By Staff Writer
Funding of up to ST$661,000 (USD$233,652) are being shared between 6 Savai’i villages to pay for environment protection projects against the damaging effects of Climate Change.
A UNDP media release did not name the villages but the UN Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) is handing out the funding in grants.
The projects will restore wetlands, secure marine protected areas, protect marine ecosystems, rehabilitate freshwater pools and strengthen spring pools to withstand natural disasters.
The full intention is to support local communities who are at great risk from climate change due to their fragile ecosystems.
An inception workshop was held last Friday in Savaii for the successful grantees, to provide an opportunity for the GEF-SGP team to clarify any queries that the project leaders may have, and to help build their capacity in implementing their approved Memorandum of Agreements.
“It’s an honour to collaborate with our local communities to implement these sustainable environmental projects,” said Lemalu Nynette Sass, Chairwoman of the GEF-SGP National Steering Committee.
“The work of the GEF-SGP, with the important assistance from Government partners, will continue to ensure the positive impact of civil society interventions at national level.”
Lemalu welcome the funding in the “continued effort to build the capacity of civil society actors to be transformative agents of change, contributing to Samoa’s efforts to achieve its national plans and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
These community projects are funded by the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS), and OP7 core grant allocation, the 7th Operational Phase of the GEF-SGP, a programme implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), that provides financial assistance to small-scale environmental projects.