05 June 2001

New York, USA/Bonn, Germany: Volunteers in 54 developing countries are being recognized today -- World Environment Day -- for their work to protect the environment. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan and a number of Ministers of Environment in other countries will hand out Certificates of Appreciation to draw attention to volunteer action around the world.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) are awarding these certificates to past and present members of UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme National Steering Committee (NSC) in recognition of their invaluable voluntary contributions to the global environmental cause.

The awards are being handed out in special observance of the United Nations Year of the Volunteers (IYV 2001 -- www.iyv2001.org). As focal point for the Year, UNV has helped establish 120 national IYV committees worldwide with over 15,000 constituents working for the promotion, recognition, networking and facilitation of volunteers.

Award ceremonies will coincide with World Environment Day celebrations in the 54 developing countries which participate in SGP. To confer the awards, UN System Resident Coordinators will be joined by eminent figures in each country. In Bhutan Japanese film star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Misako Konno will join the Queen in marking the occasion. Events in other countries may take place at provincial sites and include project launchings, tree planting ceremonies, video presentations and other celebrations.

In his message on the occasion, the Chairman of the GEF, Mohamed T. El-Ashry, indicates that the efforts of National Steering Committee members "are without doubt a primary reason for the success of the SGP programme", which "with its broad outreach and thousands of participants, is perhaps the most recognizable GEF initiative among the general public".

In expressing appreciation for the "dedication, enthusiasm and significant contribution" of NSC members, Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of UNDP, underscores that their voluntary service denotes "recognition that, although small, the grants made under this programme can make a big difference, not only for the communities involved, but for our global environment".

The Executive Coordinator of UNV, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, points out that "the environment movement has been built mainly on the efforts and commitment of thousands of volunteers in rich and poor countries alike". The Global Manager of the Small Grants Programme, Sarah L. Timpson, sends the message that "it is this spirit -- this moral investment -- that the United Nations is celebrating in the IYV 2001, and that we rejoice to find still alive in this world where a focus on the material is so predominant".

The UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) was established in 1992 following the Rio Earth Summit. Rooted in the belief that global environmental problems can best be addressed when local people take action, SGP is financed with allocations from the GEF, and cash and in-kind contributions from a variety of sources, including participating communities. Implemented by UNDP, with executing agency support from UNOPS, it provides grants of up to US$50,000 directly to non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations in 54 countries. An independent evaluation conducted in 1998 found that SGP fills "a unique and valuable niche, not only within the GEF, but within all international environment and development efforts."

SGP's goal is to restore the Human:Nature balance by demonstrating ways of assuring global environmental benefits in the areas of biodiversity conservation, mitigating the effects of climate change and protecting international waters, while also providing for people's livelihood requirements. Operating through decentralized, demand-driven mechanisms of National Steering Committees and National Coordinators in each participating country, the programme has funded over 2000 projects since its inception.

National Steering Committee members are a driving force, allowing UNDP to decentralize programme management to the national level, where sound knowledge of the local conditions, actors and potential activities is concentrated. NSCs have a broad-based membership, bringing together civil society activists, government officials, academics, indigenous people, entrepreneurs, international agencies and donors. The support functions they provide include developing country strategies that adapt global criteria to national policy frameworks, screening project proposals, providing technical advice during project implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation. They have also played key roles in raising policy-makers' awareness of constraints on community action so that these can be addressed at the national level.

Complementary funding is provided to SGP by the UN Foundation for activities around six World Natural Heritage sites, and by the European Community for Promotion of Tropical Forests in selected Asian countries.