The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) participated at the GEF Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC-8) that took place from 9-13 May 2016 in Negombo, Sri Lanka and focused on “Scaling Up Investments from Source to Sea in the Context of Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The main objectives of the conference are to facilitate cross-sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and to share experiences that can help to build and improve the capacity of the participants in key management and technical areas and an opportunity to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of the GEF and its achievements in the International Waters Focal Area. Over 300 participants included GEF international waters project managers, non-governmental organizations, transboundary management institutions, UN Agencies and the private sector attended the conference.

During the conference, Tehmina Akhtar, SGP's Global Deputy Manager, and Sulan Chen, SGP's International Waters Advisor launched the publication "Scaling up Community Actions for International Waters Management", a portfolio review that highlights how community led actions can develop innovative solutions to international waters challenges and how these pilot and demonstration projects lead to wider adoption, lasting change, and policy impact. The ten cases in the publication demonstrate that small scale actions by communities, coupled with efforts of governments, the private sector, donors and other key stakeholders, can lead to achievement of results at a greater scale beyond the originally targeted communities.

The publication was launched with a animated video that reviews the results achieved by the GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) in international waters in the last five years (2011-2016). During this time, SGP supported 265 communities and civil society organizations in 83 countries to avoid or reduce 167,199 tons of waste from entering waterbodies; and supported the sustainable management of 164,169 hectares of marine and coastal areas and fishing grounds, and 264,822 hectares of river and lake basins through community interventions. In addition to direct global environmental benefits, SGP has worked to change the attitudes and behaviors of local communities and helped them adopt good practices, influence government policy and catalyze further investment in environment and sustainable development. Such indirect global environmental benefits are often manifested in the process of scaling up, which takes different forms and follows different processes in different project contexts.

SGP was also present at the session on gender mainstreaming where it shared good practices on how to mainstream gender at the project, national and global level providing concrete examples of how it is done from the ground up. As part of the technical site visits organized via the conference, SGP organized a site visit to a women-led SGP project that promotes energy efficiency as a way to reduce mangrove deforestation. Giles Romulus, SGP National Coordinator from Saint Lucia, also participated in the session "Governance And Management Of Resources In A Source To Sea Continuum– Challenges And Opportunities" along with a panel of experts comprising representatives from the GEF STAP, South East Asian Cooperative Environment Programme, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, and the Global Water Partnership. 

Since 1992, SGP has funded 1,027 community projects with approximately $26 million invested in GEF funding and having generated an additional $38 million in co-financing for the protection of international waters. SGP’s international waters portfolio has focused on addressing issues and priorities identified in SAPs. While the overall level of funding is modest when viewed globally and cumulatively over time, the impact of these SGP projects stretches across many regions and relates to many waterbodies and critical ecosystems.

Written by: Ana Maria Currea, Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist, GEF Small Grants Programme, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.