21 November 2011: The Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) held a three-day workshop for National Coordinators of small island developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean to launch the implementation of its SIDS Community-Based Adaptation project.

The event, held in Managua, Nicaragua, from 19-21 November 2011, addressed how to enhance the resilience of communities to the impacts of climate change through the conservation of the natural resources and ecosystems upon which they depend.

The Community-Based Adaptation project is funded by a US$6 million grant from Australian Aid and will work directly with vulnerable rural communities to enable them to identify and implement community based adaptation measures, through small grants (up to US$50,000) and technical and capacity building support delivered through the GEF SGP. In doing so, the project will build upon the local knowledge of communities and apply and adapt the methodologies developed and tested by previous community-based adaptation projects implemented by SGP across the globe.

At the meeting, participants focused on: how to use vulnerability assessment methodologies at the local level; how to include gender and disadvantaged youth in project development and implementation; and how to capture and communicate knowledge generated by the project. The meeting also provided an opportunity to exchange ideas, share lessons and good practices on community-based adaptation approaches from experienced SGP country programmes in the region that have already been implementing similar projects, such as Bolivia, Guatemala and Jamaica.

The GEF SGP is implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). [IISD RS Sources]