The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), together with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has launched the Net-Zero Nature-Positive Accelerator Integrated Programme, backed by $100 million in GEF funding and $700 million in co-financing. The initiative aims to align climate and biodiversity goals by driving systemic economic and financial transformation while mobilizing governments, businesses, and communities to take urgent, integrated action. It addresses the fragmented and underfunded global response to climate change and biodiversity loss by creating coherent public and private investment strategies.
The Programme will support 12 countries—Chile, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Viet Nam—through national-level projects and a global platform for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and innovation. Implementation will involve key UN agencies, including UNDP, UNIDO, and the FAO, to ensure integrated support that strengthens national plans for net-zero emissions and biodiversity protection. The initiative aligns with the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and other international commitments.
At the launch event during the 2025 World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings, Finance Ministers, multilateral development banks, private sector representatives, and international organizations highlighted the need to catalyze public and private finance for climate and nature action. The Programme aims to achieve measurable results, including the restoration or improved management of one million hectares of land and the reduction of approximately 75 million tons of carbon emissions, directly contributing to global efforts to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
Speakers at the launch emphasized the urgency of aligning financial systems with environmental priorities. Dr. Sam Mugume of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action highlighted the Programme’s potential to mobilize finance, build institutional capacity, and integrate nature-based solutions into national development strategies. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO of the GEF, noted that the initiative helps countries reduce risks, increase resilience, and accelerate systemic change for a sustainable future. UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen underscored the interconnected nature of climate change and biodiversity loss and the Programme’s role in fostering low-carbon growth, job creation, and ecosystem protection.
The launch represents a significant shift in global climate and biodiversity governance by promoting inclusive decision-making, cross-sectoral coordination, and innovative financial mechanisms. It sets the stage for scaling up these approaches during the upcoming GEF-9 replenishment cycle, reinforcing efforts to integrate climate and nature action and build a resilient, net-zero, nature-positive future.
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