StoryReaching the last mile
Ente: UNOPS Business Opportunities
Paese: UN
Descrizione
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Reaching the last mile 1 Locally-led solutions 2 Saint Lucia 3 Togo 4 Solomon Islands 5 Georgia 6 Belize For over three decades and across more than 30,000 grants, UNOPS support for The GEF Small Grants Programme has empowered communities to fight climate change and protect the environment with local action. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme helps vulnerable communities mitigate the impacts of climate change and address the major drivers of environmental degradation. From biodiversity conservation to promoting sustainable forest management practices, the programme supports civil society- and community-based organizations to advance community-led initiatives that address environmental issues, while also supporting sustainable development and improved livelihoods. For more than 30 years, working In partnership with the UN Development Programme, UNOPS has supported the Programme’s execution, providing the services needed – operational, grantmaking, recruitment, financial, administrative, audit and quality assurance – to deliver vital resources to communities, including in some of the world’s most remote locations. During this period, the distribution of more than 30,000 small grants has enabled grassroots organizations and local communities to transform environmental challenges into locally-led solutions. As the Programme now enters its eighth operational phase, we explore its legacy and impact as a catalyst for local action – and looking ahead, its vital role in empowering communities to tackle the climate crisis and a growing number of environmental challenges. Locally-led solutions Transforming environmental challenges into locally-led solutions “I still remember visiting small community organizations years ago – ones that on paper barely existed. They had no legal registration. No bank account. No formal way to manage even the smallest grant. And yet, they had everything that mattered: knowledge of their land, their community, their environment, and what needed to change," says UNOPS Senior Portfolio Manager, Edriss Riffat, reflecting on early interactions with grassroots groups which lacked the formal frameworks required to obtain financial support, despite their deep local knowledge. Through the Small Grants Programme, thousands of local entities like these have since successfully formalized their operations, implemented robust accounting frameworks, and honed their administrative skills. This has enabled global funding to be channeled directly towards local action – helping build more resilient communities, creating stronger local institutions, leaving a lasting positive impact. The ripple effects of this foundational support have often surpassed the initial scope of the environmental interventions. “What has struck me most is the disproportionate impact of these grants,” says Edriss. “I have watched a relatively small amount of funding, placed directly in the hands of a community, repeatedly open doors to something much bigger – new partnerships, market access, and a seat at tables where these communities previously had no voice,” he adds. CBA workshop, Suva, Fiji SGP inception workshop, Astana, Kazakhstan Saint Lucia Advancing clean energy in Saint Lucia In the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, the Programme supported the Soufriere Fishermen’s Cooperative Society to implement a solar energy system – powering its facilities with clean and affordable energy and reducing the cooperative’s dependence on fossil-fuel-based electricity. The durability of the energy system was immediately tested by Hurricane Beryl in 2024, with a severe storm-surge damaging the cooperative’s facilities and paralyzing its commercial operations. Remarkably, however, the system survived the disaster unscathed. The cooperative has since seen an average reduction in its monthly utility expenditures by 80 per cent, compared to previous costs associated with using fossil fuel for energy. “Without the PV system, the cooperative might not have withstood the financial strain,” says Vilma Joseph, Manager at the Soufriere Fishermen’s Cooperative Society. In a further shift towards long-term sustainability, the cooperative is now channeling these savings into a dedicated fund, which aims to build an investment portfolio that will ultimately seed a social protection framework for its members. The headquarters of the Soufriere Fishermen Cooperative Society, powered by solar energy. (Soufriere, Saint Lucia) Executive and General Members of the Soufriere Fishermen’s Cooperative Society (Soufriere, Saint Lucia) Togo Cultivating institutional resilience in Togo In Togo, these grants have helped strengthen the financial and technical capacities of over 100 local civil society organizations. “Between 2020 and 2025, more than 500 hectares of forest and agricultural landscapes were protected and managed sustainably by local communities,” says Koffi Eli Atri, Sma
Settori: international
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