Helping communities with their initiatives for sustainable livelihoods while generating global environmental benefits is the core inspiration of the Small Grants Programme (SGP).

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the SGP efficiently channels direct grants to non-governmental and community-based organizations to help them:

• cope with climate change
• conserve biodiversity
• protect international waters
• reduce the impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• prevent land degradation

The frequently award winning, small-scale environment initiatives funded by the GEF-SGP include a wide range of grant projects such as the protection of rhinos in Botswana, the launch of a ‘rent-a-bike’ system in Macedonia and the conservation of the endangered Persian leopard in Iran. These are just a few examples of the over 13,500 grant projects that the GEF-SGP has funded in over 120 countries across the globe since 1992.

Despite the limited amount of each community grant distributed by the SGP (up to $50,000) the programme has a very impressive track record of tangible results, in terms of capacity building and impact on the ground, as highlighted by independent evaluations. The SGP’s decentralized structure and ‘bottom up’ decision-making approach has been commended as an effective way of addressing the real needs of small communities facing environmental challenges and opportunities.

Financial management

Annually, UNOPS provides administrative and financial management to almost 4,000 SGP grant projects in more than 120 countries.

While the substantive SGP planning, supervision and policy making is carried out by the UNDP-GEF (as the designated GEF Implementing Agency), UNOPS ensures that the actual execution is quick and cost-efficient, working in close collaboration with the local UNDP Country Offices. As a result, the SGP is recognized as a very fast and effective delivery mechanism.

The custom-made service package for the SGP includes:

• fund management
• HR and recruitment coordination
• procurement of equipment and services
• legal advice/internal oversight/audit coordination
• operational training and troubleshooting

SGP success stories

The following three SGP grant projects exemplify the programme’s concept, results and impacts.

Innovative recycling in Mongolia

An NGO in Darkhan, Mongolia has introduced an innovative model for recycling plastic bags, bottles, and waste littered throughout the city. Through a $12,000 grant, San-Orgiu is recycling the materials into pipes, chairs and fences, resulting in a 20 percent decrease in the city’s iron and wood consumption. The initiative has also helped reduce air pollution by approximately 40 percent, and close to 55,000 acres of land have been cleared of all plastic residue, generating income for 150 locals. In 2010, the initiative won the prestigious Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment.

Mitigating the impacts of POPs in Zimbabwe

The intensive use of fertilizers has caused significant land degradation and soil contamination in Zimbabwe. To mitigate these effects, largely caused by POPs, the Organic Network Forum has trained 500 farmers in Makoni District in organic farming, 450 of whom will be certified. So far, 450 hectares of land have been restored, leading to increased crop yields and profits for the local communities. Harmful pollutants originally used in high volumes no longer affect the soil and the aquatic life of the international Save River. This success has also prompted the development of a national policy on organic farming to be formalized in the near future.

Protecting the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System

The lionfish is an invasive species that often causes devastating impacts on marine reef systems. In Belize, the Environmental Conservation Organization (ECOMAR) is addressing this problem by enabling scientists to determine the origin of the lionfish and the reason for its rapid reproduction. In addition to helping control the lionfish population, the research is contributing to the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Support to similar grant delivery mechanisms

In addition, UNOPS supplies tailor-made and standardized services to other similar grant delivery operations. These include: UNDP’s Community Water Initiative, the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation (COMPACT) and the Mekong-Asia-Pacific Community Based Adaptation (MAP-CBA) project which is funded by AUSAid, as well as UNEP-GEF’s South China Sea project.