Deadline: 15 August 2024

Applications are now open for the UNDP Indigenous Peoples Grants Initiative Programme 2024 GEF SGP OP7 . The GEF SGP OP7 Indigenous Peoples Fellowship Initiative Programme aims to provide proactive mentoring and capacity building for indigenous fellows to work with the SGP and regional youth focal points.

The activities proposed for the IP fellows include:

• improving the awarding of CSP grants, in line with international best practice in rights-based approaches, as recognised by the CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD and vertical funds (GEF, GCF).
• Facilitate Indigenous Peoples' access to international climate finance.
• strengthen connections and partnerships between the SGP, the UNDP and relevant regional and/or international indigenous networks, foundations and NGOs.

Grant

• The grant allocation for this initiative is US$ 75,000 and the duration of the project (scholarship) is 18 months. 

Eligibility

• Open to any CSOs, NGOs or local community groups interested in conserving and restoring the environment while improving people's livelihoods and well-being.

The 2024 Africa Region Fellow must fulfil the following terms and conditions:

• Scholarship of 12 to 18 months (may extend to 2 years and will be determined in consultation with the IP scholars as part of the development of an individual work plan).
• Support the full and effective involvement of IPs in the implementation of the UNFCCC's nationally determined contributions (NDCs)
• Indigenous peoples' access to international climate finance, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the implementation of the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement
• Establish national networks of indigenous peoples and community conserved areas and territories (ICCAs)
• Promoting partnerships between indigenous peoples through the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)
• Improve monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methodologies, including free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for Community-Based REDD+ (CBR+)
• Participation of Indigenous Peoples in the negotiations and implementation of the CBD's post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
• Engagement with National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) on the role of indigenous peoples' land governance in adapting to climate change
• Implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)
• Involvement with the Intergovernmental Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) regarding the incorporation of traditional knowledge (TK)Partnership and programme for Indigenous Peoples as part of the UN Decade on Water and Global Conference (2023)
• Support for nomadic peoples in arid and semi-arid areas, as well as transhumant peoples in mountainous conditions, including for Community-Based Adaptation (CBA)
• Develop indigenous and community involvement with the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
• Support indigenous and customary fishermen living beyond national borders
• Sharing of national experiences with normative and legal frameworks, including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP)
• Strengthen the network between SGP and the Indigenous Peoples network in Ethiopia and the African region.

Application

Send an e-mail to the following addresses to obtain the Terms of Reference (ToR) and the application form for the nomination process. Email: dejene.biru@undp.org . All completed application forms should be sent to: dejene.biru@undp.org until 15 August 2024.