US $5.25 billion in environmental investments for GEF-8

8 April 2022, Rome, Italy - The Global Environment Facility (GEF) announced a US $5.25 billion replenishment for GEF-8, the next four-year phase of the GEF.  A nearly 30 percent over GEF-7, it will be the largest replenishment in the history of the GEF. 

GEF-8 support will be provided through a Healthy Planet, Healthy People framework that recognizes the interdependency between human well-being and a healthy environment. This framework is highly complementary to FAO's Strategic Framework to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.   

GEF-8 will provide more support to countries to deliver more global environmental benefits in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, combatting land degradation, sustainable management of transboundary waters, and reducing chemical pollution and waste. 

This historic GEF Replenishment comes at a critical juncture for the environment. The latest IPCC reports issued dire outlooks for people and the planet if urgent action is not taken to raise ambition and act on pledges to limit global warming. One million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction and threatening ecosystems that sustain lives and livelihoods. One third of the world’s soils are degraded, and pressures on food security will grow if land degradation is not addressed.  

GEF-8 programming is more integrated than ever, and a significant amount of support will focus on transforming key systems, including food systems.  In GEF-8, FAO will support countries in transforming their agri-food systems to be greener and more climate resilient and help reverse catastrophic environmental trends and ensure food security.  

Since 2003, FAO has partnered with the GEF to support Member States in addressing the most urgent challenges at the nexus of agriculture and the environment. The FAO-GEF partnership has mobilized over US $1.1 billion in financing for 128 countries in the past 25 years to support FAO Member Nations to meet their commitments to multilateral environmental agreements while improving production, nutrition and livelihoods through sustainable agriculture.  

In GEF-7, the last funding cycle from July 2018 to June 2022, FAO has secured nearly US $600 million in GEF investments for Member States as countries increasingly recognize the role that sustainable agriculture can play in achieving global environmental benefits.