The 7th Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was held in Vancouver, Canada, where environmental leaders from 185 countries gathered last month to chart a path to end nature loss and tackle climate change. The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held an official reception event at the Assembly. The goal was to highlight the key role of civil society and community-based organizations – including those led by Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and persons with disabilities – in protecting the global environment. The popular event was overflowing with participants from all over the world, including ministers and GEF operational focal points, as well as representatives of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, women’s group, youth, and the private sector.
Among the speakers and panelists at the event, remarks were delivered by the Under Secretary General and Associate Administrator of UNDP, Haoliang Xu: “SGP's reach is undeniable [and its] influence is more evident than ever. Independent evaluations highlight SGP's effectiveness, innovation, and economic and social benefits. In addition, SGP's 'first mover' approach, utilizing seed funding to stimulate scaled solutions, sets it apart.” He added that, “given the growing call for collective action and local solutions, SGP persists in engaging communities and civil society, sharing knowledge, providing technical expertise, and grant assistance. As we navigate the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, SGP's role is pivotal.”
Participants of the SGP multi-stakeholder panel at the GEF Assembly (left to right): Samantha Justin, GEF Operational Focal Point for Santa Lucia; Sarah Maston, from Microsoft; Narindra Casimiria, SGP grantee from Madagascar; Yoko Watanabe from SGP; Gabriella Temm from the GEF; Lucy Mulenkei from GEF IPAG; Kinley Tenzin, SGP grantee from Bhutan; Christian Schwarzer from Global Youth Biodiversity Network; and Haoliang Xu from UNDP.
The highlight of the event was the multi-stakeholder panel that was facilitated by Christian Schwarzer from the Global Youth Biodiversity Network. Panelists representing Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, private sector, and government provided insightful recommendations for the way forward for SGP, based on the long-term partnerships and concrete results on the ground.
At the Assembly, SGP Global Manager Yoko Watanabe noted: “This is a big week for SGP at the GEF Assembly, as we are concluding the celebrations of our 30th anniversary and discussing the way forward. We have over ten SGP grantees from all over the world speaking at various events. We are also launching a new publication to mark the programme’s 30 years of history and an SGP anthem produced by multi-Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej, who is also an ambassador for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).”
The new publication – Local Action, Global Impact: Celebrating three decades of local action for people and planet – brings a complete timeline of the programme’s history and evolution over three decades of engagement with civil society, local communities and Indigenous Peoples. It features several voices from those responsible for leading and implementing SGP projects in the field, such as the Director of the Rural Self-help Development Association (RSDA) in Lesotho, 'Mampho Thulo: “Thanks to SGP and the Mountain Partnership, my mindset and that of my fellow farmers have changed about the food we produce, eat and sell. We are now more aware of the dangers of using agro-chemicals and have decided to focus on producing good, clean and fair food for all. It’s impossible to imagine Lesotho without thinking about sorghum. We are all united to showcase its importance.”
Yoko Watanabe speaking at the event which marked her departure from SGP after over six years as Global Manager.
The event also marked Watanabe’s departure from SGP after six and a half years as Global Manager: “SGP’s unique role in supporting civil society and local communities is more relevant than ever”, she said. “The crisis we face today on global environmental issues require innovative, inclusive, and impactful local actions. With partners, we have collectively enhanced and expanded the programme by mobilizing over US$400 million in finance, positively impacting over 58 million hectares of landscapes and seascapes, and we touched the lives and improved the capacities of over 115,000 people during this period. I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead this flagship programme with dedicated staff and partners, and very excited to see further expansion of the programme with new partnerships and greater reach and impact.”
30 years of SGP history
Established in 1992, SGP is the largest and longest standing corporate programme of the GEF. It provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations on innovative local 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. The programme has continuously evolved throughout its history 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, specially through the establishment of strategic partnerships.
Rooted in local ownership and traditional practices, SGP’s unique philosophy has generated a wealth of knowledge and significant scalable impacts. Over three decades, it has provided more than $750 million in grants to over 27,000 projects led by more than 19,000 civil society and community-based organizations in 136 countries, including 40 Least Developed Countries and 37 Small Island Developing States. In addition, SGP has mobilized over $ 920 million in co-financing for these projects.