New Delhi: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved US$204.3 million in funding to support UNDP projects in 121 countries, focusing on safeguarding people and the planet. The funding, announced during the GEF Council Meeting from December 16-20, will leverage an additional $1.9 billion in co-financing. This is part of a larger effort to address the climate and nature crisis, with the GEF approving over $668.3 million in grants to 14 GEF Agencies, a UNDP press release stated.
The projects aim to create a nature-positive and climate-resilient future, restoring thousands of hectares of land. An area roughly the size of Belgium – three million hectares – will benefit from improved stewardship, the release noted. The initiatives will directly impact over 9.4 million people, including 4.8 million women.
“Our role as UNDP is to support change from the ground up,” said Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. He emphasized the importance of supporting Indigenous groups, women, and marginalized communities through the funding.
A significant portion of the funding, $71.3 million, will be allocated to the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by UNDP. This program focuses on innovation, scaling up, and social inclusion in 119 countries. The SGP will restore 150,000 hectares of land and 60,000 hectares of marine protected areas, and improve the management of 2.5 million hectares of landscapes and 160,000 hectares of marine ecosystems. This augments the $137.5 million already approved for the first tranche of the SGP program.
Other UNDP initiatives will address harmful greenhouse gas emissions and toxic chemicals. These include programs tackling plastic waste in China and eliminating polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Eswatini.