In April, approximately 30 countries collectively pledged US$4.1 billion for the seventh replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) trust fund. This replenishment round has a particular allocation for a systematic ‘Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program’. This is an exciting moment for FOLU as it enables the Coalition to scale our model and impact.
Under this programme, countries can receive support under three broad themes: 1) Promoting sustainable food systems to tackle negative externalities in value chains, 2) Promoting deforestation-free agricultural commodity supply chains and 3) Promoting large-scale restoration of degraded landscapes for sustainable production and ecosystem services. Each of these themes calls for a holistic approach, like the sustainable country programs the Coalition is testing in pioneer countries Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Australia.
By describing this impact program, GEF is leading the world to show that transforming our food and land use systems will be critical to achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals and it is providing the funding to help countries to do so.
FOLU Coalition Director, Jeremy Oppenheim will host a roundtable event at the 6th GEF Assembly, conveying the huge opportunities in transforming food and land use systems to drive economic growth and deliver on environmental and sustainable development goals. Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Founding Member of FOLU, Dr. Guido Schmidt-Traub will also be hosting a roundtable session at the 6th GEF Assembly, on Partnerships for Implementing the 2030 Agenda.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is an independently operating financial organisation, providing grants for projects to help tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental problems, as well as acting as the funding mechanism for a range of international conventions.
