For over two decades, the GEF Small Grants Programme has been working with communities around the world to combat the most critical environmental problems and has successfully demonstrated that supporting communities in their efforts to achieve more sustainable livelihoods is not only possible, but extremely important in bringing change and achieving global environmental benefits.
With presence in over 125 countries and more than 14,500 grants awarded worldwide, SGP supports projects of community-based and non-governmental organizations in developing countries demonstrating that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.
The main focal areas of the programme are climate change abatement and adaptation, conservation of biodiversity, protection of international waters, reduction of the impact of persistent organic pollutants and prevention of land degradation.
The programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a corporate programme, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Established in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, SGP embodies the very essence of sustainable development. SGP channels financial and technical support for activities that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods. SGP supports activities in support of the GEF priorities - biodiversity conservation, abatement of climate change , protection of international waters, prevention of land degradation and elimination of persistent organic pollutants.
Since its inception, SGP has confronted very real challenges in working with communities to reconcile global environmental priorities with local community needs - challenges that have been met in different ways across the globe depending on particular economic, cultural, political and environmental conditions. Ensure that conservation and sustainable development strategies and projects that protect the global environment are understood and practiced by communities and other key stakeholders.
IN UKRAINE
The GEF SGP Ukraine supports local communities of the pilot areas in their intention to contribute to global environmental benefits. While SGP projects are small, when they are strategically implemented and build up over time, then the positive impacts go beyond the community to the country and even the global level.
The GEF SGP Ukraine programming position is to promote locally based activities that will produce visible and measurable results in the areas of:
- “Green Growth” as a solution for addressing the development challenges on the local level;
- Mitigation of the effects of the Climate Change: through promoting energy efficiency and assessing the possibilities to use renewable energy resources, and, promoting and use of alternative transport means;
- Creation of partnership between local citizens’ associations and local governments to address and jointly act to solve community environmental problems.
For more information: www.sgp.undp.org (corporate website of the GEF SGP).
Documentary film dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the GEF SGP performance in Ukraine