Latest news and updates from the partnership
The Restoration Initiative named a World Restoration Flagship
15/10/2025
The United Nations (UN) has named the GEF, IUCN, FAO, and UNEP supported initiative as one of the four new World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Recognizing global efforts to heal degraded ecosystems, boost community incomes and support food security, the announcement was made during a high-level side event at the World Food Forum in Rome, ahead of World Food Day.
FAO recognizes GEF for driving progress on forests
15/10/2025
The Forestry Division honoured GEF among 24 distinguished nominees at the FAO Global Technical Recognition Ceremony, held on 15 October 2025 at FAO headquarters in Rome.
Supporting the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty
25/09/2025
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is set to support the implementation of a landmark United Nations (UN) treaty aimed at conserving and sustainably using marine biological diversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction. The agreement will come into force in Janua...
An island of chocolate gold
19/09/2025
Morning light spills across Praia das Conchas Roça on the island of Sao Tome, as children walk hand in hand to school with their backpacks. Four of them are the children of Camila Varela De Carvalho, a 32-year-old cocoa farmer. Another four are her nephews, all of whom she is raising.
A...
Sowing seeds, reaping resilience
08/09/2025
Cambodia’s wet season is becoming unpredictable, but now improved flood-resistant seeds are helping Seuy Phok and other rice farmers have more reliable harvests.
Healing hands and healing plants of Tajikistan
31/07/2025
When people in Gulrez, a small village in eastern Tajikistan, feel unwell, they don’t always travel to the nearest town for medical care. Instead, they often turn to Dzhamolov Mahmadali, a local healer in their community, who offers natural treatment using plants from the surrounding mountains.
Reviving Iraq’s rangelands and marshlands
25/07/2025
Southern Iraq’s marshland, desert and rangeland ecosystems have long supported farming and grazing communities with water, food, grazing lands, and income for generations. By promoting sustainable land management through policy change and enhanced practices, FAO and the GEF are helping to mitigate the impacts of soil salinization and climate on these ecosystems.
Forest Data Without Borders: Latin America and the Caribbean Strengthen Their Commitment to Forest Transparency
07/07/2025
To advance the transparency of forest data and strengthen the...
GEF Food Systems Integrated Program advances sustainable livestock transformation in Africa
02/07/2025
Representatives from national governments, development partners, research institutions, and youth networks from across Africa gathered in Nairobi for the meeting of the Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP). Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the FSIP focuses on transforming global...
Mechanization drives climate-smart agriculture and gender equality in Zimbabwe’s Drylands
30/06/2025
The Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program is sharing soil conservation farming techniques, mechanized tools that reduce the labor burden, and access to quality, drought-tolerant seeds and tree seedlings for climate resilience and gender equality.
Southeast Asia and the Pacific Forests Integrated Program launches
27/06/2025
Stretching from Bhutan to Papua New Guinea, the Indo-Malaya forest biome harbors one of the last major primary forest areas in the world, hosting more than 5,000 threatened species. To maintain the integrity of these primary forests, so they can deliver biodiversity, climate, and livelihood benefits, the Southeast Asia and the Pacific Forests Integrated Program was launched.
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Empowering women farmers with greenhouses in Afghanistan
25/06/2025
Ms. Laila, a 40-year-old mother of four children from Qarghayi district in Laghman province, faced challenges in providing food for her family. Her husband, a local farmer, earned very little, and they owned only two goats. With no personal income, Liala depended entirely on this limited liveliho...
Seeking youth insights on fixing food systems
20/06/2025
If you're 35 or under and passionate about food systems, YPARD wants to hear from you – your voice will help shape the Youth Strategy for the GEF-8 Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP).
Harvesting Hope: Reversing Desertification through Conservation Agriculture in Southern Iraq
17/06/2025
“I’ve saved 20% on farming costs in the first year alone,” says Issa Ramadhan, a farmer in Southern Iraq. “Traditional tillage is expensive with all the ploughing, fertilizers, and water required. With Conservation Agriculture practices, I’ve reduced these costs significantly, and the results speak for themselves. I’ve been able to reinvest that money into improving my farm.”
USD $5.8 million approved for community-based conservation in DRC's Tanganyika province
12/06/2025
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund approves its first-ever project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Community-Based Conservation for Biodiversity and Livelihoods in the Context of Climate Change project channels USD $5.8 million to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems, and...
USD 8.9 million approved for climate-resilient agriculture in Solomon Islands
10/06/2025
The Solomon Islands is highly vulnerable to climate change due to rising seas, extreme weather, and reliance on agriculture and fisheries. The project funded by the Least Developed Countries Fund and led by FAO will build climate-resilience through sustainable farming, stronger policies and governance, and improved climate information, enhancing 36,000 hectares, training 60,000 people, and directly benefiting over 75,000.
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Op-ed: When our oceans can’t breathe, a sea change is needed
09/06/2025
Accelerated by land-based nutrient runoff, Marine Hypoxia is creating dead zones in the oceans, which have grown by 4.5 million km² in the last 50 years, threatening fish stocks, coastal livelihoods, and diets. The FAO-led GEF-8 Clean and Healthy Oceans Integrated Program (CHOIP) is tackling this phenomenon by curbing nutrient pollution at its source to benefit 10 major large marine ecosystems.
Central Asian countries unite for sustainable water and land management
04/06/2025
Five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – are supporting the development of the Central Asia Water-Land Nexus (CAWLN) programme to strengthen water security, improve agricultural land health, reduce deforestation, and promote rural economies.
Three tales of biodiversity revival in Latin America
22/05/2025
Latin America and the Caribbean are home to some of the planet’s greatest biodiversity, but it is decreasing worldwide due to unsustainable human activity and changes in climate. Recognizing the importance of biodiversity, particularly within agrifood systems, FAO and GEF work with partners to bolster conservation efforts throughout Latin America. Here are three GEF-funded, FAO projects conserving and restoring ecosystems across Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.
Bees for biodiversity in Belize
19/05/2025
Bees play a vital role as pollinators across a wide range of ecosystems, including forest landscapes and food crops worldwide. Nearly 90 percent of wild flowering plants depend on bees and other pollinators to sprout future generations, and 75 percent of the world’s food crops depend on it in part. By pollinating both wild and cultivated plants, bees and other pollinators play an important role in maintaining ecosystem services and biodiversity, while also supporting global food security and nutrition.