By: Staff Writer
October 28, Colombo (LNW): The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Australia are joining forces to aid Sri Lanka’s community-based organizations (CBOs) in launching local projects that align with global environmental objectives while promoting sustainable livelihoods.
This collaboration is part of the seventh Operational Phase (OP7) in Sri Lanka, through which 20 community grant projects, alongside grants for capacity building, knowledge management, and social enterprise development, will receive a total funding of US$1 million, according to sources from the Environment Ministry.
The Ministry of Environment acts as the Operational Focal Point for these efforts. Beyond community grants, the funding includes specialized grants focused on enhancing capacity building, fostering knowledge sharing, and advancing social enterprise in specific landscapes.
The Small Grants Programme (SGP) embodies the sustainable development principle of “thinking globally, acting locally” by providing financial and technical support to projects that protect and restore the environment while improving community welfare and livelihoods, noted Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment.
UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Azusa Kubota, signed 29 Memorandums of Agreement (MoAs) with CBOs for the Global Environment Facility-funded Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), with representatives from Sri Lanka’s Environment Ministry and the Australian High Commission also in attendance.
Additionally, five community grant projects funded by Australia under the Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) Phase III project were formalized.
These projects aim to strengthen community resilience to climate shocks and disasters, which is crucial for environmental sustainability, economic stability, and social well-being, as well as for reducing inequalities and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda.
Secretary Chandrakeerthi emphasized that Sri Lanka’s upgraded status in the GEF-SGP framework provides a unique opportunity to refine and implement a community-based landscape approach. By learning from other countries within the SGP framework and leveraging networks in civil society and markets, Sri Lanka hopes to amplify its environmental impact.
The GEF-SGP OP7 and CBA Phase III projects will be implemented across three primary landscapes: Colombo’s urban wetlands, the Knuckles conservation forest, and the coastal stretch from Mannar Island to Jaffna.
The GEF-SGP will fund 20 community grants to tackle environmental challenges like biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and land degradation.
Meanwhile, the CBA Phase III project will focus on building climate-resilient communities, with particular support for vulnerable groups, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and indigenous communities, to help them adapt to challenges such as pandemics, economic hardships, and social crises.
