The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has long recognized the crucial role Indigenous Peoples and local communities play in addressing environmental challenges. However, limited access to resources has often constrained their full participation. Over the years, the GEF has worked steadily to close this gap and expand financial support to ensure that these communities can effectively contribute to global conservation efforts.
Initially, most GEF funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities was provided through national projects and the Small Grants Programme. These initiatives led to impactful results, such as supporting Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples policy and the management of Indigenous territories, as well as helping establish Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) in the Philippines.
Building on this foundation, and guided by the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG), the GEF launched the $25 million Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI) to deliver larger, more direct grants to Indigenous organizations. This program has helped groups like the IUCN attract additional funding and develop the institutional capacity to bridge the gap between major donors and local communities. The success of ICI also inspired the Heart of Conservation Initiative, which mobilized another $25 million to strengthen Indigenous-led funds and build long-term capacity.
The GEF has also expanded its support beyond biodiversity to reflect the holistic worldviews of Indigenous Peoples, funding projects that address multiple environmental challenges. These include initiatives to reduce mercury use in gold mining, support pastoralist communities in the Sahel and Mongolia against land degradation, and improve access to renewable energy for Indigenous Peoples as part of climate change mitigation efforts.
Following the COP15 biodiversity summit, the GEF established the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), which prioritizes engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in project selection. The fund set a target to allocate 20 percent of its resources to these groups but has already surpassed that goal — with 32 percent of project funding now directly supporting Indigenous-led actions. The GEF is also working with Indigenous organizations to develop clear guidelines on how such contributions are measured and implemented.
Even within national-level projects, GEF continues to apply principles of direct finance advocated by Indigenous leaders. In Brazil, for example, projects support self-determined Indigenous governance by ensuring transparent selection processes for resource allocation and funding culturally significant activities, such as rituals, that are vital for achieving environmental outcomes.
The GEF’s ongoing partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities represents a shared commitment to protecting global biodiversity. As GEF CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez emphasized, “Supporting Indigenous Peoples in managing their territories means strengthening global biodiversity protection.”
