The GEF-8 Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program Coordinates Action from Source to Sea

In early December 2025, partners from around the world gathered in Panama City to advance a shared goal: reducing pollution from land that harms ocean and coastal ecosystems. Co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, the convening brought together the GEF Secretariat, 13 participating countries, GEF Implementing Agencies, multilateral development banks, and leading scientific and technical institutions, both in person and online, to align efforts across sectors in support of practical results at scale. 

The Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program is a flagship initiative under GEF-8 (eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility), designed to address one of the main pressures on ocean health: land-based nutrient pollution. When excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) from agriculture, wastewater and industry flow into rivers and seas, they can trigger algal blooms that deplete oxygen in the water - a phenomenon known as marine hypoxia. These low-oxygen conditions threaten aquatic life, fisheries, tourism and coastal economies. Because the causes of hypoxia originate far upstream, solutions must connect actions from land, through rivers, to the ocean.

With USD 112 million in GEF funding and USD 748 million in co-financing, the program supports countries in tackling these challenges through integrated action across agriculture, wastewater, industry and urban systems, while strengthening coastal and marine ecosystem management. Collectively, it aims to improve management across 1.27 million hectares of landscapes and more than 6.6 million hectares of marine habitats, demonstrating how coordinated action at scale can deliver global environmental benefits. The program begun its implementation in 2025 for the duration of five years.

A shared platform for impact, anchored in FAO's coordination

As the lead agency of the Global Coordination Project (GCP), FAO plays a central role in aligning country projects, agencies, and partners under a single programmatic framework, supporting coherence across policy dialogue, technical support, data systems, learning, and investment pathways.

FAO’s leadership reflects its unique mandate at the land–sea interface, spanning agriculture, agri-food systems, water management, fisheries and aquaculture. This positioning enables FAO to bridge traditionally separate policy domains and support countries in addressing nutrient pollution at its sources. 

Coordinating action, grounded in science

Within this coordinated framework, science provides the foundation for informed action. Scientific partners, including IOC-UNESCO and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, highlighted persistent gaps in nutrient loading data, coastal oxygen monitoring, and forecasting capacity—particularly in developing-country contexts. These gaps limit countries’ ability to assess risks, prioritize interventions and track progress.

The Program addresses this challenge by embedding scientific expertise within coordination processes, ensuring that data and monitoring are directly linked to policy decision-making, capacity development and investment planning. Partners emphasized the need for harmonized monitoring approaches, improved baselines, and stronger connections between terrestrial nutrient management and marine observation, areas where program-level coordination can deliver efficiency and consistency across countries.

Mobilizing solutions across sectors - from farms and factories to finance

The discussions underscored the need for action across multiple sources of nutrient pollution. A session on nutrient management in agriculture, delivered by the International Fertilizer Association, reinforced that reducing nutrient losses requires watershed-focused, science-based approaches and engagement with agricultural stakeholders, including industry.

The role of industry was further explored through UNIDO’s contribution, highlighting opportunities to identify industrial hotspots, improve industrial wastewater performance, and scale cleaner production and circular approaches through targeted technical assistance.

Multilateral development banks, including CAF, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, emphasized their role in translating technical solutions into sustainable investments. Early engagement with development finance was highlighted as critical for transforming innovation into bankable pipelines and long-term financing strategies.

Learning, inclusion and behavioural change

Cross-cutting sessions highlighted the importance of learning, inclusion and behavioural change as integral to delivering results at scale. The GEF Secretariat shared experiences on Integrated Program approaches and interoperability, underscoring how global platforms and coordination mechanisms help connect programs and accelerate learning across portfolios.

Partners, including the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and IW:LEARN, highlighted the value of structured knowledge management, communities of practice, and Source-to-Sea analysis to support peer learning, solution replication, and coherence across countries and regions. Dedicated sessions also focused on gender mainstreaming, knowledge management, communications and stakeholder engagement, reinforcing that raising awareness about marine hypoxia and promoting behavioural change are essential complements to technical and financial solutions.

By aligning national action with global expertise and financing, the Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program demonstrates how GEF Integrated Programs can turn complexity into coordination and ambition into impact. As implementation advances, the Program is well-positioned to deliver lasting reductions in nutrient pollution, healthier coastal ecosystems, and tangible benefits for communities that depend on a clean and productive ocean.