Forum was hosted by ADB in Manila, Philippines.