Eritrea

December 10, 2008: The GEF-SGP Central Management Team, represented by Dr. Terence Hay-Edie, sent a mission to Eritrea to assess the feasibility of starting the programme in the country. To make the mission's objective successful, and ensure stakeholders have adequate knowledge and understanding about GEF-SGP, UNDP Eritrea jointly with the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment and the GEF-SGP Central Management Team (SGP-CMT) conducted a one-day national level stakeholders consultative workshop.

This new GEF window of funding will greatly enhance community development efforts and contribute to the attainment of MDG 7.

The workshop gave highlights to participants on the nature of the GEF-SGP, eligible focus areas supported by the programme, its global strategic framework, operational guidance and modalities as well. Recognizing the community embedded nature of the programme, more than 40 participants from Line Ministries, Academic and Research Institutes, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Civic Society attended the workshop. The meeting thoroughly discussed the prospective core functional in-country GEF-SGP unit, constituted by the National Coordinator (NC), and the National Steering Committee (NSC) in which both are responsible for the operation of flexible, rapid, transparent, and broad-based project identification, selection, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

As a requirement it was reminded the need to develop a Country Programme Strategy (CPS) which accounts for: (i) the GEF-SGP Project Document, Fourth Operational Phase (OP4); (ii) the SGP Strategic Framework; (iii) national strategies and action plans responding to requirements of the global environmental conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, CCD, POPS); and (iv) analyses, strategies and other material from NGOs, government, academia, the private sector, donors and multilateral institutions; and (v) accounts of stakeholder consultations and opinions.

By dividing into focus groups participants finally identified GEF-SGP potential stakeholders at a national level, and among them suggested for a smaller group which can resume the role of a National Steering Committee (NSC). Furthermore, based on national priorities and relevance to the GEF-SGP, possible projects in the climate change and biodiversity focus area were proposed.

Background Information

The GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) is a corporate programme of the GEF and is administered by the UNDP, and will soon be operational in over 120 countries. While it is an integral part of the GEF Corporate Business Plan and the UNDP GEF unit, the implementation of the GEF SGP is decentralized and country driven. The SGP complements the regular and medium-sized GEF project funding by providing a window for the direct participation of NGOs, local communities, and other grassroots organizations. The GEF SGP is rooted in the belief that global environmental problems can only be addressed adequately if local people are involved, and that with small amounts of funding (maximum US$50,000 per project and average US$25,000) local communities can undertake activities that will make a significant difference in their lives and their environment.

The Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme aims to deliver global environmental benefits in the GEF Focal Areas of biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, protection of international waters, prevention of land degradation (primarily desertification and deforestation), and elimination of persistent organic pollutants through community-based approaches.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a corporate programme, SGP is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, and is executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).