By Aminata Phidelia Allie
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has launched its Small Grants Programme (SGP), a country support programme in Sierra Leone to mark the GEF’s 20th anniversary. Working in collaboration with other civil society organizations and other partners, the SGP already existed in 123 countries before coming to Sierra Leone, which is “its newest member.”
According to the UNDP Country Director, Mohamed Abchir, the demand for the SGP emerged from negotiations for the establishment of the GEF that took place in 1991 during the lead-up to the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
The country director said that they would explore all possibilities “to support communities to take action to confront worsening environmental, climate, economic and social crises”. He said it was their aim to strengthen and use the programme to bring records of success to more communities by “attracting more financing from a wider array of other sources”.
He promised that in Sierra Leone, the SGP would work to link matters of local, national and global importance through a transparent, participatory and country-driven approach. He added that “we will continue to use SGP’s decentralized structure to encourage maximum country and community initiative and ownership.”
GEF operational focal point, Dr. Kolleh A. Bangura stated that engaging with CSOs was a critical step in funding any GEF project or programme, with public participation being an integral part of the “GEF’s d'être”. Through the efforts of the GEF and its partners, he said dramatic differences had been made in the lives and environments of local communities whiles at the same time achieving global benefits to meet international agreements.
Dr. Bangura said that in Sierra Leone, effective partnerships, which can consistently leverage environmental protection in “budget-conscious issues” must be promoted.
