Investments needed to achieve the ambitious restoration goals to which countries committed in the context of the Bonn Challenge, the New York Declaration on Forests and their decentralized processes are huge. Between USD 36 and 49 billion of investments are needed every year to achieve these targets.

The main barrier to tackling these amounts is not the lack of investors willing to engage but rather the lack of knowledge of stakeholders on the variety of financing opportunities and on how to get ready to access them. By bridging this knowledge gap, the Forest and Landscape Investment Forum (FLIF) offered a unique platform for exploring the variety of investment
opportunities leading to environmental, social, economic and financial returns. The FLIF had the objectives to:

• Showcase business opportunities in forest and landscapes, including
  those in agroforestry and forestry value chains
• Create a marketplace for effective forest and landscape project
  design and increased investment opportunities
• Discuss business challenges and enabling environments for
  successful investments
• Promote a broad spectrum of investments in forests and landscapes.

The FLIF was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Rwanda (MINIRENA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), and Rwanda’s Green Fund (FONERWA). It benefited from key technical and financial support from a variety of national and international partners.