Rissa Edoo is the Partnerships, Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist for the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Her professional journey reflects the very ethos of SGP: local action, global impact. She began her career at the grassroots level in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago, working with a local NGO focused on wetland protection and environmental conservation. After managing a project supported by SGP, Rissa went on to serve as the SGP Programme Assistant and later National Coordinator, grounding her career in locally-led environmental solutions before joining SGP’s global headquarters in New York.

With 20 years of experience in community-based resilience and sustainable development, Rissa now plays a central role in shaping and managing strategic partnerships for SGP globally. Her work focuses on advancing community-based climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation through key funding partnerships, with support from the GEF, Australia and Japan. Through global advocacy, compelling storytelling from the field, and contributions to flagship SGP publications and communications, Rissa ensures that the voices, innovations, and leadership of local communities remain central to global environmental policy and action.