Under the microfinance program of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mohamed Abdoulkader Moussa, and the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Emma Ngouan-Anoh, participated in the signing ceremony of microfinance agreements for the benefit of 16 regional associations to implement environmental projects in the 5 regions of Djibouti.

The small grants program aims to support communities in their own initiatives to ensure sustainable livelihoods, while generating global environmental benefits. It is an institutional program of the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with UNOPS. Worldwide, the program currently has more than 14,500 projects in over 125 countries since 1992. In Djibouti, the program has supported over 54 projects since 2013.

By providing financial and technical support to projects that preserve and restore the environment while improving people's well-being and livelihoods, the micro-grant program demonstrates that community action can maintain the delicate balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.

The 16 regional associations, selected through an inclusive and participatory process in the regions of Arta, Dikhil, Obock, Tadjourah and Ali-Sabieh, are dedicated to ecotourism, bee-keeping, mangrove restoration, reforestation, agriculture, solar pump installation and well rehabilitation. 

Among the selected civil society organizations, priority is given to minority groups such as women, youth and people with special needs.