Rome/Samarkand - On World Environment Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed the Ninth Replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF‑9), underscoring the opportunity to upscale agriculture and food systems solutions for biodiversity, climate, land, pollution, and water management. With initial pledges of $3.9 billion for the four-year cycle, GEF-9 will help finance initiatives to help countries meet their environmental commitments through inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
The GEF-9 Replenishment was approved during the Eighth GEF Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Ahead of the Conferences of Parties (COP) on desertification, biodiversity and climate, the GEF Assembly gathered 140 governments to catalyze action on climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, water management, ocean health, and pollution.
The last replenishment of the GEF (GEF-8) has already shown what is possible through agrifood systems solutions. For example, investments in land restoration through better soil, and grazing practices lead to healthier pasture, more resilient herding systems and improved livelihoods. Adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties and improved practices helps cut input costs, boost yields, and reduce pressure on land and biodiversity. Applying agroforestry systems help farm store more carbon, protect soils, support biodiversity and become more resilient to droughts, floods and heat.
"Agrifood systems connect many of the solutions we are here to scale up: building resilience to a changing climate, protecting food security, reducing emissions, and halting biodiversity loss and land degradation," said FAO Deputy Director-General and Director of Cabinet Godfrey Magwenzi. "Looking forward to GEF-9, we have an opportunity to go further and connect across sectors, align policies across environmental, agricultural and economic fronts, and bring new partners and private investment where they can make a difference."
Running from 2026 to 2030, GEF-9 will fund integrated solutions to environmental challenges, including global programs on food systems, drylands and drought management, sustainable forest management, urban systems, and island ecosystems.
"GEF-9 is an opportunity to raise ambition through integration and connect action for greater impact," said GEF Interim CEO and Chairperson, Claude Gascon. "It will also help scale finance, strengthen inclusive approaches, and support the countries and communities most on the front lines of the environmental crisis."
Two decades of impact
Since 2006, FAO has supported more than 140 countries in accessing $2 billion in GEF resources and leveraging over $14 billion in co financing for agrifood systems solutions. These investments are adding up to improved practices across 173 million hectares of landscapes and seascapes, 8.8 million hectares of landscapes under restoration, improved management of 117 million hectares of protected areas on land and seas, and over a trillion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions mitigated, directly benefitting 33 million people.
The GEF Assembly marks the conclusion of a record period of growth of the FAO-GEF Partnership. FAO unlocked $770 million in grant financing for over 100 countries and was selected to lead three Integrated Programs - the Food Systems Integrated Program, Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program, and Southeast Asia and Pacific Forests Integrated Program - in partnership with international financial institutions and partners. FAO also became an implementing agency of the GEF Small Grants Program, opening new avenues to support community‑based organizations, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth to lead locally driven agrifood systems solutions.
At the GEF Assembly in Samarkand, FAO championed key agrifood systems initiatives -from food loss and waste reduction, sustainable value chains, drought finance, stewardship of rangelands and pastures, and transboundary water management in Central Asia - demonstrating how integrated approaches can deliver impact at scale.
Looking ahead, FAO noted that GEF‑9 offers an unmissable opportunity to accelerate innovation, expand country‑driven programming, and reinforce the role of agrifood systems as a central pillar of global environmental action. Strengthening delivery, accelerating implementation of actions with countries and communities at the centre the coming years will be critical to achieving meaningful results before 2030.
