After delivering over US$720 million to >26,000 community-based projects and changing countless lives in 136 countries since 1992, the Small Grants Programme (SGP) is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The largest and longest standing corporate programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), SGP has been implemented by the United Nations Development Programme over the past three decades, constantly evolving and growing into a unique global delivery mechanism to scale up local actions to address global environmental issues, while enhancing wellbeing and livelihoods.

SGP is not only an incubator and accelerator of community innovations, but also a social inclusion platform where traditional ways of knowing and science meet to solve global and local challenges, supporting civil society and community-based organizations, and empowering and improving the skills of women, Indigenous Peoples, youth and persons with disabilities. The programme is currently active in 128 countries, where it plays an integrator role by bringing together civil society, government, the private sector and others to promote multi-stakeholder governance and experimentation at the community level to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

“As we take stock of our 30-year history, SGP has so many key partners to acknowledge for their essential contributions that have enabled us to achieve lasting impacts all over the world.", says SGP's Global Manager, Yoko Watanabe. "Throughout this year we will highlight our work with all of these amazing partners in a series of products to celebrate SGP’s 30th anniversary. In this first story, we shine a light on two incredible women who represent one our most important allies: Indigenous Peoples”.

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