The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, based on the information from 115 SGP Country Programmes.

This is the infographic version of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) Results Report 2023-2024. It presents GEF SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, based on the information from 115 SGP Country Programmes. The report highlights examples of successful projects from around the world, and demonstrates how the active leadership of local communities, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples can contribute to the effective stewardship of the environment and sustainable development.

The Global Support Initiative to territories and areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (ICCA-GSI) launched its COVID-19 response initiative in late 2020 to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities in 45 countries to cope with and recover from the impacts of this new challenge. This publication presents diverse examples from around the world on the coping mechanisms and recovery measures employed based on the self-determined priorities of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to address varied site-specific challenges. It also highlights the importance of the inclusion and active participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to effectively address the socio-economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ever-increasing threats from climate change and lack of recognition of traditional medicine, amongst others.

The Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS) was launched in 2011 as a flagship program of the Satoyama Initiative, a global initiative that aims to realize societies in harmony with nature through conservation and sustainable management of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes. COMDEKS Phase 4 was launched at CBD COP 15 with key partners including the Ministry of the Environment Japan, Keidanren Nature Conservation Council, the United Nations Development Programme and the Small Grant Programme. This brochure presents an overview of the COMDEKS Programme. It includes a brief background on COMDEKS Phases 1 to 3, a description of the COMDEKS Framework and key terms, as well as an overview of COMDEKS Phase 4. Additionally, the brochure features two brief case studies from previous Phases.

This brochure provides and overview of the Community-Based Adaptation Programme in Asia and the Pacific (CBA Phase 3) funded by DFAT. It also provides programmatic and operational guidance to the 26 countries participating in CBA Phase 3.

The rapid transformation of the world through urbanization has been a defining feature of the last century. This shift has elevated cities into economic powerhouses that foster innovation, economic development, and social interactions. However, this has come at a cost: often prioritizing immediate economic gains, the fast and unplanned expansion of cities around the world has created a variety of challenges that have a negative impact on both people and the environment, significantly contributing to the intensification of the global climate and biodiversity crises. This publication showcases examples of SGP projects that have successfully managed to address key urban environmental issues across multiple focal areas, including sustainable transport, urban waste and chemical management, urban green space management, biodiversity conservation, land use planning, climate action, education and advocacy.

The Caribbean Small Islands Developing States grapple with diverse challenges, encompassing high debt, unemployment, marine pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The \"Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States\" (IWEco) project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to address these urgent challenges. IWEco focuses on projects across ten Caribbean countries, positively impacting local and national development, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as gender equality, water and sanitation access, economic growth, tree planting, and coastal area management. This publication highlights the achievements and lessons learned from 59 community-based projects implemented by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP). The publication emphasizes the significance of local communities and integrated ridge-to-reef programming.

The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, based on the information from 127 SGP Country Programmes.

This is the infographic version of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) Results Report 2022-2023. SGP provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, based on the information from 127 SGP Country Programmes.

This publication highlights SGP’s three decades of experience in engaging civil society and local communities, including Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, on locally-led climate action, adaptation and resilience. The projects presented demonstrate how financial mechanisms with a community and locally-led action window allow vulnerable communities easy and direct access to international funding and can help effectively address some of the loss and damage linked to climate change.

This is a commemorative publication to celebrate SGP’s 30 years of local action, global impact. The publication highlights the important role of local communities, civil society and Indigenous Peoples, youth, women and persons with disabilities in addressing global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving well-being and livelihoods. Throughout its journey, SGP has continuously evolved and has now grown into a unique global delivery mechanism to scale up local actions that can develop and deliver solutions to these multiple challenges.

SGP supports a community-based approach to the elimination and prevention of the use of PCB-containing products. It promotes safe handling of products containing PCBs, through the piloting and testing of innovative community-based interventions. This brochure provides an overview of SGP\'s work on PCB management at the local level.

