FAO joined leaders from around the world at the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity, a high‑level event hosted by the Armenian Presidency of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17). Held under the motto “Leaders for Nature”, the Summit brought together Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and other key stakeholders to provide strategic direction and demonstrate renewed political commitment to biodiversity ahead of COP17.  

FAO has released Agrifood Systems in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans: Global Analysis, alongside a new online platform that opens up the underlying data. The analysis covers 78 National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) revised or updated to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), examining almost 13 000 individual actions planned by countries. The result is a detailed global evidence base on how agrifood systems feature in national biodiversity planning.

In anticipation of COP17, FAO released a new resource guide designed as a practical tool to help countries and their partners translate biodiversity commitments into concrete national actions across agrifood systems. It provides a comprehensive overview of planning, implementation, and monitoring considerations that align with Target 10 of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

When Parties meet for the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), 19–30 October 2026, they will consider adding new indicators to the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Among the 17 indicators listed in SBSTTA Recommendation 28/1 for possible inclusion as additional component and complementary indicators, five relate to aquatic and forest genetic resources. The indicators were developed in consultation with, and agreed by, Members of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. If included in the monitoring framework, they would address important gaps for monitoring the implementation of the KMGBF.

The State of the World's Forests (SOFO) 2026 interactive story highlights restoration pathways across interconnected ecosystems. Discover case studies from around the world and learn how forest and landscape restoration can support resilience, biodiversity, agrifood systems, livelihoods and sustainable futures.

The flagship State of the World's Forests (SOFO) 2026 report was published on Monday as part of FAO’s 28th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) and its 10th World Forest Week. The 2026 edition examines how forest and landscape restoration can be expanded to deliver lasting benefits for people and the environment. Drawing on evidence and experiences from around the world, it identifies four pathways for accelerating progress: empowering people and strengthening rights; implementing restoration at the landscape scale; mobilizing finance and business models that support restoration; and creating coherent policies, institutions and laws.

The project Mainstreaming biodiversity into agrifood systems to implement National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, funded by the Kunming Biodiversity Fund is implemented under the leadership of the governments of Madagascar, Mexico and Uganda, with technical and operational support from FAO. The project aims to mainstream biodiversity into agrifood systems by creating enabling conditions to accelerate the implementation of the NBSAPs in Madagascar, Uganda, and Mexico.

This month's highlight include the second edition of the Status of the World's Soil Resources, highlighting soil biodiversity loss as a key threat; new joint FAO–UNCCD guidance on land degradation neutrality; new guidance on tackling food loss and waste; a brief on delivering restoration outcomes for biodiversity and human well-being, summarizing the resource guide to KMGBF Target 2; new resources on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) and community-based fisheries management in the Pacific; and country and subregional examples and resources on diversified systems: integrated rice–fish farming, agrosilvopastoral systems, and crop diversity. 

The Status of the World's Soil Resources 2026 report, alongside new guidance developed jointly with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), was presented at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP17). Together, the two publications combine new evidence on the state of the world's soils with practical guidance to accelerate action and help countries avoid, reduce and reverse agricultural land and soil degradation.

This month's highlights include the 2026 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, together with its regional factsheets and summary brief; an 18-year analysis of the implementation of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; and new guidance on innovation and inclusivity for biodiversity in fisheries monitoring and forestry. Discover also 4 new e-learning courses covering deforestation, measurement, reporting and verification for environmental integrity, and circular bioeconomy livestock systems.

The session made significant progress in advancing technical work to support the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, with a particular focus on preparing the second edition of The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, which is expected to be launched in 2031.

The seven-year Forest Landscape Restoration for Climate Benefits and Resilience project will reach 196,877 beneficiaries (half of whom are women), while a further 149,715 people will benefit indirectly. The project will reduce the climate vulnerability of rural communities that depend on farming, livestock production, forestry or fisheries for their livelihoods.

FAO Liaison Offices in New York, Geneva, and Brussels, together with the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and the Environment and the Land and Water Division, will host a joint hybrid briefing on 23 June 2026 on the role of agrifood systems in addressing food security, nutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and FAO’s support in turning COP commitments into action.

The report - launched on Tuesday at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya - presents updated global fisheries and aquaculture statistics. It highlights how FAO, with Members, communities, institutions, industry and partners, is translating its Blue Transformation vision into measurable results.

This months highlights include a policy brief on agrifood systems in NBSAPs, a national roadmap for Madagascar's agricultural sectors, an assessment for engaging small-scale fisheries with the KMGBF, new platforms and tools for land tenure data and wildlife governance, and guidance for adopting biodiversity-friendly practices in agrifood systems. 

Across fields, pastures, forests, rivers and seas, countries are showing that the choices that put food on the table can also build resilience, reduce emissions, halt biodiversity loss and bring degraded land back to life. 

Roughly three-quarters of the world’s leading food crops depend, at least in part, on animal pollination. Without pollinators, the foods at the center of a healthy diet, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, would become less abundant, less reliable and more expensive.

This year’s theme, “Acting locally for global impact”, reminds us that global commitments depend on concrete actions at national level and on the ground – by farmers, foresters, fishers, herders, and local communities. 

FAO has conducted new analysis of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), assessing how agrifood systems contribute to global biodiversity targets. A Policy Brief released today presents highlights from the forthcoming global analysis.