ROME, (Pakistan Point News - 07th Jun, 2026) The Food and Agriculture Organisation 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.
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.”
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.
