The announcement was made at the ‘Accelerating innovative forest monitoring for communities, climate and sustainable livelihoods’ side event during 10th World Forest Week, held alongside the 28th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO), the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) highest global intergovernmental forestry body, in Rome.
The United Kingdom has contributed an additional GBP 4 million (approximately USD 5.4 million) to Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests (AIM4Forests). Additionally, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) confirmed its commitment to the partnership and is currently evaluating a further contribution to extend Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests and Commodities (AIM4Commodities) for a further year, through 2027.
“Reliable forest data is the foundation for informed decisions. By helping countries strengthen their monitoring systems and make better use of forest information, we can support sustainable forest management while opening pathways to new opportunities for forest finance,” said Zhimin Wu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Forestry Division.
UK contribution to support tropical forest countries
The United Kingdom contribution will support countries from 2026 to 2030, helping governments improve how they collect and use information about their forests. Better forest monitoring can help countries track progress against national and international commitments, strengthen forest management and provide the evidence needed to access forest finance.
The funding will also help countries prepare to meet forest monitoring requirements linked to the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF). The Facility is designed to provide long-term finance to tropical forest countries that protect their forests. Reliable information will help countries demonstrate their results and enable access to finance.
AIM4Forests addresses a simple challenge: countries need to know what is happening to their forests – where they are being lost, where they are recovering and how they are being managed. The programme combines technology, training and improved access to forest information to help governments make better decisions.
German contribution to extend support for transparent supply chains
Once confirmed, the German contribution will complement this work by extending AIM4Commodities, which links forest and commodity information to improve transparency in supply chains. The programme will deploy Open Foris solutions in three additional geographies, bringing the total to 11 countries.
Open Foris is a suite of FAO-supported digital solutions that helps countries collect, manage and analyse information about forests, land and commodities. By making information easier to collect and share, it can help governments and partners better understand what is happening on the ground.
Digital solutions improve access to forest information
Among the latest digital solutions is GeoID, launched at the event. It allows users to identify a particular plot of land without revealing its exact GPS coordinates, making it possible to share geolocation information while protecting sensitive personal data.
Together, the United Kingdom and German investments will strengthen the information and skills countries need to make better decisions about their forests, increasing transparency and creating opportunities for forest finance.
Author
Pranav Kaundinya, Mallika Magoon, Shantanu Singh, Tom Tayler
Source
FAO, press release, 2026-10-01.
Supplier
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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