14 September 2022.
Introduction:
The Ministry of Environment of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) have jointly launched the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme.
Highlights:
- The GEF Small Grants Programme provides financial and technical assistance to projects focusing on conserving and restoring environment while also enhancing the lives of local communities.
- 2022 marks the 7th operational phase of this programme.
- The grants under this programme are given to non-governmental organizations and other institutions working in specific landscapes.
- The aim of this project is to build local communities’ capacity to take collective action towards conserving the environment and achieving sustainable development.
- It focuses on three regions in India – highlands of the North East, Central semi-arid region and Indian coastal region.
- It would promote participatory landscape planning and management approach that would improve socio-ecological resilience through innovative livelihood opportunities.
- It seeks to strengthen community institutions to promote participatory governance and upscale successful community initiatives.
- It would also promote participatory monitoring and evaluation at the community level.
GEF Small Grants Programme
The GEF Small Grants Programme was launched for the first time in 1992 at the Rio Summit. It works based on the belief that global environment solutions would remain sustainable only if communities are actively involved in it and directly benefit from it. It works based on the principle “thinking globally, acting locally”. It aims to create a balance between human requirements and environment imperatives through community participation. Grants under this initiative are given to local citizens from the civil society organization sector, including non-governmental organizations, academic and scientific institutions, women groups, indigenous groups etc.