As a pilot initiative, this publication presents the work of the Global Support Initiative to ICCAs (ICCA-GSI) from 2014 (pilot phase) to 2022 (with Phase 2, rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic). The ICCA-GSI is a multi-partnership initiative that is implemented by UNDP, through the Small Grants Progamme and funded by the Government of Germany, through its Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz, or BMUV). Key partners include the Secretariat of the CBD, the Global ICCA Consortium, the IUCN GPAP, and the UNEP WCMC. Additionally, Natural Justice and the IIED have played supporting roles with respect to the legal recognition of ICCAs, and to site-level governance assessments of protected and conserved areas (PCAs). Key areas include: (i) definition and threats to ICCAs; (ii) objective of the ICCA-GSI; (iii) coalition of global partners; (iv) methodologies and tools; (v) governance assessments; (vi) support in ICCAs to build resilience to pandemics and climate change; and (vii) country case studies from the ICCA-GSI.

This brochure provides a snapshot of the Small Grant Programme’s Biodiversity portfolio and provides key results, an overview of the portfolio’s thematic areas and brief country examples. Initiatives are focusing on community-based biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) has been providing financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, based on the information from 127 SGP Country Programmes.

This is the infographic version of the SGP AMR 2021-2022. The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) has been providing financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, based on the information from 127 SGP Country Programmes.

This publication summarizes the experiences and lessons learned from 6 participating CBR+ countries during the pilot phase (Nigeria, DRC, Panama, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Cambodia). A case study from each country represents a notable strategy for implementing REDD+ at the local level. These case studies, featuring action from the ground up, have demonstrated the importance of investing in Indigenous Peoples, young people, women, and other marginalized groups affected by climate change. These initiatives highlight the need to ensure that forest governance is participatory and inclusive, based on genuine partnerships and synergies with a wide range of stakeholders, and respect for local culture and traditions.

This publication provides an overview of initiatives under SGP’s climate change portfolio which fall under the following thematic areas: 1. Renewable energy access for improved livelihoods 2. Forest conservation for carbon storage and livelihoods 3. Civil society mobilization in support of NDCs 4. Investing in youth empowerment 5. Mainstreaming resilience 6. Fostering innovation and knowledge exchange Several project examples from around the globe are presented to showcase achievements and best practices in developing community-based, low-carbon, climate-resilient solutions. These examples demonstrate the importance of investing in vulnerable populations including Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, persons with disabilities affected by climate change. They highlight SGP’s commitment to continue investing in and working with partners as a global catalyst to empower local communities using an inclusive and participatory approach that deliver tangible climate solutions, enhanced community ownership of projects, and formulate synergies with a range of stakeholders.

The private sector has a key role to play in driving sustainable development. Micro, small and medium enterprises account for 90 percent of the private sector and more than 50 percent of employment globally. As such the sector provides an opportunity for innovative, inclusive and sustainable economic development. The Small Grants Programme facilitates partnerships between civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to scale up and promote sustainability of community-led initiatives. This brochure provides a snapshot of SGP’s engagement with the private sector with a focus on community-based micro finance and micro, small and medium enterprises.

​This publication presents an updated overview of the Small Grants Programme\'s (SGP) community-based approach and portfolio in the area of sustainable land management, as part of the overall UNDP\'s related portfolio, with special attention to gender and youth and a spotlight on the innovative partnership with SOS Sahel International, focusing on the Sahel region. It also includes a selection of case studies to showcase best practices and lessons learnt.

As we collectively address the global climate and nature crises, it is absolutely critical to engage youth as agents of change, creative entrepreneurs and innovators. Through education, science and technology, young people are scaling up their efforts and skills to accelerate concrete actions. Through the support and partnership provided by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), youth are acquiring knowledge and skills to build a more sustainable future, while actively engaging in developing a green and blue economy. This publication brings together great examples of youth innovations and intergenerational efforts on inclusive nature-based solutions to demonstrate SGP\'s approach to empowering young people through its grant-making process and encouraging their engagement in global issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues – such as biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste management – while improving livelihoods. This infographic reports presents a summary of the key results achieved over the reporting period 2020-2021.

