The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat invited the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by UNDP, to participate in the 18th Economic Forum of the Americas celebration in Montreal. This forum was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the results of diverse GEF SGP projects in the Americas region.
The event brought together some of the most prominent speakers in the different fields of Commerce, Economy, Government, Environment and Technological Innovation in the Americas. Former heads of state, top CEOs of global companies, Multilateral Development Organizations, as well as representatives of print and television media shared their views and insights on unfolding global events that will shape the way we live, learn, interact and share knowledge around the globe. Four days of talks, workshops, and one-on-one meetings fostered new alliances and networking for the enhancement of development in the region.
At the Tuesday morning session "Natural Resources and Financing: The Success of the Cooperative Model" Mr. André Laperriere, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GEF, welcomed the participants and invited Mr. Eduardo Perez, a GEF SGP grantee from Mexico, to speak of the work and achievements of the Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera de Cozumel. Mr. Perez highlighted significant achievements in preserving the traditional fishing grounds as a source of community fishery for lobster in Cozumel and implementing sustainable practices for their use over the past 15 years. The efforts to foster local community capacities in the management and good stewardship of these fishery sites have further led to preserving the adjacent ecosystem. Mr. Eduardo Perez also promoted the Cosmovision of Native Americans such as practiced by the ancient Mayans with their respect for nature and its resources to encourage a balance between extraction and conservation for future generations.
Former GEF SGP National Coordinator of Panama, Mr. Jose Manuel Perez, presented the Pico Hydroelectric Project of Ipeti – Agua Fria in Panama to the forum participants. This GEF SGP funded project is a local community led initiative to obtain electrical energy through renewable energy sources, specifically hydropower, in an isolated community bordering the Darien Province in Panama. This community initiative was implemented with the help of a Peace Corps Volunteer contributing more than 1,875 work days in kind, laying more than 10 kilometers of cabling and setting up a local payment scheme to cover operational costs and future investments to maintain the electrical grid. This project started in 2010, and is expected to mitigate 1,650 tons of carbon during the power generator's lifetime of 20 years as well as generate US$ 2,064 in local savings per year from reducing expenses in traditional forms of lighting such as kerosene, candles and batteries for flashlights.
This community project serves as an example of alternative and sustainable energy sources for rural electrification that can be substantially more economical than government investments for energy infrastructure, which are heavily subsidized to offer electricity to isolated communities in Panama. Another advantage of this initiative is local community empowerment, by enabling good environmental stewardship by the community, and helping them to gain access to basic services such as electricity at a reasonable price. The project has also generated awareness of the close ties between sustainable natural resource management, environmental wellbeing and improvement of livelihoods.
One important conclusion from the presentations and subsequent exchange of views and insights between the audience and presenters was the need to link good environmental stewardship with tangible community benefits in order to ensure sustainability of such initiatives.
Contact:
Tamara Tschentscher, KM & Communications Consultant, GEF SGP, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.