Guide to GEF funding

ELDIS reports on a new guide for NGOs about how to obtain funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a UNDP administered programme that helps developing countries fund projects and programmes to address global environmental and sustainable development issues, including climate change, biodiversity, international waters, persistent organic pollutants and land degradation. The guide includes lists of contacts, websites, a GEF glossary, and a list of relevant acronyms.

"The guide is a work in progress as the GEF evolves and adopts new policies. One of the most significant new policies is the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF), a system for allocating resources to countries based on global environmental priorities and the capacity, policies and practices of countries to implement them. The RAF will become operational July 2006 for biodiversity and climate change projects. Updates and amendments to the guide will provide information on how to access GEF funding once the RAF is operational."

In Botswana, the GEF's Small Grants Programme has included projects that demonstrated water conservation in schools; piloted woodlots in community junior secondary schools; supported the conservation of flamingoes and protection of a wetland; produced a manual for capacity building; supported studies on the behavioural ecology of black backed jackals, studied utilization of mophane woodlands and the ecology of the mopane worm (including why it does not occur in mophane woodlands in northern Botswana); facilitated a forum for community based natural resources management; and studied the conservation of Tswana sheep and goats.

The full text of the guide is available online.