Acting
Locally, Conserving Globally
The GEF Small Grants
Programme (SGP) is a world-wide programme providing grants
to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for activities that
address global problems related to biodiversity conservation
and sustainable use, protection of international waters, as
well as combating of land degradation and climate change.
SGP is an integral part
of Global Environment Facility (GEF), whose mission is "to
make the connection between local and global environmental
challenges and between national and international resources".
SGP recognizes that
although environmental degradation endangers us all, poor
people are most at risk because they depend on access to natural
resources for their livelihoods and often live in fragile
ecosystems.
By providing financial
and technical support to projects that conserve and restore
the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods,
the SGP demonstrates that community action can maintain the
fine balance between human and immediate environmental needs.
Since its inception
in Turkey in 1993, SGP has provided more than 100 small grants,
for projects to a maximum of US$50,000 and on average size
of US$20,000.
The SGP projects tackle
threats to globally significant biodiversity in all types
of ecosystems - arid and semi-arid, coastal and marine, freshwater,
forest and mountain. Biodiversity important for agriculture
- or agro-biodiversity is also being protected in-situ.
SGP supports international
water projects which aims to help communities to minimise
agricultural run-off by improving soil management practices
and avoiding use of chemical fertilisers; to prevent ecological
degradation of critical habitats that sustain aquatic biodiversity;
and to reduce unsustainable use of marine resources as over-fishing.
SGP supports climate
change combating projects, which aims dissemination of accessible,
sustainable, climate-friendly technologies and measures throughout
a locality or region.
SGP is implemented by
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 80 countries,
on behalf of all three GEF implementing agencies - United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNDP and the World Bank-
and is executed by United Nations Office for Project Services
(UNOPS).
In Turkey, SGP has operated
since 1993. In the eleven years since its inception, about
USD 2 million have been distributed in small grants to over
100 projects throughout Turkey, promoting effective linkage
of the environmental objectives in protection of biodiversity
and international waters to sustainable livelihood and local
development.
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