GEF Small Grants Programme

🦅 “This project planted a seed in my community – a seed of hope and responsibility.” – Franklin Olivo, Guna Indigenous community, Púcuro.

For #IndigenousPeoplesDay and #YouthDay, see how local action creates global impact in Panama’s wild Darién rainforest: undp-nature.exposure.co/guardians-of...

Join us now! With @thegef.bsky.social and @gefcsonetwork.org to learn more about lessons for financial and technical support to local civil society organizations - especially small, grassroots, and frontline groups.

🗓️ Wed, 6 Aug
🕗 8:00–9:00 AM EST

🔗 lu.ma/0ztwc2hw

We have already lost +85% of all wetlands in the past two centuries.

But in Zimbabwe they know “wetlands are our children’s heritage.”

With #WetlandsCOP15 taking place now, we celebrate our work with theGEF and UNDPZimbabwe to protect and restore wetlands: go.undp.org/wUB

🌱🌱🌱

We have already lost +85% of all wetlands in the past two centuries.

But in Zimbabwe they know “wetlands are our children’s heritage.”

With #WetlandsCOP15 taking place now, we celebrate @theGEF
@UNDPZimbabwe
work to protect and restore wetlands: go.undp.org/wUB

🌱🌱🌱

In Harmony with Nature - UNDP Nature Genes, species and ecosystems are the building blocks of biodiversity, and their rapid loss threatens the delicate balance that sustains all life on Earth – including our own. While significant progre...

From wasabi terraces to green tea fields, discover how Japan’s landscapes embody harmony between people and nature.

A solution #ForPeopleForPlanet, we know that enhancing #LocalAction is key to achieve the #SDGs: ow.ly/WOVb50WsnUq

#HLPF2025

🖋️ What’s ONE word that captures the future YOUth want to help build?

Ahead of #YouthDay, help shape our global word cloud. 🌍✨

Drop your word in one of six UN languages by August 1 and be part of #SignedTheFuture – launching soon.

🔗: bit.ly/UNDPWordCloud

#Youth2030

📢 Join us at #HLPF2025 to discuss role of Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS) in achieving #SDGs and key Global Biodiversity Framework targets.

Register here to attend our virtual side event 17 July, 8:30am NYT: undp.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

World leaders, experts and civil society gather next week at #HLPF2025 to enhance action to achieve the #SDGs.

We have a solution in the heart of the Peruvian highlands: local action to recover and conserve their agrobiodiversity #ForPeopleForPlanet: go.undp.org/Uyz

Can degraded land come back to life? In Georgia’s highlands our work with local communities & UNDP Georgia & the GEF is proving it's possible!

Together 7,000 m² of pastures is now a living example of:
🌿 Restored soil
🐑 Sustainable grazing
🚿 Smart irrigation
🪧 Electric fencing
#GenerationRestoration

We're proud to partner with Eunice Spring of Life Foundation. They've just planted 1,000 trees in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria.

This work is addressing biodiversity loss and promoting sustainable traditional medicinal practices among the local Indigenous People.

🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱

Greening the Mexican Desert - UNDP Nature In the parched communities of the Mixteca region’s desert fringe, along the Western border of Mexico’s Oaxaca state, the wait for the rainy season feels interminable. The realization that rains are becoming scarcer and less reliable is particularly sobering at the end of spring, a critical time in this region: it is not only the hottest, but also the driest time of year, marking the end of the long dry season, as most rains in Oaxaca come during the summer.

Over 1,000 native trees planted 🌳

275 structures built to retain water 💧

One goal: revive a desertifying ecosystem.

go.undp.org/UXc

This #DesertificationandDroughtDay, see how @ppdmexico.bsky.social and the Global Environment Facility support local action #ForPeopleForPlanet.

#UNited4Land

🌵From deserts to forests🌳 this #DesertificationandDroughtDay take a journey with us.

See how solar pumps, native seeds and collective action in Mexico’s Mixteca region are restoring land and hope.

“This place will become full of nature, a small paradise.”

#ForPeopleForPlanet

@unccd.bsky.social

On #WorldOceanDay2025 🌊 find out how we're supporting local communities in Mauritius #BeatPlasticPollution to protect marine life and save the ocean: go.undp.org/Ueb

#ForPeopleForPlanet

Micro-nurseries are transforming the Aral Sea region.

In partnership with UNDP Kazakhstan, the Global Environment Facility and more, we're supporting local communities in growing resilient plants to combat desertification and restore ecosystems: go.undp.org/3Cb

“Together, we can build a future where sustainability isn’t just a goal – it’s a way of life.” - Fetu Leapai-Saili, Samoan beekeeper 🐝

This #WorldBeeDay take a look at how we partner with @thegef.bsky.social and @undp.org to support Fetu in her work #ForPeopleForPlanet: ow.ly/S9C150VQFjh

🐝 🐝 🐝

Promoting community leadership & conservation #ForPeopleForPlanet, we're proud to work with @thegef.bsky.social @undp.org Honduras to support 16 community organizations.

