
Global Forest Observations Initiative
The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) is a partnership for assisting tropical countries to monitor their forest and carbon resources. The GFOI coordinates international support to help meet country needs for improved monitoring and, ultimately, better information on their forests. With hundreds of ongoing activities worldwide and over 70 international partners working in more than 50 countries, the GFOI is a trusted and effective initiative for global collaboration towards climate action. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is one of the leading partners of the initiative and hosts the GFOI Office under the umbrella of the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) programme.
Through collaborative action, GFOI partners aim to facilitate a large and targeted package of support for tropical countries with creating forest monitoring systems that inform their national decisions and international commitments. This includes coordinated training, the development and dissemination of guidance, targeted research and assistance in the accessibility and use of key datasets and tools for monitoring. With better information, countries can better manage their forests and make them part of the solution to climate change.
To learn more, please read the initiative’s flyer available in English, French and Spanish.
Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT)
"Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest): accelerating capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and awareness raising” is one of the global projects approved under the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). To improve transparency of forest and land-use data, FAO and GEF have teamed up to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of developing countries to meet the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement. This collaborative project directly benefits at least 20 countries, with a broader impact on the 236 countries and territories covered by FRA.
As a continuation of FAO’s efforts in addressing the pressing challenges of climate change and forest conservation initiated under the first phase of CBIT-Forest from 2020 to 2022, this project capitalizes on its valuable experiences and lessons learned. The second phase of CBIT-Forest (2024–2026) is designed to enhance the quality, timeliness, accessibility and usability of forest-related data in developing countries, in line with the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework.
Learn more:
- Flyer: Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector
- E-learning curriculum: Forest monitoring for climate action | FAO elearning Academy
- Technical brochure: Grounded in data – Informing climate action and reporting with national forest inventories
- Publication: Pathways to forest data transparency