AIM4Forests programme awarded A+ in first Annual Review by UK Government

The AIM4Forests programme, a collaborative effort between the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been awarded an outstanding A+ rating in its first year of implementation. In its first year, the programme exceeded annual targets, was evaluated as providing excellent value for money and demonstrating high potential for transformational impact. This recognition underscores AIM4Forests' significant achievements and potential to contribute to global climate action through innovative forest monitoring solutions.

In its inaugural year, AIM4Forests exceeded expectations by supporting 11 countries—Bolivia, Brazil, DRC, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru, PNG, Uganda, and Viet Nam—in strengthening capacities and skills for forest monitoring. Through the programme, countries received tailored technical assistance, guidance on methodological challenges, and capacity development on approaches and solutions for the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of emission reductions from forests. 

AIM4Forests assists selected countries in four support areas

Reasons for success

Launched in April 2023, AIM4Forests, with a £24.5 million investment over five years, supports forest monitoring through technological innovation such as space data and remote sensing. “I am delighted that the AIM4Forests is exceeding expectations and has scored an A+ in its first annual review", said Maggie Charnley, the UK’s Head of the International Forest Unit (Department of Energy Security and Net Zero / Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). “We are pleased that UK funding through FAO is already having such a positive impact on the ground in forest countries and supporting local governments to build capacity and readiness through improved monitoring.”

The success of the programme in its first year is partly attributed to a robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework. This framework ensures that all aspects of the programme are aligned, tracked, and adjusted as needed. The UK has shown great interest in MEL to ensure their portfolio’s coherence and impact. The detailed MEL co-developed by the UK and FAO to track AIM4Forests' implementation has been a key success factor, contributing significantly to the A+ rating.

Till Neeff, AIM4Forests Chief Technical Advisor provided insights on success factors, "Flexibility, an outlook of five years, generous funding, existing country working relations, effective partners, and collaboration between UK and FAO teams were pivotal for the success of the programme."

The main achievements in this first year of implementation included:

• Inclusive capacity development: AIM4Forests initiated capacity development in 10 countries, with plans for expansion in 2024. Six e-learning courses on Forest Monitoring for Climate Action, including the SEPAL online course, engaged over 1,300 participants in three languages (nearly half of which were women and including 100 Indigenous Peoples).
• Technical assistance: The programme addressed methodological challenges through technical meetings and webinars, including a significant South-South exchange on estimating emissions and removals from forest degradation with 143 participants from 17 countries.
• Country-specific successes: Ghana, with AIM4Forests' support, became the first African country to submit forest-related emission reductions to ART-TREES. Viet Nam received MRV support to meet ART-TREES requirements, making strides towards accessing climate finance.

Looking ahead

The UK government has provided recommendations to ensure continued success, including accelerating the engagement of Indigenous Peoples, facilitating Country-Led Planning, and expanding the programme’s country portfolio in 2024. The latter has already been addressed, with the inclusion of Colombia and Zambia, making a total of 13 countries supported. The A+ rating positions AIM4Forests to significantly advance forest monitoring, technical innovation, and capacity development. The programme embraces innovation, and can provide an example for other FAO projects and programmes on how innovation can trigger transformational change.

For more information about UK annual reviews and to access the UK Annual Review document click here. Additional resources and detailed reports on AIM4Forests' impact can be found on the AIM4Forests webpage.