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Every year, airports around the world release fluorinated firefighting foams during training exercises and emergency responses. These foams contain PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — a group of chemicals so resistant to environmental breakdown that scientists call them "forever chemicals." Once released, PFAS can persist in soil and water for decades, accumulating in ecosystems and human bodies, and have been linked to serious health and environmental risks.

Addis Ababa, 25 May 2026 – Ethiopia is scaling up nature-based solutions to tackle the growing impacts of climate change, with the launch of a new US$ 9.8 million project supported by the Least Developed Countries Fund of the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

US$ 5.2 million GEF-funded initiative to support low-carbon and nature-positive urban development in Nairobi Project will pilot integrated green neighbourhood approaches in Kamukunji, aiming to improve living conditions for more than 85,000 residents Investment will strengthen urban planning, mobilize investment, and support transition to climate-resilient and sustainable cities in Kenya Part of glob

Toybu Ahmed’s green rain jacket blends into the lush jungle as he climbs a steep slope enveloped in milky fog on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros. He moves carefully along narrow paths carved into the hillside. Around him, new trees rise from the soil – a fragile sign of recovery. 

Moroni, Comoros, 11 December 2025 –The Government of the Union of Comoros today launched a major new climate resilience initiative backed by a US $10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and US $44 million in co-financing from partners including the World Bank and the French Development Agency.

In the heart of central Mali, the village of Diaborki has long lived with uncertainty, shaped by drought, insecurity and dwindling opportunities. But in 2025, a turning point arrived with the UNEP–led, GEF–funded NB-ITTAS project, which selected the village as a pilot site for sustainable groundwater management. What followed is a powerful example of how access to water can restore stability, dignity and economic hope in communities at the frontline of climate impacts.

The 7th SADC Groundwater Conference, held in Johannesburg from 19–21 November 2025, brought together regional institutions, policymakers, researchers and young professionals to highlight the significant role of groundwater in climate resilience and water security.

Representatives of member governments and other GEF stakeholders gathered October 7-9, 2025, in Kasane, Botswana to review proposed plans for the multilateral trust fund in its ninth funding cycle for the 2026-2030 period.

In Guinea more than 300,000 people depend on artisanal and small-scale gold mining for their livelihoods. But due to limited economic opportunities or a lack of awareness, many miners use mercury, a toxic metal, to extract the gold. Since the planetGOLD Guinea project launched in 2023, the team has conducted several awareness and capacity building training sessions in communities across the country, reaching more than 3,200 people.

Nairobi, 19 August 2025 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have jointly launched the Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment (FIRE) project, which aims to phase out the use of toxic fluorinated firefighting foams and replace them with safer alternatives at major airports in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. &n

René Etoua Meto'o runs a small cacao plantation just outside of Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve, one of the world’s largest intact stretches of rainforest.  

On July 24, 2025, an awareness workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) was held in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria. Bringing together public institutions, technical experts, civil society, and local communities, the event highlighted the urgent need to address the mounting pressures on water resources in the Niger Basin and the Iullemeden-Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System (ITTAS).

Antananarivo, 15 July 2025 – Madagascar has officially launched a landmark initiative aimed at enhancing climate resilience by restoring critical coastal ecosystems and improving livelihoods across vulnerable regions.

 

Zimbabwe’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector plays a central role in the national economy, contributing over 65% of gold production and supporting an estimated 500,000 miners. However, the sector remains largely informal and heavily reliant on mercury for gold extraction—posing serious risks to human health, the environment, and long-term sustainability.

 

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is an important source of livelihood for more than 30,000 Zambians, yet the sector is largely informal and heavily reliant on mercury—a toxic substance with significant health and environmental risks. To address these challenges, the planetGOLD Zambia project is working to transform the sector by reducing mercury use, promoting formalization, and improving access to finance and cleaner technologies.

In the steep red hills of the Ngororero district in northwest Rwanda, Antoine Nsanzumuhire gently lifts a honeycomb from one of his beehives. Bees are swirling around him as he delicately lifts the latticework, rich in golden honey. 

For much of the last decade, Somalia has tipped in and out of drought, with dry spells withering rivers, turning farms into dustbowls and forcing millions from their homes. 

With waves rippling from its bow, a small motorboat shoots across the languid Gambia River, the rat-tattle of its outboard motor echoing out across the waterway.  

The sun has set in Johannesburg, South Africa and Nntuthuzelo Ndwandwa, 39, is returning home from her job as a customer care consultant. When once she would have glanced nervously into the shadows, now she walks through a complex illuminated by solar-powered lights and enters her home, where a solar-powered heater doles out warm water for washing up. 

Dar es Salaam, 26 February 2025 – The governments of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia have launched a five-year project to assess and address transboundary threats to the biodiversity of the Lake Tanganyika Basin.

Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe join forces in a new project to reduce the releases of Persistent Organic Pollutants from plastics. Chemicals with hazardous properties are added to plastic products and released throughout their lifecycle, negatively impacting human health and the environment, and hampering efforts towards a circular economy transition. The US$ 90-million initiative will supp

Honorine Rasoamampionona looks after a tree nursery in Sakaivo Nord, a village in Madagascar's Central Highlands. She spends her days tending to saplings, carefully sprinkling them with soil, fertilizer and water until they are mature.  

For much of his life, cattle farmer Asherly William Hogo was consumed with finding water for his herd. Hogo, who is in his early sixties, still has vivid childhood memories of rising in the middle of the night, gathering his animals and setting out across Tanzania’s parched central rangelands in search of water.  

The Kassanda District in Central Uganda is well known for artisanal mining. At the Kayonza-Kitumbi Mine Site, it is estimated that between 2,000-3,000 people have been engaged in small-scale gold mining here for decades, typically using toxic mercury to process the ore.

The forests of the Bamougoum Chiefdom in the western highlands of Cameroon have been sacred grounds for generations. 

Renowned for their natural beauty and rich biodiversity, these landscapes are also home to wildlife, including great apes, civets and pangolins.