This publication presents SGP results for the reporting period from July 1 2020 to June 30, 2021. A total of 1,260 new projects were approved for grant funding representing a total amount of US$39.39 million in both GEF and non-GEF funding. Of these, 1,001 new projects with a total amount of $31.75 million were supported by GEF funding. The report presents results under the GEF Focal Areas of biodiversity, climate change, sustainable land management, international waters and chemicals and waste and SGP’s grant-maker plus strategies.

This corporate brochure provides a brief overview of the Small Grants Programme and the results achieved by 2020.

This is an illustrated summary of the Third Joint GEF-UNDP Evaluation of the Small Grants Programme (SGP), which is the result of a collaborative effort between the Independent Evaluation Offices of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This evaluation covered the period between July 2014 and December 2019, with the objective of building on the findings of and evaluating progress made since the second joint evaluation. It also aimed to report on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the SGP at both global and local levels.

This report is the result of a collaborative effort between the Independent Evaluation Offices of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is the third joint evaluation of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), which is implemented by UNDP. The evaluation covered the period between July 2014 and December 2019, with the objective of building on the findings of and evaluating progress made since the second joint evaluation. It also aimed to report on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the SGP at both global and local levels.

For the past 10 years, local communities and societies have been investing in resilience-building with support from the Small Grants Programme (SGP), which is supported by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, with partnership and funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). By enabling local communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change based on their specific environmental, social, and economic contexts, the Community-Based Adaptation Programme (CBA) has helped enhance climate resilience in 41 countries, including 37 Small Island Developing States. This publication showcases examples from the SGP’s CBA Programme and highlights the essential role of civil society organizations and local communities in building resilience and adapting to a changing climate at the local level.

This publication provides a valuable account of how participation of local communities in the conservation of threatened species yields positive environmental and socio-economic results. Our planet is undergoing another mass extinction due to reasons widely known, including human activities such as deforestation, hunting, and overfishing. Much of the failure to arrest the loss of nature stem from the fact that the issue is highly complex and often requires concerted and integrated efforts from a range of stakeholders, including government, private sector and civil society. To this end, the Small Grants Programme (SGP) – a corporate programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – has been supporting community-based actions with a focus on integrated initiatives that address global environmental issues, including conservation of threatened species. The case studies included in this publication provide a snapshot of the range of wildlife management measures supported by SGP across its global network. The cases also illustrate the ability of the SGP to mobilize civil society partners and empower community-based actors for the conservation of threatened species such as big cats, critically endangered monkeys, vultures and raptors, as well as marine species like cetaceans and sea turtles.

This publication provides an account of SGP’s experience working with Indigenous Peoples over the last twenty-five years. The publication celebrates past achievements and advances critical lessons that can be used in forging new partnerships with Indigenous Peoples in future programming cycles, including opportunities to employ blended finance solutions. Building on the learning-by-doing experience gained over six Operational Phases, combining resources from the GEF with those of other bilateral donors, the SGP has cumulatively delivered financial support to over 25,000 community-based projects with civil society organizations in 133 countries at the global level. Among those countries, Indigenous Peoples’ have been vital partners in at least 94 countries.

In this publication, the GEF Small Grants Programme, implemented by UNDP, features women as environmental stewards in case studies about biodiversity conservation, climate change, land degradation, international waters and chemicals and waste management. These examples show action from the ground up and demonstrate the importance of investing in women’s leadership and technical skills for improved environmental benefits and sustainable development, while challenging traditional gender norms that often prevent women from taking leadership roles or from having access and control over the natural resources they help preserve. The thirteen examples of women led projects included in this publication provide evidence that investing in women pays off not just in producing global environmental benefits and sustainable development, but also by improving the wellbeing and sustainable practices of the communities they live in.

The aim of this publication is to summarize the key lessons learned and illustrate the best practices drawn from the practical applications of the Indicators of Resilience in Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS) and other allied tools for community consultation during more than five years of field experience in the COMDEKS Programme.

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.