Main Issue
Land is fundamental to human life, providing a basis for food production, clean water, and shelter. It creates goods and services that enable sustainable livelihoods and peaceful co-existence among communities. Yet, land degradation is putting the health, livelihoods, and security of an estimated 3.2 billion people at risk.
Pressure on global land resources has led to the degradation of 1.6 billion hectares of land, or 15.4 percent of the Earth’s land surface. The dominant drivers of degradation include unsustainable management or over-exploitation of resources, natural vegetation clearance, nutrient depletion, overgrazing, inappropriate irrigation, excessive use of agrochemicals, urban sprawl, pollution, and mining and quarrying, among many others. These factors are further intensified by climate change, which exacerbates the rate of degradation through increasing floods, droughts, and sea level rise.
Drylands cover approximately 40 percent of the world’s land area and support two billion people. The vast majority of people who depend on drylands live in developing countries most vulnerable to the impacts of land degradation and drought.
What We Do
In its role as a financial mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) addresses the drivers of degradation through several Integrated Programs, multi-focal area projects, and stand-alone projects, as well as through enabling activities, capacity building, and exchange of experience and existing knowledge.
The goal of the GEF land degradation focal area is to avoid, reduce, and reverse land degradation, combat desertification, and proactively manage drought through three main objectives:
- Sustain productive landscapes and livelihoods
- Support implementation of National Drought Plans and other drought-related policies
- Promote fair land and water governance and strengthen enabling conditions.
The GEF applies a comprehensive approach to facilitate context-specific solutions to degradation across regional, national, and landscape scales. GEF-funded projects emphasize community-based initiatives and local stewardship, including the leadership of Indigenous and local community organizations. The GEF approach centers women’s active participation, knowledge, and guidance and addresses challenges of gender inequality through promoting women’s access to land tenure, credit, and leadership.
In the ninth replenishment period (GEF-9, 2026-2030), the GEF family of funds continues to expand engagement. Multiple financing streams support land restoration and management including the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), which are deployed as a coordinated system. Together, these funds create the conditions to attract private investment by reducing risk and enabling co-financing. Blended finance approaches are mainstreamed to actively engage the financial industry in restoration. Ultimately, these efforts support lasting, resilient, and productive ecosystems sustaining global livelihoods.
Land Degradation Neutrality
To halt and reverse land degradation, restore degraded ecosystems, and sustainably manage global resources, the UNCCD and the GEF have adopted a commitment to land degradation neutrality (LDN). Under the LDN framework, countries strive to maintain healthy and productive land by following a response hierarchy that prioritizes avoiding degradation, then reducing ongoing degradation, and finally reversing past degradation through land restoration.
The GEF supports LDN implementation by providing technical assistance to countries that are creating national action programs and recovering landscapes. More than 120 countries have set voluntary LDN targets as a result of the UNCCD LDN Target Setting Program.
Integrated Programs to Address Land Degradation and Desertification
Integrated programs (IPs) form a major component of the GEF approach to advancing SLM, and land restoration, addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought issues, and improving institutional frameworks for LDN. In GEF-8 and GEF-9, this includes the following IPs:
- Ecosystem Restoration IP (GEF-8): Strengthens landscape resilience and improves ecosystem services through people-centered land recovery
- Critical Forest Biomes IP (GEF-8 and GEF-9): Institutes national and landscape level interventions to restore and sustain tropical forest biomes
- Food Systems IP (GEF-8 and GEF-9): Promotes a shift to regenerative agri-food systems that address land degradation and biodiversity loss while improving livelihoods
- Blue and Green Islands IP (GEF-8 and GEF-9): Applies a source-to-sea approach to ensure that ocean health, land use, and economic resilience are addressed as interconnected issues
- Drylands and Drought Management IP (GEF-9): Promotes a systems approach to addressing drought-related challenges, including drought-smart land management and ecosystem restoration
UNCCD Enabling Activities
The GEF also provides financing for UNCCD enabling activities to support countries in fulfilling obligations to the convention, focusing on reporting and formulation of national strategies and plans in line with current and upcoming COP decisions and the UNCCD strategy.
Enabling activities are financed out of global set-asides on top of the GEF’s STAR allocation. Eligible countries can apply for financial support of up to two years in advance of reporting deadlines to allow for sufficient time to collect and analyze the necessary data for parties’ reporting to the UNCCD.
