SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN / MENA Newswire / — The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations welcomed the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility, saying initial pledges of $3.9 billion will support agriculture, climate and food security solutions. The funding cycle, known as GEF-9, covers 2026 to 2030. It will help countries finance environmental action through more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
FAO said the replenishment will support work across biodiversity, climate, land, pollution and water management. The announcement came during the Eighth GEF Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The meeting brought governments and partners together ahead of global talks on desertification, biodiversity and climate. The Global Environment Facility said the new cycle sets a $3.9 billion programming level.
GEF-9 includes support for integrated programs on food systems, drylands, drought management, sustainable forest management, urban systems and island ecosystems. FAO said agrifood systems play a central role in environmental action because farming, forestry, fisheries and food value chains affect land, water, emissions and livelihoods. The agency linked the replenishment to country needs for climate adaptation, food security and biodiversity protection.
Agrifood systems anchor new funding cycle
The Eighth GEF Assembly ran from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand. It is the highest governing body of the Global Environment Facility and includes 186 member countries. The assembly meets once every four years. Participants included government officials, international organizations, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and private sector representatives.
FAO said earlier GEF support showed how agrifood projects can deliver environmental gains. Examples include land restoration through better soil and grazing practices, climate-resilient rice systems and agroforestry. The agency said these activities can improve pasture health, support herding systems, reduce pressure on land and strengthen resilience to droughts, floods and heat.
FAO-GEF partnership expands country support
Since 2006, FAO has helped more than 140 countries access $2 billion in GEF resources. It said those projects also drew more than $14 billion in co-financing for agrifood systems. Reported results include improved practices across 173 million hectares of landscapes and seascapes, 8.8 million hectares under restoration and benefits for 33 million people.
The latest funding cycle follows GEF-8, which supported several FAO-led integrated programs. They covered food systems, clean and healthy oceans, and forests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. FAO also became an implementing agency for the GEF Small Grants Programme. The agency said the new replenishment will keep food systems, agriculture and environmental protection connected in country-led projects through 2030.
