In 2025 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continued to strengthen environmental and social safeguards across its operations through the implementation of the Framework for Environmental and Social Management (FESM). The Framework sets FAO's requirements and standards for identifying and managing environmental and social risks from projects and programmes, while promoting positive outcomes for people, communities and the environment.

Now in its third year of full operation, the Framework has been applied to 1 840 projects worldwide, including 762 new projects in 2025, confirming its core role in FAO’s project management cycle.

Building on this expanded coverage, FAO focused on making safeguards practical and accessible for teams working on the ground. Expanded support reached more country and regional offices, along with hands‑on training and clearer guidance to embed risk management early in project design.

Environmental and social safeguards were systematically integrated across FAO projects through coordinated support and alignment with partner requirements. They are a key component of major funding proposals for FAO-led initiatives, including projects supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

FAO also strengthened feedback and grievance mechanisms. The objective of FAO's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is to ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place to allow individuals and communities to file grievances with FAO directly if they believe they are or might be adversely affected by an FAO project or programme.

Grievance focal points are now established in 146 of FAO’s 168 offices, up from just 34 in 2022. More than half of country offices have made it significantly easier to submit a grievance by publishing contact details online, ensuring they are easily accessible to all stakeholders. Tailored training on the Grievance Redress Mechanism reached 254 colleagues, including focal points in English, French and Spanish, while additional workshops in Asia and the Pacific engaged more than 200 staff across 18 countries.

In 2025, the implementation of the FESM was also marked by a transition towards a more systematic and data-driven approach to environmental and social management. This shift was supported by the introduction of digitalized processes, enhanced monitoring tools, and improved systems for environmental and social risk screening and grievance management. Work also progressed on a new artificial intelligence application that combines geospatial and country-level data to support project design, with a pilot phase planned for 2026.  

Internal feedback across the Organization reflects the increasing demand for safeguards support for FAO operations. A year-end staff survey showed that nearly 70 percent of respondents were satisfied with the quality of support provided by the Environmental and Social Management Unit responsible for FESM implementation.

Building on this progress, FAO will continue to expand training, improve feedback systems and further integrate environmental and social safeguards across its work in 2026, ensuring responsible delivery and lasting benefits for communities and the environment.

The 2025 FESM Annual Report is an internal FAO publication. Members interested in consulting the report may contact the Environmental and Social Management Unit (ESM Unit) at [email protected] to receive the PDF.