The proliferation of harmful chemicals is a growing concern for human health and well-being and the global environment.
During its 6th replenishment period (July 2014 to June 2018; GEF-6), GEF continues to play a catalytic role in leveraging budgetary resources to support elimination and reduction of harmful chemicals and waste.
The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is the special window of the GEF providing financial and technical support to communities and civil society organizations for addressing global environmental challenges, while also promoting poverty reduction and sustainable development. In the chemicals and waste focal area, SGP focuses its support to communities at the forefront of chemical threats either as users or consumers, including women and indigenous peoples.
As of April 2017, SGP has supported 565 projects with an investment of more than $16 million in GEF grant funding, leveraging more than $18 million in co-financing from multiple sources. SGP’s chemicals and waste portfolio has focused on:  solid waste management to avoid open burning of waste;  pesticide management in agriculture and organic farming; • reduction of chemicals usage and contamination (such as PCB) in small-scale businesses;   capacity development, awareness raising and knowledge sharing.

The purpose of the toolkit is to complement ongoing efforts to build capacity of ICCAs as they gain greater recognition on a global scale.This toolkit highlights the diverse approaches that communities use to manage their own areas and combines the manifold of conservation tools developed for community-based organizations who live in particular habitats and/or are facing specific threats (linked to climate change or extractive industries) as well as those developed for protected area managers, practitioners and government agencies. 

The ICCA toolkit was intitally published in English in 2013.  It is also available in Spanish and French.

The purpose of the toolkit is to complement ongoing efforts to build capacity of ICCAs as they gain greater recognition on a global scale.This toolkit highlights the diverse approaches that communities use to manage their own areas and combines the manifold of conservation tools developed for community-based organizations who live in particular habitats and/or are facing specific threats (linked to climate change or extractive industries) as well as those developed for protected area managers, practitioners and government agencies.  

Developed for local and national-lelvel practititioners interested in community-based adaptation (CBA) to climate change, this guide presents the lessons and practices from the gloal pilot project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under the Strategic Priority on Adaptation (SPA) window and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) mechanism.   The guide resembles a \'cookbook\' for conducting the CBA processes in project development and implementation. To illustrate the processes and priniciples, the guide provides practical examples of how CBA can be accomplished in real project situations by drawing on the field experiences of the SPA CBA project, which was implemented in 10 countries in varying geographic areas with communities of different cultural backgrounds and norms.

El manual proporciona descripciones de fondo de las bases de datos y la información que almacenan. Se pretende orientar a los usuarios en los procesos de decidir sobre participación, proporcionar información, elección de base de datos para el envío de información (Registro TICCA, WDPA o ambos) y ser conscientes de qué esperar posteriormente (ver el Recuadro 1.1). El manual incluye: Información sobre los beneficios de registrar TICCAs, así como las consideraciones que deben tenerse en cuenta antes de decidirse a hacerlo;  Información sobre salvaguardias, incluyendo propiedad, uso y difusión de información; Orientación sobre los requisitos para el registro y sobre el proceso de presentación, incluyendo los procedimientos para consentimiento libre, previo e informado; e Información sobre qué esperar después de aplicar para el registro de un TICCA. El primer paso para los usuarios de este manual es para determinar si desea proporcionar información a la WDPA, Registro TICCA o ambos. Esto debe determinarse mediante un proceso de consentimiento libre, previo e informado (CLPI). Este proceso debe ser un ejercicio a través del cual la comunidad o pueblo indígena decide auto identificar su área o territorio como un TICCA, y a través de procesos internos acuerda enviar información a una o más de las bases de datos. La información proporcionada en este manual debe ser usada para informar este proceso de consentimiento libre, previo e informado.

The ICCA Data Manual has been released to support communities, indigenous peoples and those who work with them to register their ICCAs. The manual describes things to consider before registering, how to register, and what to expect afterwards.

It is available in 3 languages: English, French and Spanish.

SGP has supported the implementation of regional Strategic Action Programmes with 1,027 small grant projects in more than forty transboundary waterbodies around the World. SGP experience show that communities when empowered to take action can implement concrete measures to reverse environmental degradation trends. The ten cases in this publication further highlight the way in which diverse communities from Cuba to Cape Verde, and Mauritius to Malaysia have tackled critical water and ecosystem management challenges with limited resources, to achieve environmental protection hand in hand with crucial benefits to local livelihoods, health and wellbeing. The lessons learned presented in this publication provide valuable guidance on supporting community innovations and then their eventual scaling up through multiple partnerships and links with larger projects. Complementing the global and regional aspects of International Waters work with local elements that empower and sustain is what we need to do if we are to achieve SDG 14 – our “Life Below Water” goal.

Based on examples from Community Based Adaptation (CBA) projects of the GEF Small Grants Programme implemented by UNDP, this publication aims to guide practitioners in developing CBA projects from design to implementation. The publication includes recommendations on country entry points, roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, financial management, use of methodologies such as VRA, applying the Theory of Change and more.

General Brochure about the SMall Grants Programme. Where we work, how to apply, areas of work and results.

Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) has been involved in Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) since 2008. At this time, the GEF Strategic Priority on Adaptation (SPA) window funded a five-year pilot programme that was implemented by UNDP and delivered on the ground by SGP. In 2009, AusAID partnered with SGP to enable climate resilience funding for two complementary CBA programmes, the Mekong Asia Pacific CBA (MAP CBA) and the Small Islands Developing States CBA (SIDS CBA).One of the key objectives of SGP’s CBA programmes is to mainstream CBA into the local, sub national and national levels by informing policies and programmes of community-driven adaptation priorities and innovations. While every country’s planning processes and capacities vary substantially, one of the greatest barriers for government’s effective development processes is how to reach vulnerable local people, especially those living in isolated geographic areas. This guidance note is targeted to SGP CBA practitioners such as National Coordinators (NCs), grantees and Programme Assistants (PAs) to effectively integrate CBA innovations into national processes and practices, while using the existing infrastructure and systems of SGP. It can also be used by other practitioners working at the local levels.