QAZAQ GREEN.  Twenty-two environmental initiatives from ten regions of Kazakhstan received financial support under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme in Kazakhstan, implemented under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The regions covered by the programme include Abay, Akmola, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Zhetisu, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, Turkestan and Ulytau. 

“The Small Grants Programme, implemented with the support of UNDP, has played an important role in supporting local communities and civil sector initiatives for over two decades, offering local solutions to the sustainable development agenda,” noted Assel Nurbekova, Head of the UNDP Energy and Environment Department in Kazakhstan, opening the event.

The seventh operational phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme, which commenced in July 2023, aims to support environmental initiatives that contribute to the mitigation of climate change and the reduction of land degradation processes. The projects selected in Kazakhstan include initiatives on the development of renewable energy, sustainable management of natural resources, soil conservation and restoration methods, sustainable pasture management methods, and raising environmental awareness among local communities. 

"Environmental protection is a common cause that requires the efforts of the state, civil society and every citizen. Only by joint efforts can we ensure a sustainable future for Kazakhstan, where economic development goes hand in hand with care for nature," emphasized Shattyk Tastemirova, Head of the Department of Adaptation to Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The event also included training for grant recipients on strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects, and financial reporting under the Small Grants Programme, which will promote transparency and efficiency in the use of allocated funds, as well as gender equality.

UNDP launched the Small Grants Programme in 1992 as a GEF pilot programme. The programme aims to support the development of non-governmental and non-profit organisations (NGOs) working in the GEF focal areas. Today, the GEF Small Grants Programme operates in 127 countries.

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme in the Republic of Kazakhstan has been operating since 1997, and to date 374 projects have been supported (49 projects within the sixth operational phase).

Find out more about the Small Grants Programme in Kazakhstan on the website: https://gefsgp.kz.