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In April, the Government of New Zealand hosted a workshop in
Auckland where New Zealand’s International Aid and Development Agency
(NZAID) and GEF’s Small Grants Programme (SGP) signed a major environment
and development funding program agreement to help Pacific communities better
manage their environmental resources.
In a significant boost to these efforts, NZAID will contribute NZ$6 million
to the SGP over the next three years with the aim of encouraging communities
to apply for funding support of up to US$50,000 per project. Typical projects
would involve enabling communities to access information and new technologies,
sustainably develop natural resources, rehabilitate local ecosystems, improve
livelihoods, and reduce vulnerability to natural disasters.
The grant program will operate in Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, the Federated
States of Micronesia, Palau, and Marshall Islands. Programs are expected
to be established in Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu,
Tonga,
Nauru, and Solomon Islands over the coming year.
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