Results
hectares of land restored
tons of carbon dioxide mitigated
people benefited from GEF investments
From 2022 to 2025, GEF projects reported that 15.2 million hectares of land were restored, and 44.5 million hectares of production systems were sustainably managed. These efforts enhance soil fertility, reduce water use, and minimize erosion to safeguard the long-term viability of global food systems while supporting ecosystem sustainability. Altogether, this has directly benefited 4.4 million people including 2.2 million women and has contributed to the mitigation of 1,400 million tons of carbon dioxide.
The GEF has also facilitated efforts to strengthen institutional frameworks for addressing land degradation and drought. A total of 40 countries have participated in capacity-building activities aimed at drought-related interventions. One such initiative, in partnership with the UNCCD, is the creation of national drought plans. The GEF has helped four countries implement their plans and assisted a further 13 countries with their plan assessments.
Data as of July 2026
Related Topics
Main Issue
Desertification and drought put livelihoods and entire ecosystems at risk and, in extreme cases, cause famine, displacement, and conflict. Every year, 12 million hectares of land become unproductive due to desertification and drought, threatening the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people in some 100 countries. Drought is one of the major drivers of global food and water insecurity, affecting agricultural production and access to food and water.
As climate change intensifies, drought and desertification have emerged as even greater global challenges, leading to variations in crop yields and income from agriculture, threatening the resilience of agro-ecosystems and stability of food production systems. In addition to meteorological causes, drought is aggravated by unsustainable land management, particularly degradation of the vegetative cover and soil.
Building resilience to drought for people and landscapes is a core mandate of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which is fully supported by the Global Environment Facility.
Voices from the Field
What We Do
For the ninth GEF replenishment cycle (GEF-9, 2026-2030), the Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program promotes a systems approach to common challenges posed by drought across sectors and political boundaries. Rather than only responding to drought, the program operationalizes a paradigm shift towards proactive management, as early action can save lives and livelihoods. The program helps countries and communities prepare for, monitor, and respond to the cascading effects of drought while mobilizing the private sector to scale up and sustain innovations.
The GEF is a member of the steering committee of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership and collaborates with the Drought Resilience Investment Facility to mobilize private and public finance for mitigating drought-related risks in the world's most vulnerable countries.
Programs and projects related to drought management are characterized by proactive approaches addressing the three pillars:
- Monitoring and early warning
- Vulnerability and impact assessment
- Drought mitigation, preparedness, and response
At the country level, the GEF supports the formulation and implementation of national drought plans to help governments manage drought and enhance ecosystems through coherent policy interventions. At the field level, GEF programs involve working with smallholders and pastoralists to introduce drought-smart land management practices. These strategies aim to improve water retention by increasing the soil’s capacity to accept, retain, and transmit water while reducing water demand through the selection of drought-resistant crop varieties.
Projects are designed to reflect the needs and perspectives of people in vulnerable situations, civil society organizations, women, and youth. Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ organizations are key partners in program development and implementation.
Results
Since its inception, the GEF has invested over $657.6 million in 122 projects and programs related to drought mitigation and adaptation. The portfolio includes over 60 different countries from all UNCCD Annexes, with a significant focus on the Africa region.
The GEF has also facilitated efforts to strengthen institutional frameworks for addressing land degradation and drought. A total of 40 countries have participated in capacity-building activities aimed at drought-related interventions. One such initiative, in partnership with the UNCCD, is the creation of national drought plans. The GEF has helped four countries implement their plans and assisted a further 13 countries with their plan assessments. During the GEF-8 cycle from 2022 to 2026, 21 projects devoted $210.9 million to drought-related interventions.
Related Topics
Main Issue
Sustainable land management (SLM) is defined by the UN 1992 Rio Earth Summit as “the use of land resources, including soil, water, animals and plant, for the production of goods to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential.”
For many countries, the challenge of achieving SLM comes down to trade-offs between short-term profitability and long-term sustainability. Although many countries are prepared to adopt SLM approaches, they may face economic and institutional barriers as well as limited access to technology needed for implementation. When applied comprehensively, SLM can greatly improve resource productivity while regenerating land for future generations. With over 1.6 billion hectares of the world’s land already degraded and much more at risk, SLM has emerged as a critical strategy for enhancing climate resilience, protecting ecosystems. and sustaining livelihoods.
By adopting SLM approaches, countries can address these concerns synergistically while advancing environmental sustainability and improving livelihoods. Best practices are reported through the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) database. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) decisions 9/COP.15 and 9/COP.16 encourage the Global Environment Facility to promote the use of the WOCAT Database in its programs and projects.
What We Do
As a financial mechanism of the UNCCD, the GEF is the world’s largest source of funding for sustainable land management, channeling investments through Integrated Programs and the land degradation focal area. The GEF helps strengthen national-level processes for SLM such as capacity building, institutional collaboration, knowledge management, and mainstreaming across sectors. On the ground, GEF projects improve livelihoods and economic well-being of local communities while preserving and restoring ecosystems.
