The Small Grants Programme Newsletter

GEF Small Grants Programme Newsletter April-2023

Our Stories

Turning the tide: how local NGOs in Seychelles and the Bahamas are working with youth to raise awareness and inspire action to address marine plastic pollution

Our oceans are drowning in plastic. This stark realization inspired three young women to co-found The Ocean Project Seychelles, a local NGO set up to tackle issues affecting the state of the local marine environment through education, outreach, research and action.

A giant leap: radical action by a team of collaborators is redefining jaguar conservation in Argentina

Proyecto Yaguerete has been working to strengthen community and inter-institutional work to ensure the coexistence of people and big cats in the Paranaense Forest and the Gran Chaco Argentino. This work includes improving the economy for rural inhabitants and ensuring the sustainability of their livelihoods.

Moving mountains: enhancing food security for mountain communities in Lesotho

Since 2020, GEF SGP and the Mountain Partnership have been working together to address some of the challenges faced by rural mountain communities through an initiative titled ‘Enhancing agri-food value chains to increase resilience of mountain communities’. In Lesotho, projects supported the development of sorghum and bean value chains with a focus on traditional practices.

Safeguarding Iran’s wetlands through culture-based solutions

Over 4,500 community members from the villages of Ramnet and Aghuzben in Iran partnered with GEF SGP in 2019, through the Global Support Initiative to territories and areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (ICCA-GSI). Together they embarked on a project to document wetlands biodiversity, traditional conservation knowledge and practices, and the factors leading to biodiversity loss.

We, the women: empowering communities from farm to market in Viet Nam

Mrs. Tuoi is a member of a group of ethnic minority women working to redefine how medicinal herbs are cultivated and preserved in their village in the Tuong Duong district of Nghe An province. Through this project, GEF SGP is supporting gender equality, breaking down stereotypes and building women up for people and planet.

Powering up a remote community in Bhutan: ushering a new era of possibilities

In Bhutan, the remote community of Aja Ney in Shermuhung Gewog, Mongar was one of the last places in the country that remained without power supply. Not anymore- Aja Ney was connected with solar power in December 2022 through a rural solar electrification project in collaboration with a range of national partners including Bhutan for Life, Bhutan Foundation, the Royal Government of Bhutan and GEF SGP.

River rangers: strengthening livelihoods rooted in watershed stewardship in Babagon Catchment, Sabah, Malaysia

Jeffrey Abun is an inspiring citizen scientist and one of the village leaders for the Payment for Ecosystem Services project near the Babagon Dam. He’s also a Field Coordinator for Forever Sabah – a civil society organization in Malaysia’s Sabah state dedicated to the protection and restoration of the region’s natural habitats. He can track, catch, and reliably identify dozens of species that serve as useful biological indicators for gauging water quality.

A new vision: a journey into the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest is redefining sustainable tourism

Working in one of the most remote stretches of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest territory, Ramiro Vargas hails from the local Achuar indigenous community of Kapawi, and serves as a mentor for guides along the Rio Pastaza. He instructs the youth on traditional knowledge and culture, whilst simultaneously paving the way for future-focused sustainable employment opportunities.

Trees shade the way to positive change in Solomon Islands

West Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, if you asked the local children about the long line of trees growing next to the coastal road between Takamboru and Horabau on Guadalcanal Island, they might tell you that the trees have always been there. Many of the young people won’t remember that a decade ago, this part of the island looked different than it does today, and these trees are part of an environmental and economic transformation taking place in the region.

Grown with water and sun: regenerative agriculture in in Moldova

“How else can you grow, if not ecological and natural?” says Valeria Șvarț, development director at EcoVisio. This is how they do organic farming in Rîșcova, Criuleni district, taking great care of the soil, and with a focus on regenerative and consumer-friendly agriculture.

Celebrating SGP’s 30th Anniversary at UNFCCC COP27 and CBD COP15

At COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and COP15 in Montreal, Canada, the GEF SGP commemorated 30 years of support to local action together with the GEF, UNDP, Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples and other key partners. The events highlighted the programme's delivery of more than USD 720 million in funding to over 27,000 community-based projects across 136 countries.

Launch of COMDEKS Phase 4- Community Development and Knowledge Management for The Satoyama Initiative.

At the CBD COP15 in Montreal, Canada, the Japan Ministry of Environment , Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation, UNDP, and other partners launched of the fourth phase of the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS) with funding to total an expected one billion Japanese Yen across six years.

UN Water Conference 2023- local action and water management

On 23 March, in support of the UN Water Conference, GEF SGP hosted a side event entitled: Local Action in Water Management in Small Island Developing States with a focus on water management in Caribbean SIDS. The event highlighted the need for integrated land and seascape approaches, innovation in water management, citizen science, increased focus on behavioral change strategies, community ownership and the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Sampling the fruits of success and innovation in the Maldives

Sometimes the fruits of success taste particularly sweet, as GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodríguez discovered on a visit to the Maldivian island of Meedhoo, where he witnessed an effort led by local women to revive a dying culinary art. “This GEF Small Grants Programme project is not only investing in preserving the rich tradition of Bondi-making in the Maldives but, more importantly, in its future generations,” said Rodríguez, who later visited two waste-related projects elsewhere in the Addu Atoll.

Community-Based Climate Solutions For Sustainable Development

This publication provides an overview of initiatives under SGP’s climate change portfolio including: renewable energy access for improved livelihoods; forest conservation for carbon storage and livelihoods; civil society mobilization in support of NDCs; investing in youth empowerment; mainstreaming resilience; and fostering innovation and knowledge.

Raising Forest Voices: SGP Community-Based REDD+ Initiative

This publication summarizes the experiences and lessons learned from countries participating in the CBR+ pilot initiative. Case studies from Nigeria, DRC, Panama, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Cambodia present strategies for implementing REDD+ at the local level, and highlight the need to ensure that that that forest governance is participatory and inclusive.

GEF Small Grants Programme Annual Monitoring Report 2021 – 2022

This info-graphic report presents SGP’s results for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, based on the information from 127 SGP Country Programmes.

Biodiversity At The Heart Of Sustainable Development

This brochure provides a snapshot of the SGP’s biodiversity portfolio and provides key results, an overview of the portfolio’s thematic areas and brief country examples. Initiatives focus on community-based biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.