From fishermen's associations, community tourism companies, artisans, turtle protection groups & more: ow.ly/yT2550VQHnJ

Mariama Timbo is a striking figure – and not because of her pink motorcycle.

As the sole female biker in her province ferrying people and goods to town, she is now training a new generation of women to follow her lead.

Read more in @theguardian.com article: www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

A bio-cultural treasure - UNDP Nature India is a globally recognized mega-diverse country, harbouring nearly 8% of the world’s recorded, and comprising four of the world’s 36 identified biodiversity hotspots.The North East India region – ...

India is a globally recognized mega-diverse country, with 4 of world’s 36 identified biodiversity hotspots.

The North East India region is one.

See how we’re working in partnership with @undp.org @iki-germany.bsky.social and more to promote work #ForPeopleForPlanet: ow.ly/lP7s50VGzN7 #UNPFII2025

🌿 Have you registered yet?

Join us this #EarthDay and learn how #COMDEKS, the flagship programme of the #SatoyamaInitiative, is using locally-led landscape approaches to promote harmony with nature:

🕑 10am 22 April JST
🔗 ow.ly/LOeY50VAg95

#ForPeopleForPlanet

🌿 Preserving Mangroves, Protecting Lives! 🌿

In Angouru, South Malaita, the community is restoring mangroves forest to protect homes, marine life & fight climate change with support from @GEF_SGP, @dfat and @UNDP_Solomons.

Read more ⏩https://zurl.co/GASKh

Through a new partnership in the Bahamas, 95 leaders from 54 organizations have been trained in leadership, financial management, & advocacy to boost conservation efforts.

See how we work with the Bahamas Protected Areas Fund to strengthen local capacity: ow.ly/wAnr50VrIYZ

The Rider of the Giant Armadillo - UNDP Nature “Years ago, our grandparents still lived in the forest and carried their children to their farms every day. But one day, this family left their baby boy at home with his older brothers. They were play...

#DYK the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living species of armadillo and is found in Guyana?

A rare and endangered species, it is known for its large size, bony plates, and digging habits to find ants and termites.

Take a look: ow.ly/I6bz50Vk4KG

Exciting news! @undp.org & Caribbean Biodiversity Fund join forces to strengthen community-led conservation projects in Cuba through Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme.

+$1M in grants support #LocalAction to protect biodiversity & promote sustainable livelihoods: ow.ly/Xiu950VnShA

Weaving the future of women’s empowerment - UNDP Nature High in the Peruvian Andes, over 4,000 meters above sea level, a group of incredible Quechua women is transforming their community—one thread at a time. ✨ Through the Sumac Vicuñitas Artisans Associat

March is a month of celebration #ForAllWomenAndGirls. As part of this, meet the Quechua women of Peruvian Andes who are transforming alpaca wool into opportunity!🦙

Through sustainable practices and entrepreneurship, they’re weaving a future of empowerment: ow.ly/lBst50ViNjF

The successful conclusion of resumed COP 16 "in this same room" shows that environmentalism “can work and must work.” We must now translate these achievements into action by placing agrifood systems at center of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans @astridschomaker.bsky.social #CGRFA

The Sacred Forest - UNDP Nature In Ghana’s Upper West Region, the Zukpuri Community Resource Management Area stands as a beacon of hope for environmental conservation, sustainable development, and community empowerment.

Forests, pillars of global food security and nutrition, offer livelihoods for millions.

To celebrate #ForestDay, we bring you the story of Zukpuri, Ghana 🇬🇭 where local communities are protecting nature while creating sustainable economic opportunities: ow.ly/gVvI50V5O7u

The Sacred Forest - UNDP Nature In Ghana’s Upper West Region, the Zukpuri Community Resource Management Area stands as a beacon of hope for environmental conservation, sustainable development, and community empowerment.

Forests, pillars of global food security and nutrition, offer livelihoods for millions.

To celebrate #ForestDay, we bring you the story of Zukpuri, Ghana 🇬🇭 where local communities are protecting nature while creating sustainable economic opportunities: ow.ly/gVvI50V5O7u

Women-led conservation = stronger communities.

As we celebrate work #ForAllWomenAndGirls, discover how Quechua women in Peru are protecting pastures, improving alpaca fibre quality and accessing new markets for a sustainable future: ow.ly/lBst50ViNjF

#ForPeopleForPlanet

🌿 Supporting Bhutan’s highland communities!

COMDEKS Phase 4 launches with US$250,000 in grants to boost biodiversity conservation, climate resilience & sustainable livelihoods.

Learn more about how we support work #ForPeopleForPlanet: ow.ly/9EZy50V51mP

Turning Trash to Treasure in Zambia’s Western Province: The Ndowana Farming Club

Feather waste? Not a problem for Ndowana Farming Club

Proud to support this work with the GEF & UNDP Zambia.

Read about this community-led initiative- turning discarded poultry feathers into handcrafted products- training women & persons with disabilities in sustainable production: go.undp.org/3cX