Under the GEF-9 replenishment cycle from 2026-2030, the land degradation focal area continues to invest in people-centric SLM to avoid, reduce, and reverse land degradation. These investments apply integrated approaches that promote socio-ecological connectivity to benefit local livelihoods. In addition, the GEF advances women’s leadership and tenure security through SLM programming, recognizing that women’s active participation is essential to effective efforts to prevent and reverse land degradation. Efforts focus not only on individual ecosystems, but also on supporting coherent policy, promoting fair governance, attracting blended finance, and strengthening enabling frameworks for scaling SLM.
Results
From 2022 to 2025, GEF projects reported that 44.5 million hectares of production systems were sustainably managed. These efforts enhance soil fertility and water availability, thereby improving livelihoods and the long-term viability of food systems.
One large-scale sustainable management investment, the Great Green Wall Initiative, is establishing a wide belt of SLM schemes across the Sahel to tackle desertification. In so doing, it is helping communities sustainably manage landscapes to reduce poverty and enhance both food and water security.
Related Topics
Main Issue
Healthy landscapes are the foundation of thriving ecosystems and productive livelihoods worldwide. They provide clean water, sustain food systems, and supply materials to build shelter for humans and wildlife alike. Diverse land uses from agriculture and agroforestry to wildlife reserves and ecological corridors all depend on the health and resilience of landscapes.
As climate change and land degradation increasingly threaten biodiversity and ecosystem services, landscape restoration presents an ever more critical strategy for mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, it can help address poverty by generating rapid financial returns and creating jobs. In the long run, landscape restoration strengthens climate resilience, enhances food security, and expands sustainable livelihoods.
For all these reasons, restoration has become a priority on the international policy agenda:
- The UNFCC, CBD, and UNCCD have all identified restoration as an important component of reaching their goals.
- The Bonn Challenge seeks to restore 350 million hectares of the world’s deforested lands by 2030. More than 60 countries or jurisdictions have made pledges to the Bonn Challenge.
- Initiative 20x20, which will also support the Bonn Challenge, aims to protect and restore 50 million hectares in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030.
- The Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), launched at the Global Landscapes Forum in Paris in December 2015, has a target of restoring 100 million hectares across the continent by 2030.
- Initiatives such as The Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration unite governments, organizations, communities, and individuals with a common goal: restoring the world’s degraded and deforested lands.
- The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems across all continents and to restore them to achieve global goals. The UN Decade from 2021 through 2030 will build a strong global movement to ramp up restoration efforts.
What We Do
Countries direct investments in land restoration and sustainable land management through Integrated Programs (IPs), which implement system-wide interventions to address the root causes of environmental issues. The Ecosystem Restoration IP under GEF-8 works in 20 countries to strengthen landscape resilience and improve ecosystem services to further sustainable livelihoods. Other IPs addressing land restoration include the Critical Forest Biomes IP, the Blue and Green Islands IP, and the Food Systems IP under GEF-8 and GEF-9.
The land degradation focal area also enables countries to invest in land restoration under Objective 1 of the Programming Directions:
LD-1: To sustain productive landscapes and livelihoods
GEF projects invest in activities that improve local livelihoods while generating global environmental benefits. These investments support a broad range of practices including:
- Wetland conservation and restoration to improve water filtration, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration
- Community-based forest management and restoration to curb forest loss and improve carbon sequestration
- Dryland restoration to enhance soil health, combat desertification, and support resilient livelihoods
- Agro-biodiversity conservation and restoration to maintain ecosystem services and vegetative cover in production landscapes
- Blended finance structures that generate benefits for land and ecosystem restoration to provide global environmental benefits
The GEF applies a holistic approach to land restoration that facilitates context-specific solutions and emphasizes women’s active participation, knowledge, and guidance. Initiatives also focus on private sector partnerships and blended finance opportunities to enable projects’ long-term sustainability.
From Our Partners
Results
From 2022 to 2025, GEF projects reported that 15.2 million hectares of land were restored. Combined with sustainable land management efforts, these projects directly benefitted 4.4 million people including 2.2 million women and mitigated 1,400 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Another GEF supported restoration flagship is the Great Green Wall Initiative. It aims to establish a green belt of productive lands and forests along the edge of the Sahara Desert to combat desertification and soil degradation while tackling poverty. This project focuses on a strip of land of 15 km wide and 7,100 km long from Dakar to Djibouti. The Great Green Wall has the potential to restore landscapes in 11 participating countries.