21 August 2024, Colombo, Sri Lanka:  Ms. Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka, in the presence of Mr. B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, and Ms. Sophie Gordan, Second Secretary (Development), Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka, entered into 29 Memorandums of Agreement (MoAs) with Community Based Organizations on behalf of the Global Environment Facility funded Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP). The 20 community grant projects, along with 3 capacity development, 3 knowledge management and 3 social enterprise development grants will be funded under its seventh Operational Phase (OP7) in Sri Lanka.  Also present at the signing ceremony recently were representatives from the Ministry of Environment, which is the Operational Focal Point, the National Steering Committee, Donor partner and Grantees.  

In addition, MOAs were signed with 5 community grant projects funded by the Australia through the Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) Phase III project. These projects will focus on environmental conservation, strengthening community resilience against climate shocks and disasters, which is essential for environmental, economic, and social well-being, reducing inequalities and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve agenda 2030.

Commenting on the initiatives, Mr. B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary, Ministry of Environment stated, “Sri Lanka's designation as an upgraded country programme within the GEF-SGP framework presents a unique opportunity. We now have the chance to refine and broadly apply a community-based landscape approach, leveraging the wealth of experience gained from other SGP countries, sectors, and regions. By incorporating these lessons and tapping into well-developed civil society and market networks, we can ensure that our efforts are even more impactful.”

Both the GEF-SGP 7th Operational Phase and CBA Phase III will be implemented in three key landscapes: the urban wetlands of Colombo, Knuckles conservation forest and the coastal region from Mannar island to Jaffna. The GEF-SGP 7 will fund 20 community grants designed to address critical environmental challenges such as biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and land degradation. Whereas the 5 community grants from CBA 3 will give more focus to building climate-resilient communities, with an overall emphasis on the need to equip vulnerable groups like women, youth, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples, to improve resilience to challenges such as pandemics, economic downturns, and social crises.

Highlighting UNDPs leadership through the GEF-SGP programme over the years, Ms. Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka noted, 
“Since 1994, UNDP in Sri Lanka has been supporting community-based organizations to demonstrate innovative and bottom-up approaches in their efforts to protect the environment and contribute to global efforts through local action under the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). We are very excited to scale up our ambition through a new cohort of 20 projects to build resilience of local communities to withstand climate shocks and improving environmental, economic, and social well-being in our collective efforts to achieving the SDGs.”

Key thematic areas of the CBA Phase III project include water security, coastal zone management, agriculture and food security, land degradation, and disaster risk reduction.

Underscoring the commitment of the Government of Australia, Ms. Sophie Gordan, Second Secretary (Development), Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka commented, “Strengthening the resilience of local communities to climate shocks and disasters is vital not only for environmental sustainability but also for advancing economic well-being and reducing inequalities. Through an inclusive, community-led approach, CBA Phase III empowers vulnerable groups to adapt to both current and future challenges.”

In addition to the community grants, GEF SGP OP7 includes specialized grants aimed at enhancing capacity development, fostering knowledge management, and promoting social enterprise development within the targeted landscapes.

The Small Grants Programme embodies the very essence of sustainable development by ‘thinking globally acting locally’. By providing financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods, SGP demonstrates that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.

The Small Grants Programme is supported by UNDP and funded by the Global Environment Facility.

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