The CVF was founded on 10 November 2009 by 11 pioneering nations (Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Maldives, Nepal, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Vietnam) through the Malé Declaration. Since then, the CVF-V20 Secretariat has been hosted by several international organizations. 

In October 2015, the V20 Group of Finance Ministers was launched in Lima, Peru, alongside the World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings, as the CVF’s dedicated platform for climate finance dialogue and action.

In early 2023, CVF-V20 member countries unanimously agreed to strengthen the organizational support for the institution by setting in motion the establishment of an independent, stand-alone secretariat. In September of the same year, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, CVF leaders adopted a declaration and charter confirming the operationalization of the independent CVF-V20 Secretariat.

On 1 January 2024, the CVF-V20 became an intergovernmental organization, with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana.

The CVF-V20 enables climate-vulnerable nations to act in concert to advance their interests by promoting bold and ambitious action on climate change. In particular, it:

• Convenes annual meetings of Heads of State and Government on the margins of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, where leaders adopt a Leaders Declaration.
• Engages with the IMF, the World Bank Group, and the G20 at the highest levels through the V20, and issues Communiqués on macroeconomic policy issues, including reform of the international financial architecture and debt sustainability, following meetings held on the margins of the IMF and World Bank Group Spring and Annual Meetings.
• Serves as a vehicle for South-South cooperation among member countries, and between member countries and other developing countries.
• Supports members through knowledge sharing, best practices, and capacity-building from its Secretariat, with partnerships focused on high-value green industries, renewable energy and just energy programs, financial and social protection, and loss and damage.

The CVF-V20 is guided by a Troika consisting of the presidency and the two immediate past presidencies. At present, the Troika comprises Barbados, which holds the presidency, and Bangladesh and Ghana.

Article 2 of the International Law Commission defines international organizations as entities established “by a treaty or other instruments governed by international law and possessing its own legal international personality.”

While the CVF-V20 was not established by a treaty, it was founded through a formal declaration adopted by States, which qualifies as an instrument governed by international law.

Yes, the CVF-V20 meets the criteria set out by the International Law Commission for recognition as an international organization. 

The reference to “other instrument governed by international law” is intended to encompass instruments such as resolutions or declarations adopted by international organizations or by conferences of heads of State—a practice reflective of CVF’s establishment.

Several international organizations established through other instruments governed by international law, apart from treaties, were granted observer status in the UNGA. Notable examples include: 

• University for Peace, established by a UNGA Resolution;
• Union for the Mediterranean, founded through a declaration adopted at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference; and 
• Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization, created by the Final Communiqué of the Asian-African Conference

Observer status provides the opportunity to participate in sessions of the UN General Assembly, engage with Member States and UN bodies, and actively contribute to global dialogue and policymaking on critical issues. While observers do not possess voting rights, this status enables them to share perspectives, submit communications, and collaborate in shaping the multilateral agenda. For the CVF-V20, it would mean being well placed to participate in and shape the global policy dialogue on resilience and sustainable development, and to continue its advocacy on behalf of vulnerable countries.