UNDP South Africa

Background

The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership (UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank), and is executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). It is a decentralized and country driven delivery mechanism seeking to support local community initiatives that ensures global impact on environment as well suitable livelihoods. Hosted and implemented by UNDP South Africa, the SGP operates with the guidance from its National Steering Committee (NSC), which is constituted by members from government, UNDP, universities, parastatals as well as civil society organizations.

Since its inception in 2001, the GEF SGP in South Africa has strived to achieve global environmental benefits at the community level through conservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable livelihoods interventions, and empowerment of local communities for self reliance. To achieve its objectives, the SGP SA works in partnership with various local and international stakeholders with interest in the environment and development of rural communities.

Programme Objective

The programme objective is to provide opportunities and financial support, in partnership with stakeholders, for South African Civil Society Organizations to participate in environmental projects that contribute significantly to national and global environmental and development imperatives.

Who is eligible for SGP grants?

Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) working to achieve global environmental benefits through rural community initiatives in the following GEF focal areas, namely Biodiversity conservation; reduction of Climate Change effects; prevention of Land Degradation; protection of International Waters and elimination of Persistent Organic Pollutants. SGP South Africa supports environmentally-oriented activities by all rural communities throughout the country.

How much financial support can be rendered?

• The small grant programmer is able to support interventions of up to $50 000 per project.

Key aspects in considering funding proposals

The project which has the following aspects can be considered for support:

• address one or a combination of GEF's focal areas
• involve local community action on environmental conservation
• include capacity development, information dissemination and awareness raising as a project component
• promote sustainable livelihoods and focus on marginalized and disadvantaged rural community groups
• address global environmental problems through innovative local solutions by addressing one or more
• contribute positively to the country's environmental priorities and obligations
• ensure that gender and equity concerns are addressed
• proposals should be developed in a transparent and participatory manner (i.e. through engaging the local community members and interested persons)
• interventions should be replicable, a model or demonstration project or offer new approach to solving environmental problems
• projects should encourage partnerships and networking with scientific; educational; private; government; and other non governmental institutions
• ability to sustain the project financially after the SGP funding phase. The project should be able to mobilize co-financing, both in kind and/or cash.

How does one apply for supports?

• The processes can be started by contacting the GEF-SGP office and ask for further information about the programme. Alternatively the potential project partner can send a short description of the project idea to the SGP office.

When should a request be submitted?

• There are no fixed dates but the SGP's National Steering Committee meet 3 to 4 times a year to discuss and recommend support to various project ideas.
• The potential project partners will then be advised in writing of the recommendations of the National Steering Committee

Project idea/Concept format

• NGO/CBO information
  • Name of organization, Contact person, Address (physical and Postal), and contact telephone numbers
• Project description
  • Identify and describe the key environmental problems that the project aims to address
  • Indicate the aim of the project (immediate objective) which is what is to be achieved by the project at the end of the project period.
  • Describe the activities, which are tasks that should be carried out in order to ensure that outputs are produced and sustained
  • Describe the outputs of the project
• Analyzing the area and stakeholders
  
  • Discuss the project area; where the intervention will be targeted
  • Describe the physical conditions within the area e.g. landscape, infrastructure etc.
  • Describe the potential and interested stakeholders
• Beneficiaries
  • Discuss the project participants e.g. the NGO/CBO responsible for implementation of the project and the project's relationship with government structures (local, provincial and national).
• Budget
  • Identify the activities that should be undertaken to address the problems outlined above and accurately cost the activities
• Supporting documents
  • Attach all supporting documents of the project and the implementing agencies (if there are any).

Small Grant Programme (Progress to date)

Statistics:

• Total of 54 projects benefiting the environment have been supported through the SGP SA funding Mechanism
• Number of Projects per focal area:
  • Biodiversity - 22
  • Climate Change -19
  • Land Degradation - 4
  • Persistent organic Pollutants - 1
  • International Waters - 0
  • Multifocal - 7 Achievements and Impact

Operations
The resource Allocation Framework and the Country Programme Strategy and other important documents are in place. The National steering Committee is being continuously strengthened. The office is maintaining and creating partnerships with various stakeholders

Projects
Through the SGP SA the community lives were positively changed, policy making influenced, biodiversity conserved and some jobs created.

Some Examples:

• In partnership with the Wildlands Conservation Trust in Maputaland, through SGP project, a community Maputaland Community game park was established
  This resulted in the park receiving R18 Million support from Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
• In partnership with African Conservation Trust, and Manukelana a project in St Lucia resulted in reforestation of the DukuDuku Forest. The project also obtained the support from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. The group also planted trees in places where government RDP House where built.
• In partnership with Groundworks, government policies on air pollution were influenced. The communities also got an opportunity to contribute towards policy making. Through the project. Air pollution by communities in Vaal, Pietermaritzburg and Durban is reduced
• Through the project in partnership with Wilderness Foundation South Africa, youth from disadvantaged and HIV affected families got formal training to be qualified Game Rangers. The youth are getting absorbed in to the industry and they also initiate environmental awareness project in their communities. This project also resulted in conservation of biodiversity in several private game reserves
• Through the partnership project in Sembademe Initiative programmes in the Wild Coast, the local communities were involved in participatory environmental awareness programmes. The communities are now able to determine the kind of job creating environmental project they want to undertake. They also have taken strong ownership of the project. The results of the project are also the cohesion of different communities. This area is also where GEF projects are taking place

For more information, contact

Khathutshelo Neluheni
Tel: +27(0) 12 354 8166, Fax: +27(0) 12 354 8058/9, Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.gef-sgp.org or www.sgp.undp.org