The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) has announced a Call for Applications for Building on Islands Leadership in Achieving Biodiversity-related SDGs: Local to global coalitions through Identification of replicable good practices using the islands bright spots as a reference point of knowledge.

The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a corporate programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1992. SGP grant-making in over 125 countries promotes community-based innovation, capacity development, and empowerment through sustainable development projects of communities’ local civil society organizations with special consideration for indigenous peoples, women, and youth. SGP projects support biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, prevention of land degradation, protection of international waters, and reduction of the impact of chemicals, within a sustainable development framework that promotes sustainable livelihoods and citizen empowerment.

Objective: Using a strong global island network, the aim of this initiative is to recognize, scale up, and replicate good practices among local communities in SIDS. This possibly coming as a result of focusing on bright spots and connecting them to global policy processes so that they can best illustrate island needs, solutions and opportunities including the Convention on Biodiversity, SDGs and the UNFCCC. The project activities should demonstrate real, local and tangible progress on SDG implementation and the Samoa Pathway, as well as connecting local to global and at island level between political leadership and local implementers in a range of islands.

Funding Information

Grant funding available for the activity is up to a maximum of US$ 150,000.

Eligible Activities

• Using a strong global island network, the aim of this initiative is to recognize, scale up, and replicate good practices among local communities in SIDS. This may come as a result of focusing on bright spots. Therefore, the initiative may be used to identify areas and practices (things that are working) in islands that exhibit and are focused on sustainability, conservation and adaptation of initiatives. Therefore, these would specifically focus on island-led solutions and perspectives including island leadership, sustainability and resilience particularly in the context of biodiversity. Ultimately, these activities should demonstrate real, local and tangible progress on SDG implementation and the Samoa Pathway.
• In the context of this partnership, it is expected that the good practices and or island bright spots are widely shared through bi-monthly convenings an annual event (held virtually).
• Using a strong global island network, bright spots are identified (things that are working) in islands that best illustrate mainstreaming biodiversity. These would specifically focus on island-led solutions and perspectives including island leadership, sustainability and resilience solutions particularly in the context of biodiversity. These would demonstrate real, local and tangible progress on SDG implementation and the Samoa Pathway. At least 20 bright spots should be identified.
• Island bright spots are widely shared including through bright spots page, through bi-monthly convenings and an annual virtual Island Bright Spot event. This would be 6 webinars focused on bright spots undertaken with a diverse and extensive global island audience, an updated bright spots page on GLISPA’s website and connection to GLISPA’s bright spot process, 6 island updates on bright spots shared. The annual Island Bright Spots event would use previous in person bright spot knowledge cafe sessions which have been held at global events to convene virtually in April 2021 and which would facilitate the sharing and identification of bright spots.
• The partnership will jointly organize events to recognize islands’ contribution to key conventions such as post 2020 global biodiversity framework, Paris Agreement etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• Trusted entity with high reputation and is working or will be ready to work in the substantive area of biodiversity conservation in the bright spots.
• Nonprofit entity with a commitment to empower local community and CSO stakeholders as well as ability to work closely with the government and support development agencies to participate, to make the overall effort truly globally driven with a focus in advocacy work.
• An experienced entity that can build partnerships with relevant organizations, projects or programs which have requisite experience and expertise at the global level on development of bright spots.
• Proven experience in Knowledge management is a key element of the strategic partnership initiatives to ensure that all the lessons learned from the implementation of the activities are captured, analyzed and shared with key stakeholders to promote learning within and across countries, and to help replicate and scale up its impact taking into consideration the specificities of each context, identification of issues and best solutions (among tested and proven knowledge products) that require policy actions and jointly advocate to influence the creation, implementation or enforcement of policies and in mobilization of support from all concerned actors from local to global level and effective and targeted communications of results.
• Minimum requirements/qualifications:
  • Expertise in advocacy and communications or biodiversity conservation in bright spots situations.
  • Proven experience in organizing international communication campaigns and events to raise awareness on the conservations of bright spots.
  • Administrative capacity of at least 5 staff

For more information, visit UNOPS.