The main strategic initiatives which identify directions of the SGP grant support within GEF-6 are as follows:
1. Community landscape/seascape conservation
2. Climate smart innovative agro-ecology
3. Low carbon energy access co-benefits
4. Local to global chemical management coalitions
5. CSO-government policy and planning dialogue platforms
6. Promoting social inclusion:
i. Gender mainstreaming
ii. Youth involvement
iii. Indigenous Peoples fellowships
7. Global reach for citizen practice based knowledge programme
i. Digital library of community innovations
ii. South-South community innovation exchange.
The objectives of the meeting were to discuss focal areas and strategic initiatives based on national priorities and in accordance with project implementation experience, as well as to receive recommendations from the leading experts in order to strengthen impact and cooperation, and build capacity to expand project activities.
More than 100 representatives of international, community and research organizations participated in the event. Five experts to assist the consulting process were invited: Prof. Leonid Rudenko, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Director of the Institute of Geography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Julia Bystryakova, PhD, Head of Chair of Governance for Sustainable Development of the State Environmental Academy of Postgraduate Education and Management; Pavlo Masyukov, Head of Division of Technical Regulations and Sustainable Nature Management of the Department of Standardization, Technical Regulations, Certification and Sustainable Nature Management of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine; expert of the Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol; Prof. Olexander Mudrak, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Head of Department of Ecology, Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Vinnytsia Academy of Continuous Education; Petro Grytsyshyn, PhD, assistant professor of "Biology and Ecology" Academic Department of Lviv National Agrarian University, Director of the Western Center of Ukrainian Department World Laboratory.
Overall, experts from more than 15 Ukrainian regions joined the initiative.
During the meeting the participants presented more than 30 reports, which justified the choice of one of the GEF SGP Strategic Initiatives. As a result, the following initiatives were defined as priorities for the GEF-6 for 2015-2018: community landscape/seascape conservation; CSO-government policy and planning dialogue platforms; local to global chemical management coalitions; global reach for citizen practice based knowledge programme. Also, the experts developed recommendations to identify natural regions.
The UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme would like to thank the All-Ukrainian Ecological League and the experts for constructive discussion, professionalism and the developed recommendations on the GEF Focal Areas.
As the consultations continue we would like to invite all interested parties to develop recommendations and send your online proposals concerning focal projects and areas to https://ru.surveymonkey.com/r/D3NGKG6. You can also fill in the questionnaire and send it to gefsgpukr@gmail.com.
For more information about the GEF Focal Areas, see the presentations below:
1. Climate Smart Innovative Agro-ecology;