Leading the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030: A Multi-Partner Trust Fund to Mobilize Global Action

Ecosystem degradation poses an increasing threat to key objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Against this background, the United Nations has proclaimed the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (UN Decade). The Multi Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) acts as the funding vehicle for the UN Decade, fostering a global movement in support of the three UN Decade goals: changing societal norms and catalysing investments in restoration, mobilising political will that leads to reforms incentivising restoration, and building technical capacities. Activities include global dialogues and partnerships, communication and awareness building, support of selected flagship programmes, and monitoring progress in ecosystem restoration. The outcomes of these interventions will be the development of a global restoration culture and a new restoration economy, which greatly accelerates the starting and scaling up of restoration initiatives.

Project data

Countries: Burkina Faso, Comoros, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Niger, Panama, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu
IKI funding: 21,000,000.00 €
Duration: 09/2021 till 12/2026
Status: open
Implementing organisation: United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)
Political Partner: Diverse climate change relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse klimarelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern
Implementing Partner: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) - Switzerland

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State of implementation/results

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is currently in its implementation phase, highlighting 27 flagship initiatives that collectively restore over 18 million ha of diverse ecosystems worldwide since 2022 with plans to restore a total of more than 68 million ha and create millions of green jobs. – In the Green Great Wall (GGW) Flagship, work advanced across Burkina Faso and Niger. In 2025, 36 direct beneficiary grant agreements were signed (21 Burkina Faso, 15 Niger), while incubators WakatLab and Agri’Innov continued supporting eco entrepreneurs.
In the Central America Dry Corridor (CADC) Flagship, ten field school workshops across Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in 2025 strengthened productive restoration practices, while countries advanced investment plans and built interoperability for data transfer to the FERM monitoring platform.
Within the SIDS Restoration Flagship, Comoros made major advances in late 2025, validating its revised Sustainable Blue Economy Policy—now moving to Parliament in Q1–Q2 2026—and finalizing the Marine Spatial Plan for the Coelacanth National Park after extensive consultations with fishers, local associations, and civil society. Together, these steps strengthen national ocean governance, protect key habitats, and support local livelihoods. At the same time, Saint Lucia advanced preparations for its Restoration Factory incubator, set to launch in April 2026 and support 40 eco entrepreneurs with tailored training and mentorship.
The micro grants call launched at Youth Environment Assembly (YEA) 2025 attracted 750 applications, with 10 youth projects selected in February 2026.
Five Task Forces – Best Practices, Finance, Monitoring, Science, and Youth – are supporting these flagship initiatives. The Science and Best Practices Task Forces lead transparent selection processes, supported by a review panel consisting of 34 members from the Decade Advisory Board, Task Forces, and global partners.
The UN Decade website reached 300,098 views in 2025 with 184,502 new users; the Ecosystem Restoration Hub grew to 103 initiatives involving 172,309 people restoring 33 million hectares.
The UN Decade expanded global public engagement, launching the Generation Restoration Schools Initiative to reach 500 schools in 50+ countries with restoration learning materials.
A global campaign showcased progress from 24 Generation Restoration Cities, demonstrating restoration benefits for 75 million people.
The Monitoring Framework of the Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted at CBD COP16 in February 2025. The FAO, working with the Monitoring Task Force, developed a monitoring methodology. The FERM platform integrates data from various sources, improving the consistency of reporting. It expanded to track 150 million hectares of restoration commitments and 30 million hectares under active restoration as of 2026. More than 3,000 initiatives have been added, strengthening transparency and learning globally.
To raise public awareness of restoration, the RESTORE documentary series now includes 27 episodes that cover the World Restoration Flagships.-- A learning session on Artificial Intelligence and ecosystem restoration, organized by the UN Decade and Salesforce, attracted 800 registered participants.
For 2026 new UN World Restoration Flagships are planned, alongside a large-scale communication campaign featuring documentaries, press outreach, and social media activities.

Latest Update:
04/2026