GEF-SGP Malaysia Announces US$3.2 Mln Grants For Enviro Projects

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- The Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) Malaysia, designed to support community participation in environmental protection initiatives, on Thursday announced grants totalling US$3.2 million starting from this year until 2015. The National Coordinator of GEF-SGP Malaysia Muthusamy Suppiah said the programme has disseminated US$373,166 to nine recipients with a maximum of US$50,000 per grant. "We have some US$2.1 million excess funds in hand and we hope more proposals will come, so we can fully grant the funds allocated," he told reporters after the launch of GEF-SGP's publication "Partners in Sustainable Development: Empowering Civil Society through SGP" here Thursday by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas. He said proposal submissions aare open all year around and any civil society organisation is eligible to apply irrespective of background. "The project ideas have to be focused on addressing some environmental issues and involve the local communities. "Proposals can be submitted in both languages, English and Bahasa Melayu," he said, adding that currently SGP has 21 ongoing projects with seven proposals in hand. SGP provides two types of grant -- the Planning Grant, with US$2,000 to assist applicants to undertake consultation and research work to develop a full project proposal, and the Full Grant, with up to US$50,000 to approved proposals. He said as of last year, around US$3.4 million has been spent to fund 90 projects and more than 60 civil society organisations have been engaged as project partners. The GEF-SGP programme began operations in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro and has expanded to over 130 developing countries with its main aim to engage in environmental protection and conservation efforts. On the book launch, he said the publication highlights the results and impacts of SGP projects in Malaysia over the past ten years. "We selected randomly 20 projects and what have been illustrated in the book are the stories and experiences shared by our grantees. "We are not only highlighting the positive outcomes but also the shortcomings and weaknesses," he added. Meanwhile, Uggah Embas in his speech said that the activities covered by SGP include the revival of traditional medicine, alternative renewable energy sources, small group-based enterprises and ecotourism, all aimed at directly benefiting the many stakeholders in Malaysian society. He said that the flexibility, simplified procedures and local community focused approaches applied by SGP in managing the country programme have been successful in achieving positive outcomes. "Through its flexible approaches, it has managed to incorporate some economic activities that mainly benefit rural and isolated communities," he said, adding seven such projects have been completed. -- BERNAMA