International waters projects help countries to deal with concerns in all types of transboundary water systems, ranging from river basins, lake basins, and groundwater systems, to coasts and large marine ecosystems, where most fisheries exist, to the open ocean. Because SGP grants are small and are not made to government bodies, SGP’s engagement in the international waters focal area has not involved the participating in SAPs or other arrangements with multiple governments so far. Instead, its international waters projects tend to involve the demonstration of techniques on a small scale to reduce water pollution in a particular transboundary waterbody (such as new methods to reduce pesticide use among farmers) or awareness raising among community members about the impacts of waste on a waterbody, often accompanied by community activities to clean up waste and improve its management (such as the development of a recycling program). GEF SGP interventions to address problems related to international waters in Malaysia should in general be designed to undertake activities aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts on international waters caused by over-development of land based economic activities, including urbanization, transportation and industrialization, point or diffused pollution from land-based resources, and or over-development in or over-use of water resources.

Criteria:

In accordance with any of the of following GEF Operational Programmes.

• OP10 – Contaminant-Based Operational Program
• OP8 – Water body-based Operational Program
• OP9 – Integrated Land and Water Multiple Focal Area Operational Program