Experiences & Lessons from GEF UNDP/SGP

• The GEF UNDP/SGP is flexible in allowing the timely budgetary changes in the project addressing the needs of the communities. Creating a bridge between the communities and planners/donors.
• Encourages ownerships of change through people’s participation and negotiation processes for better co financing.
• Maintaining measurable standards of performance for all the activities in project, linking the social, natural, economic and human capital for sustainability
• GEF objectives can be best achieved through the endorsement and active participation of local communities and stakeholders. GEF UNDP/SGP projects link the GEF focal areas with livelihood based actions.
• GEF UNDP/SGP has developed simple, easy to understand and implement PROJECT GUIDELINES, up loaded on the GEF UNDP/SGP website (www. sgpindia.org) for the partners. Enabling effective leveraging of resources.
• GEF UNDP/SGP encourages a more learning by doing approach, learning from mistakes, intense and active discussions. Timely disbursement of funds. Encourages voluntary labour and no subsidy approach
• Simply believes in a more ‘systemic approach’ to development through the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These are simple ways of working encouraging participatory process based approach, which is transparent and efficient and has clearly defined impact indicators.
• Facilitation and emphasis on having lessons from pilots to be shared with a wider audience, including Governments at all levels (local, district, state and national levels) for better knowledge management and influencing policy.
• The GEF UNDP/SGP grants leverages and facilitates linkages of projects with state, local government, private/public sector and other institutions. This creates visbility while building capacities of nascent NGOs/CBOs.
• GEF UNDP/SGP along with its project partners through formal/informal, meetings/discussions with Government of India (GOI), donors, private and public sector and other stakeholders disseminates lessons learnt in the program for resource mobilization, replication and scaling up.
• CEE as the national host institution (NHI’s) for the GEF UNDP GEF UNDP/SGP facilitates through seven regional offices are working in tandem with the NC to promote balanced thematic and geographical coverage of the program. 
• Regular capacity building efforts over time have developed a common understanding, mutual respect and trust between the ranges of stakeholders in the GEF UNDP GEF UNDP/SGP.
• Intensive hand holding with partners. Mutual learning and trust building. Demystify the goals and project principles, creating to develop a shared vision and a common understanding for building capacities of stakeholders in project, bringing out the GEFability of the project interventions.
• Pro active links established with pool of consultants and institutions with the partners, to promote a more result based local ownership approach.
• The program is embarking on developing a more Business model Approach with partners.