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| Monday, 10 June 2002 |
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Grants disbursed over seven years-1.5 million for NGOs, CBOs for environmental work by Jayampathy Jayasinghe Around 120 Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) involved with environmental protection work in 21 districts have been funded with outright grants amounting to around US $ 1.5. million. The grants have been disbursed over seven years, under the GEF-Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP) initiated by the UNDP, the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) National Co-ordinator, Ms. Shireen Samarasuriya told the 'Daily News', in connection with the World Environment Day which will be celebrated in Sri Lanka today. The World Environmental Day is celebrated after the Earths Summit held in Rio-de Janero in 1992. Around 50 environmental organisations, mostly non governmental organisations (NGOs) will celebrate the World Environmental Day by participating in an exhibition and sale of environment friendly products organised by the "Ruk Rakagano" an NGO, in Colombo today. Mrs. Samaratunga said that all NGOs involved in environmental activities at grassroots level will get an opportunity to get together on this day. There will be around 40 stalls exhibiting various items such as organic farming, alternative renewable energy, solar panels, micro hydro systems, rain water harvesting, wind farms,bis gas, worm culture, waste management and sale of eco friendly handicraft items, she said. The GEF- Small- Grants Program introduced in Sri Lanka in 1995 is monitored by a national steering committee consisting of 10 members, NGOs and other professionals. The national committee is responsible for disbursing grants to NGOs and CBOs. Only five districts in the wartorn areas of the North and East have not been funded under the GEF -SGP, Ms. Samaratunga said. R.M. Tilakaratne, a recipient from Kurunegala, Padeniya said that he received a grant less than Rs. 400,000 from the GEF-Small Grant program to conserve a forest patch in his native village under the bio-diversity program. He said that his organisation planted around 2,000 trees such as Teak, Mahogany, Jak and Mango trees in his native village as many trees had been felled for timber. He said that several rare medicinal plants have been planted in a nursery which has provided employment to about 30 women in the area. The GEF-Small Grants Program since its inception has funded over 1,300 projects in Africa, North America and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Today the program is operational in over 50 countries. The GEF-Small Grants program is managed by the UNDP and the World Bank. The program was initiated after the Earths Summit in 1992 to address environmental issues such as bio-diversity conservation, global warming issues, international water pollution and Ozone layer depletion. Under the UNDP's Global Environmental Facility Small Grant Program, funds are channelled to the developing world through (1) governments, (2) medium sized grants utilised by universities, governments and the private sector, (3) Small Grants Program available only for the NGOs and CBOs for environment protection work. |
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