The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners have launched the Financing Investments and Eradicating Land Degradation and Desertification (FIELD) Initiative, a regional partnership aiming to attract at least $2 billion by 2035 for programs that restore lands and strengthen drought resilience across Asia and the Pacific, according to a press release issued on 24 August 2026. The announcement was made during a ministerial dialogue at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. FIELD will help countries design, access finance, and implement land restoration projects. It will also apply innovative finance approaches such as derisking structures, blended finance, and capital market instruments to catalyze private capital. An initial pipeline of projects covering land and forest restoration, as well as river-basin and water management, has been identified.
Worsening drought, soil erosion, and unsustainable land use are degrading dryland ecosystems that support more than 40% of the region’s population. These pressures threaten agricultural production, biodiversity, and resilience across Asia and the Pacific. An already large gap in financing for sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems is widening. The gap is particularly acute for rangelands, which cover 54% of the world’s land surface and store up to 30% of global soil carbon. FIELD responds directly to these challenges through a coordinated regional approach.
The initiative aims to bring about 1 million hectares of land under sustainable management by 2035 to reduce degradation and strengthen food and water security. It will provide grants and technical assistance to help ADB’s developing member countries develop policies on sustainable capacity development. A dedicated knowledge platform will also be established under the initiative. FIELD operates as a dedicated land restoration and drought resilience window under the Nature Solutions Finance Hub, an ADB-led platform to scale nature-positive investment in the region. It aligns with ADB’s Environment Action Plan and the bank’s $40 billion commitment by 2030 to transform food systems across the region.
“Land degradation and desertification is a critical threat to ecosystems that sustain millions of rural communities and underpin economic growth in our region—a challenge that no one country can tackle alone,” said ADB Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Scott Morris.
He added that by working with partners and scaling innovative investments in healthy and productive landscapes, ADB will lead efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and ensure food and water security for all. UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said ADB’s leadership through FIELD helps build the investment pathway needed to connect restoration priorities with finance, projects, and delivery on the ground. FIELD contributes to the Riyadh Action Agenda, led by Saudi Arabia as the UNCCD COP16 Presidency. Its launch also coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and the Global Rangelands Flagship Initiative, led by Mongolia and the UNCCD.
Partners that have expressed initial interest in collaborating under the FIELD Initiative include the UNCCD, the Qatar Fund for Development, and the Middle East Green Initiative. Existing partners of the Nature Solutions Finance Hub are also part of the collaboration. These include the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the European Union, and the OPEC Fund for International Development. Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) are also participating. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members, 50 of them from the region.