This newsletter features DGM country & global project updates, Indigenous & Local Community resilience stories, publications, upcoming events & more!
DGM Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are responding to the climate and global health crisis in innovative and adaptive ways.
DGM Ghana National Executing Agency (NEA) member Edward Kyere calls attention to newly sprouting climate smart cocoa pods. In Ghana, project implementation continues despite the pandemic, whilst project implementers take necessary health and safety precautions.
This blog highlights the innovative ways Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) continue demonstrating resilience and strength in the face of the myriad of crises brought on by COVID-19 while confronting ongoing threats to their survival. For stories of resilience amid the pandemic from Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia, Brazil, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Read more >>>
DGM Global Executing Agency Director, Johnson Cerda highlights the importance of IPLC inclusion and representation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples platform (LCIPP). Read more >>>
DGM Indonesia National Steering Committee (NSC) members share their experiences using traditional practices, community cooperation, community initiatives, and creativity in facing COVID-19 in their communities. Read more >>>
DGM Brazil
DGM Brazil has established a Resilience Network Committee made up of NSC representatives to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 in DGM communities. This network coordinates emergency relief efforts, including the provision of personal protective equipment, hygienic materials, and the dissemination of virus prevention information. All project activities requiring in-person engagement have been adapted to a virtual format. Traditional medicine, through the use of Cerrado biome plants and Indigenous and Local Communities’ knowledge is successfully strengthening immunity and mitigating the health and social impacts of COVID-19 in DGM Brazil communities.
DGM Ghana
DGM Ghana provides activity guidance and messaging on how to prevent the spread of the virus in Local Communities using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR). IVR provides pre-recorded messages in Twi, a local language, to project implementers without the need for in-person contact. Ensuring the survival of planted seedlings during the dry season is critical in Ghana’s Local Communities. Climate change has prolonged and heightened the dry season in DGM Ghana’s communities. To mitigate the impact of the droughts, DGM Ghana project implementers are employing bottle drip irrigation systems and reported an 80% survival rate at the end of the dry season. During the dry season, Local Communities also face the threat of fires, and in anticipation of this occurrence project implementers plan to create a green fire belt to prevent the spread of fires into plantations in addition to a two-meter barrier.
DGM Mexico
DGM Mexico has created a COVID-19 contingency plan to ensure the implementation of programmed activities through the use of different technological tools and the design of culturally appropriate training materials. This includes the provision of remote support to financial/market-oriented inclusion (VIF) subproject implementers, continued training of Local Community Promoters (PCL) and the participatory construction of social inclusion (VIS) subproject phase 2 technical proposals. DGM Mexico has also diversified its communication platforms to expand the project’s reach in regions. The continued programmed coordination between the National Executing Agency (NEA), local technical assistance, and local community promoters has been key to achieving results. Read more >>>
DGM Mexico created this video to support subgrantees in the design of environmental management plans (PMA) to identify potential social and environmental impacts of subgrants.
DGM Peru
In May 2020, DGM Peru'sNational Steering Committee (NSC), the World Bank, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) met to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Peoples and on the achievement of DGM Peru's goals and indicators during its last year of implementation. Among the different decisions adopted, a second restructuring of the project was processed including the design of new activities that would allow for the continued implementation of subprojects and the management of forest resources in a safe way, while providing security to native communities. The second restructuring of the project was approved and signed on September 16, 2020. During this time, DGM Peru developed an Environmental and Social Management Framework for the new project activities in the face of the emergency caused by COVID-19. This framework provides guidelines aimed at achieving adequate environmental management to prevent and mitigate the associated environmental and social risks and impacts. Read more >>>
DGM Indonesia
DGM Indonesia NSC members and communities have taken the initiative to distribute food, conduct needs assessments, track coronavirus cases, and create quarantine centers and awareness campaigns. Efforts include increasing crop production to supply Indigenous communities experiencing food shortages due to the long dry season coupled with the impact of COVID-19 and creating an online portal to track and monitor cases. Community cooperation has been critical in maintaining climate and health resilience. The 2019 drought in the Sumatra region coupled with the current pandemic has exacerbated food shortages experienced by local communities. In response, DGM Indonesia stakeholders implemented food security approaches at the community level using house yards and remaining land to plant rice and rice substitutes. Neighboring villages with greater access to food became food sources for others during this crisis.
DGM Global Project
Global Steering Committee (GSC) members in Brussels, Belgium in May 2019 during the annual GSC meeting where members approved the DGM Global project phase 2 workplan and budget. DGM Global transitioned into phase 2, securing support through June 2023 to continue to strengthen DGM IPLC networks and partnerships with a renewed focus on knowledge transfer, learning exchanges, IPLC governance, and partnerships. The design of phase 2 incorporated and addressed the best practices from the first phase and the recommendations made by GSC members and other relevant stakeholders.
With guidance from and in coordination with GSC members, the DGM Global project has adapted specific activities to a COVID-19 context ensuring project progress and participation of DGM stakeholders in relevant activities.
New and Upcoming DGM Projects
DGM Cote d'Ivoire is the latest DGM country to become effective. Over the past year, DGM Cote d’Ivoire made significant progress finalizing environmental and social safeguard instruments and received official approval from the World Bank. Upon approval of the project operations manual the project became effective in August 2020.
DGM Guatemala, DGM Nepal, and DGM Republic of the Congo all launched a call for NEA proposals and are in the process of finalizing the selection of the NEA. Stay tuned for more news on these upcoming projects!
Resolve NGO launched a call for CSO Applications for the CIF CSO Observer seat for the 2021-2023 Term. Selected observers have the opportunity to guide and share input on global climate finance decisions; they serve as a conduit between their constituency and the CIF. Observers actively transfer knowledge and information between their constituents and the CIF, promoting transparency and enabling stronger, more effective project design and implementation outcomes.
