Digital New Energy DataBM. Com has learned.
The programmes, which included helping vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone, Benin and Laos cope with the effects of climate change, were finally approved after a majority vote.
China makes four-fifths of the world's solar panels and has an almost complete monopoly on the production of some of the silicon components that form the heart of solar cells.
Xinjiang is the source of up to two-fifths of the world's solar-grade polysilicon, a key raw material in the solar panel supply chain.
In 2021, academics at Sheffield Hallam University concocted a report on Xinjiang, slandering the existence of "forced labor" in photovoltaic and other industrial factories in the region .
At this week's GCF board meeting, the Chinese representative said he objected to "unsubstantiated allegations of alleged forced labor in the solar supply chain" contained in the project document.
He added: ' This presumption of guilt and stigmatisation of the PV supply chain is unacceptable. "In the GCF project, China's photovoltaic industry should be treated in a fair, just and non-discriminatory manner.". Among the proposals opposed by
the Chinese delegate was a project by Save the Children Australia to strengthen the climate resilience of the health system in Laos, one of Asia's poorest countries. Save the Children "understands the risks of forced and child labour in the procurement of these systems (solar panels)" and will manage the risks through the procurement process, the
submission said.
While the Chinese representative found the proposal generally "good," he objected to "singling out alleged forced labor" in the solar panel supply chain. The same is true for five other projects. "They are all good projects with high impact and will bring benefits,"
he added at the end of the meeting.
In response to the Chinese representative's remarks, a GCF representative told board members that the fund "requires accredited entities to conduct due diligence to ensure that there is no forced labor in the primary supply chain," in line with performance standards set by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation.
The GCF added that all references to forced labour were "technical" and had "no political dimension". It also emphasizes that the same risk assessment applies to all supply chains and is not limited to the solar industry.
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