A press release from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in The Gambia has disclosed that The Gambia has now been certified eligible for the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). According to the release, the development follows an application for the facility by the Gambia government in 2005. The full text of the release is hereunder reproduced:

The Gambia has been accepted into the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). A letter to this effect was addressed to UNDP by the Global Manager of the GEF Small Grants Programme Delfin J. Ganapin Jr, and received on the 24th of January 2007. This development follows an application submitted in November 2005 by the Government of The Gambia for acceptance into the SGP, with vigorous efforts from the UNDP Gambia Country Office to expedite the appraisal and acceptance process.

Subsequently, the SGP fielded an appraisal mission to The Gambia in November 2006, which held consultations with key government and non-government stakeholders and partners to ascertain conditions for programme implementation and provide comprehensive guidance regarding the SGP start up process. The appraisal mission concluded that The Gambia meets all the requirements to participate in the SGP, and run a successful programme. These requirements include the full commitment of all stakeholders (government and non-government, along with the UNDP Country Office) to supporting GEF SGP principles and modalities, as well as a high-level political commitment.

The Gambia’s acceptance as a GEF SGP Country is of great significance to the country’s efforts to strengthen the role of local communities and women in promoting sustainable development in such areas as land degradation and waste management. This is recognized as a specific output in the new UNDP Country Programme Action Plan for 2007-2011. At present, local communities are for the most part, not taking direct responsibility for the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources and environment.

Under the Small Grants Programme, the Gambia will receive a minimum of 100 thousand US dollars annually to support community-level initiatives that contribute to conserving global biodiversity, mitigate climate change, protect international waters, reduce impacts of persistent organic pollutants and prevent land degradation while generating sustainable livelihoods. It is expected that these funds will be used as seed money to mobilize further resources in support of the Programme.

As in most SGP countries, the Programme will be hosted by UNDP, working closely with stakeholders from civil society as well as in government. UNDP would therefore like to underscore the efforts of the Government of The Gambia and the NGO community in working together towards the successful acceptance of The Gambia into the SGP community. In particular, we would like to single out the National Environment Agency, the Department of State For Natural Resources and the Environment, and TANGO for their supportive role during the process.

The next steps include the recruitment of a Programme Manager, establishment of a National Steering Committee, and development of a Country Programme Strategy to situate the SGP within the Gambian context. It is expected that the SGP will commence full implementation in July 2007.