Since 2006, the French Committee of the IUCN has been implementing the Small Initiatives Programme ("Programme de Petites Initiatives", or PPI), which finances and supports biodiversity conservation projects run by African NGOs. Initially focused on financing small-scale projects, the programme also includes a core organisational development component.
In West and Central Africa, biodiversity is under increasing pressure, with deforestation, intensive exploitation and climate change leading to a massive loss of forests, mangroves and wetlands, while 62% of the population depends directly on ecosystem services. Faced with ineffective public policies, NGOs play a key role, but remain fragile due to a lack of appropriate funding and limited technical and organisational resources.
To halt the loss of biodiversity, these NGOs need to strengthen their skills, improve their resilience, form networks and lobby effectively to integrate biodiversity into public policy.
Since 2006, the French Committee of the IUCN has been implementing the Small Initiatives Programme ("Programme de Petites Initiatives", or PPI), which finances and supports biodiversity conservation projects run by African NGOs. Initially focused on financing small-scale projects, the programme also includes a core organisational development component.
Phase 7 of the programme (PPI7) focuses on four areas:
1. Funding and implementing projects: the PPI7 will launch eight calls for projects and allocate specific funding to support five thematic networks. In all, almost 80 projects will be supported.
2. Organisational development: NGOs will receive support in designing and implementing projects, as well as in strengthening their organisational and technical capacities, backed up by individual coaching.
3. Networking and strategic collaboration: the PPI7 will promote exchanges between NGOs in order to structure networks and strengthen links with financial, strategic and technical partners.
4. Communication and promotion: the programme will highlight the results and impacts of projects, while helping NGOs to better integrate their contribution into national biodiversity strategies and the objectives of the Kunming–Montreal global framework.
In line with the 2030 Agenda, the overall objective of the PPI7 is to strengthen the action of African NGOs to improve the state of biodiversity through relevant, effective and inclusive interventions.
