Since 2006, the Small-scale Initiatives Programmes (PPIs) have supported African civil society in conserving nature and improving local living conditions. Launched by the FFEM in 2006 and supervised by the IUCN French National Committee, the approach truly is one of a kind. Relying on local support and subsidies averaging €30,000, the PPIs play an important role in enhancing the skills of stakeholders on the ground, boosting their legitimacy in the public debate and inspiring them to innovate for the environment and socio-economic development.

The French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) will be working with its partners ahead of the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, to be held 3 - 11 September 2021 in Marseille. Organised every four years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this event comprises a key stage in the mobilisation of the international community for the conservation of nature and the development of a new global framework for biodiversity, particularly with respect to the post-COVID-19 green recovery

Tropical Forest & Rural Development, a long-term partner of the Small-scale Initiatives Programme (PPI) supported by the FFEM, is one of the 10 winners of the 2021 Equator Prize. Organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this Prize honours “trailblazing indigenous and local solutions for people and planet.”