Rome \u2013 The United Kingdom is strengthening support for forest monitoring with new funding to help countries advance forest monitoring and enable access to forest finance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The announcement was made at the \u2018Accelerating innovative forest monitoring for communities, climate and sustainable livelihoods<\/a>\u2019 side event during\u202f10th World Forest Week<\/a>, held alongside the 28th Session of the\u202fCommittee on Forestry (COFO)<\/a>, the Food and Agriculture Organization\u2019s (FAO) highest global intergovernmental forestry body, in Rome.\u00a0<\/p>\n The United Kingdom has contributed an additional\u202fGBP 4 million (approximately USD 5.4 million)\u202f to\u202fAccelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests (AIM4Forests)<\/a>. Additionally,\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReliable 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,\u201d said\u202fZhimin Wu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Forestry Division.\u00a0<\/p>\n UK contribution to support tropical forest countries\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n The funding will also help countries prepare to meet forest monitoring requirements linked to the\u202fTropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)<\/a>. 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n AIM4Forests addresses a simple challenge: countries need to know what is happening to their forests \u2013 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n German contribution to extend support for transparent supply chains\u00a0<\/p>\n Once confirmed, the German contribution will complement this work by extending\u202fAIM4Commodities, which links forest and commodity information to improve transparency in supply chains. The programme will deploy\u202fOpen Foris<\/a> solutions in three additional geographies, bringing the total to 11 countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Open Foris\u202fis 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Digital solutions improve access to forest information\u00a0<\/p>\n