The Green Climate Fund (GCF), the world's largest dedicated multilateral climate fund, has formally joined the Leads Group of the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI). This move strengthens the partnership dedicated to supporting tropical countries in monitoring their forest and carbon resources.

Through collaborative action, GFOI partners support tropical countries with creating forest monitoring systems that inform their national decisions and international commitments, as well as track progress in climate action. The GCF's involvement further amplifies the reach and impact of these collaborative efforts, given its vital role in global climate finance and sustainable development.

“We are delighted to have the Green Climate Fund join the GFOI Leads Group. The GCF is a major provider of climate finance and vitally important partner for investing in improved forest monitoring systems globally. This represents a significant step forward for the GFOI and our mission to strengthen international collaboration in forest monitoring and, ultimately, generate better information to underpin climate action in the forest sector,” said Tom Harvey, GFOI Office Manager.

Tracking forests for climate action

The GFOI brings together a wide range of stakeholders involved in forest monitoring, including governments, international organizations, research institutions, space agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. By joining the GFOI, the GCF strengthens its network in the forest monitoring community, improves coordination with other actors and avoids duplication of effort.

The GCF brings considerable experience in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector, specifically on monitoring forest and land cover as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The GFOI offers cutting-edge technical expertise and best practices in forest monitoring, improving guidance on mitigation and adaptation impact calculation methodologies within the AFOLU sector.

“By combining the GFOI's technical expertise with the GCF's financial strength and extensive AFOLU portfolio, this collaboration seeks to accelerate progress towards achieving climate goals and protecting vital forest ecosystems,” said Ben Vickers, GCF Land Use, Forestry and Ecosystems Senior Specialist.

International partnership for tropical forest countries

The GFOI is a partnership of countries and international organizations led by government representatives from Australia, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, as well as organization representatives of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank. The addition of the GCF marks a significant boost for the initiative, which now includes nearly all of the major development partners working in the sector.

As a flagship initiative of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO), the GFOI plays a vital role in supporting countries in meeting their national and international commitments, particularly under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in a manner that is consistent with the good practice guidance set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).