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Ten organisations across Zambia have been awarded about US$500,000 under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP).
GEF Small Grants Programme supports biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, prevention of land degradation, protection of waters and the reduction of the impact of chemical waste.
On Thursday in Lusaka, 10 organisations across Zambia were awarded with six grants ranging between US$5,000 and US$50,000, among them the Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD).
Green Economy and Environment Minister, Collins Nzovu, urged recipients of the grants to invest the funds in innovative ideas.
Nzovu explained that the financial and technical support of the programme were provided to local civil society organisations and community-based organisations to develop and implement innovative local actions addressing global environmental issues.
He said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Ministry’s Director of Planning and Policy, Davies Chimfwembe.
Read more: US govt awards $152,000 grants to nine community-based organisations in Zambia
“I urge all the organisations receiving grants that these are national resources which should be accounted for and put to their intended uses. Prudent utilisation of resources and generation of global environmental benefits attract more funding and opportunities.
“Through the screening processes you were you were subjected to, government, the GEF and UNDP are convinced that your ideas show proven effectiveness and innovativeness in greening global environmental benefits that can be upscale and replicated to other communities,” Nzovu said.
Speaking earlier, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative, James Wakiaga, noted that the selection process was not easy as over 180 concept papers were received.
Wakiaga was happy that this demonstrated a clear approach to addressing an environmental problem in one of the small Grants Programme thematic areas.
He stated that UNDP would work closely with government in ensuring financial accountability was achieved to maintain adherence with the GEF-SGP’s financial guidelines.
“Because of excellence in execution of the GEF SGP, Zambia has received an additional US$150,000 under the Great Green Wall Initiative.
“This is a partnership between the SGP and the African Union Commission (AUC) to support innovative community-led projects that contribute to the implementation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Great Green Wall strategy, aimed at addressing land degradation, desertification and climate change, ” Wakiaga said.
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