Small grants Programme in Belarus

Biodiversity
conservation 2011-2020 has been declared by the UN General Assembly as the 'International Decade for Biodiversity'. Biodiversity provides us with food, fuel, medicine, shelter and a cultural and spiritual connection to nature. In 2005, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being delivering a state-of-the-art appraisal of the trends in the world's ecosystems, the services they provide, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably. Therefore, preference will be given to projects aimed at: conservation and restoration of populations of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as their habitats; improvement of management of specially protected natural areas (PAs) and sustainable development of its buffer zone; elimination of threats to biodiversity and ecosystems located outside protected areas; the fight against alien species, whose fault is reduced in the number of indigenous species; expansion and strengthening of networks of natural territories for biodiversity conservation (Ramsar sites, Bionet, Key botanical and ornithological territories, Emerald network); involvement of the local population in the conservation and sustainable use of natural ecosystems; protection of rare species of cultivated and wild populations of domesticated plants and animals; conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources that have actual and potential value for the agricultural and forestry industries; development and implementation of environmentally friendly methods of pest control in agriculture and forestry; creating opportunities for local farmers in the field of biodiversity conservation; stimulation of project proposals for conservation of biological diversity in agricultural lands, including demonstration of progressive technologies and their dissemination; building the capacity of public initiatives in this area, increasing the awareness of local communities about threats to biodiversity; development of agroecotourism on and in the immediate vicinity of protected areas.

Climate
change The effects of climate change undermine development efforts and most severely impact the poor, who are relying on natural resources for their livelihoods. In order to actively cope with these challenges, the GEF SGP helps countries to mitigate the negative effects of the Climate Change and to contribute to the overall objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). GEF SGP supports community and non-governmental organizations in providing access to clean energy, sustainable transport, improving energy efficiency and land use practices. In addition to reducing emission and achieving global environmental benefits, GEF SGP climate change interventions help develop capacity of local communities and improve their livelihoods, empowering them to become more resilient to severe climate events and variability. The projects in GEF SGP climate change portfolio include the following initiatives: Cost-effective renewable energy such as solar panels, solar heaters, micro hydropower plants, biodigestors and biomass generators. Energy efficient technologies for houses, buildings, and industry, including fuel wood-efficient stoves. Local sustainable transport solutions promoting mass transit, non-motorized transport, emissions monitoring and reduction, and liquid bio-fuels. Carbon storage, such as reforestation, cultivation and compost creation initiatives. The Community Based Adaptation (CBA) is an important component of the larger picture of management and avoidance of Climate Change impacts and pressures by local people. It provides information and concrete examples on potential impacts of climate change and mitigative measures which are location specific and community managed. CBA also provides information needs which can be shared and replicated in an appropriate format and manner acceptable by communities. The need for information on adaptation by incorporating and building upon existing coping strategies of communities can be articulated and demonstrated through CBA projects.

Land
degradation Land degradation focal area of the GEF SGP is informed by the previous activities of the millennium ecosystems assessments and specifically targets directly the realization of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD). Indirectly, this focal area also helps in the realization of the Non legal binding instrument of the convention on all forests types of the United Nations forum on forests (UNFF). Desertification and deforestation remains the main priority of the GEF SGP in this focal area and it aims at improving agro-ecosystems and forest landscapes where deterioration of ecosystems services and goods undermines the livelihoods of many people. A majority of these people are the very poor. This problem manifests itself prominently in the dryland ecosystems where climate change impacts further exacerbates the predicaments of the rural poor.

Sustainable
forest
management The focal area will endeavor to pursue SFM in the context of increasing forest and non timber forest resources, climate change mitigation within productive landscapes where communities reside, while pursuing multiple benefits to all actors and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Efforts will be made to link the activities with other SGP GEF focal areas to benefit from the synergies from the existing biodiversity and climate change focal areas. Specifically, sustainable land use, land use change, and forestry management interventions will be adopted at the community level for forest and non‐forest land‐use types to ensure connectivity between ecosystems and restorative activities. These efforts will aim at up‐scaling and replicating at local levels, good practices and lessons that will be generated through the activities that reduces pressures on forest resources and provides sustainable flows of forest ecosystems.

International
Waters The GEF International Waters (IW) focal area addresses sustainable development challenges faced by countries sharing transboundary surface, groundwater, and marine systems. 70 percent of the World is covered by Ocean, and 60 percent of the land lies in transboundary surface and groundwater basins. Most water systems are connected and transboundary, hence are under the coverage of GEF IW mandate. These water systems know no national boundaries and generate ecosystem services and products for human beings, generally serving as transbdounary lifelines. These waterbodies have suffered a trend of environmental degradation, in terms of water quality, ecosystem sustainability and environmental services and goods. The world is calling for effective actions to reverse this trend.

Organic
Pollutants POPs are highly stable compounds that circulate globally through a repeated process of evaporation and deposit, and are transported through the atmosphere and the oceans to regions far away from their original source. They accumulate in the tissue of living organisms, which absorb POPs through food, water, and air. The effects of POPs exposure include birth defects, cancers, and dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems. POPs are also a threat to biodiversity, and even have the potential to cause disruption at the ecosystem level. Belarus joined the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 2004, thereby recognizing the existence of an insoluble problem before it. In the second half of the XX century, when it was "fashionable" to increase the yields with the help of the achievements of the chemical industry, more than 20,000 tons of pesticides were spread into the Belarusian fields. Having a stable structure, these carbon-containing chemical compounds and mixtures are able to accumulate, not decomposing for years, in the soil and even in living organisms. However, POPs do not lose biological activity and spread far beyond the zones of application. They are also the main pollutant of surface and groundwater. The GEF Small Grants Program aims to help Belarus eliminate existing POP stocks and stop their further distribution, guided by the National Action Plan. The project activity on persistent organic pollutants will be concentrated in the following areas: informing and educating the local community in the implementation of the provisions of the POPs Convention; involvement of public organizations and local communities in demonstration projects aimed at reducing and / or safely storing stocks of persistent organic pollutants, including unsuitable pesticides; organization and conduct of studies and workshops on effective management of POPs at the local, regional and national levels; about sources and volumes of emissions; on the impact of harmful substances on public health, on socio-economic development; environmental impacts, their overcoming and alternatives to POPs; identification of sources of harmful substances, their monitoring and decision-making on the elimination of POPs with all stakeholders; stimulating the development of organic farming without the use of pesticides; reduction, reuse and recycling of medical, municipal and industrial wastes containing persistent organic pollutants; demonstration of public approaches and best practices for the elimination of POPs, for example, the production of alternative products, etc. Related Links SGP POPs Focal Area Strategic Guidance Paper (download pdf in English) or (download pdf in Spanish) Joint Communiqué on IPEN and SGP Partnership (download pdf in English) Also visit the Persistent Organic Pollutants resources page on the GEF website.