GEF unveils US$140M drought resilience programme targeting drylands and rangelands

AFRICA – The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is developing a US$140 million programme to help countries strengthen drought resilience, protect drylands and improve the sustainability of rangelands, with implications for livestock production and pastoralist livelihoods across drought-prone regions.

The new Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program will be implemented during the GEF-9 investment cycle from 2026 to 2030. 

It aims to help countries move from responding to drought crises towards proactive measures to prepare for, monitor and mitigate drought impacts.

The programme will focus on risks affecting ecosystems, food security, water availability and livelihoods. 

These are critical issues for livestock-producing regions where prolonged drought can reduce pasture and water availability and place pressure on pastoralist production systems.

The GEF said the programme will work alongside the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility and other initiatives supporting resilience across drylands and rangelands.

More investment in rangeland management

The new programme forms part of a wider increase in funding for sustainable land and rangeland management.

During the GEF-8 cycle from 2022 to 2026, the organisation approved 50 projects supporting sustainable rangeland management, restoration and pastoralist livelihoods, with total investment exceeding US$300 million.

The GEF is also supporting the Rangelands Flagship Initiative, a global initiative led by Mongolia and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to increase investment in conserving, managing and restoring rangelands.

Rangelands cover much of the world’s drylands and provide critical resources for livestock and pastoralist communities. 

Their condition therefore directly affects the availability of grazing resources and the resilience of livestock production systems.

The GEF is supporting coordination of the initiative through the UNCCD COP17 Legacy Project, a US$3.3 million GEF investment implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is leveraging an additional US$8 million in co-financing from Mongolia and IUCN.

The latest funding push comes as the GEF begins its new GEF-9 investment cycle with an initial programming level of US$3.9 billion.

The cycle places greater emphasis on drought resilience, including support for national drought plans, drought vulnerability assessments and new indicators to measure improvements in resilience.

For livestock-producing countries in Africa and the Middle East, the increased focus on drylands and rangelands could support longer-term investment in the natural resources underpinning pastoral production, particularly as drought and water scarcity continue to challenge food and livelihood security.

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