ACCELERATING CORAL REEF RESILIENCE ACTION
Capitalisation 2025-2030
The safeguarding of coral reefs is essential to conserve the ocean and its functions. Yet, coral reefs are in peril. The world has lost over 50% of its reefs since 1970 and mass bleaching continues to increase in frequency with the fourth mass global bleaching announced in 2024. The 2025-2030 period holds a critical moment to scale best efforts to protect ‘coral refugia’, including by addressing local drivers of ecosystem degradation, affecting the potential for reefs to recover and survive bleaching events.
As the leading global coral finance instrument, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs aims to increase the protection and resilience of at least 3 million hectares of coral reefs by 2030 – representing 25% of the Coral Reef Breakthrough target and approximately 12% of reefs remaining on Earth. To reach its 2030 targets, the GFCR Coalition requires additional grant and investment capital to support portfolio growth and ensure maximum impact potential.
During the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October of 2024, the GFCR launched a Call for Capitalisation with an ambition to secure capitalisation commitments at the third United Nations Ocean Conference set for June of 2025, in Nice France.
2030 Impact Targets
400+
Reef-Positive Business & Financial Mechanisms
30K+
Directly Supported Reef-Positive Jobs
20M+
Community Members with Increased Resilience
3M HA
Area of Coral Reefs Under Improved Management
7.5M HA
MPA area with Sustainable Financing Support
$2-3B
Private & Public Finance Leverage
Capitalisation Needs to Reach 2030 Targets
Countdown to the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC)
The GFCR UN Fund has issued a call for capitalisation, aiming to raise additional funding to mobilize significant investment capital by the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
Key Resources
#ForCoral Champions
"Small Island Developing States know only too well the devastating impacts of living with climate change. These communities continue to fight - to protect their people, their heritage, and the vital ecosystems including the world's coral reefs that we all depend on. As humanity seeks to navigate to safer shores, we need the public and private sector to step up and join this fight to help save an entire ecosystem in our lifetime. The Global Fund for Coral Reefs is an example of how we can work together to seek safer ground for people everywhere.”
Inger Andersen
UN Under-Secretary-General - Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme
"The Global Fund for Coral Reefs enables us to engage changes by providing further resources to those who have been fighting for coral conservation for decades. This Fund is not only an opportunity to define our strategies more effectively, in the face of this challenging and complex issue, it also offers us a vital opportunity to look far ahead together."
H.S.H Albert II
Prince of Monaco
"To ensure the sustainability of coral reefs in the Bird's Head Seascape and Lesser Sunda Seascape, Konservasi Indonesia (KI), supported by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR), is building innovative blended finance initiatives, including the Raja Ampat Mooring System (RAMS) and reef- positive seaweed development. These initiatives are being implemented and co-designed together with government, at the national and subnational levels, and have received positive feedback from the private sector. "In addition, KI is part of a new initiative led by the US and Indonesian governments' debt-for-nature swap, along with other partners, including Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN)."
Meizani Irmadhiany
Senior Vice President and Executive Chair of Konservasi Indonesia
“The Global Fund for Coral Reefs goes beyond conservation—it's a lifeline for sustainable development and nature-positive solutions. Coral reefs are vital to the lives and livelihoods of over a billion people. Protecting these fragile ecosystems is not just about preservation; it is an investment in economic and social resilience. The GFCR offers a unique platform to mobilize finance and drive inclusive, integrated efforts to safeguard coral reefs while advancing the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework.”
Achim Steiner
Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
"The support of the GFCR has been crucial for the development of marine conservation efforts in Colombia's San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Archipelago in the Caribbean. The participatory process of designing the project, which involved native Creole populations, environmental authorities, and civil society in the islands, allowed Fondo Acción to build a solid coalition of partners that will work for different perspectives in the restoration and conservation of marine habitats. Resources provided by the GFCR are instrumental in developing innovative financial solutions for sustainable livelihoods, coral reef restoration, and protected areas management. Having GFCR as a partner allowed Fondo Acción to mobilize fresh funding to scale and diversify impacts from the Blue Action Fund and complement the work Fondo Accion is doing to restore the very valuable dry forest and reduce the climate vulnerability of children and women in the islands."
Natalia Arango Vélez
Fondo Acción Executive Director
“The vitality of the ocean and the lives of more than one billion people are inextricably linked to coral reefs. In 2024, climate change and other human impacts triggered the fourth mass coral reef bleaching event, the most extensive and devastating on record. With the window to protect these ecosystems closing rapidly, world leaders must act now. I urge states, philanthropies, and investors to commit the Global Fund for Coral Reefs at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference. We must secure a sustainable future for coral reefs and the countless lives that rely on them—before it's too late.”
Ambassador Peter Thomson
UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean
"Coral reefs are one of our most valuable life support systems. The Nature Conservancy is deeply grateful for the funding the Global Fund for Coral Reefs has directed towards saving our reefs. As an implementing partner who takes action to protect and restore our ocean health, we can attest first-hand to the effectiveness of this investment and its critical contribution to reaching our 2030 goals."
Dr. Elizabeth Mcleod
Global Ocean Director The Nature Conservancy
"UBS Optimus Foundation is proud to announce our partnership and first contribution to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. Without broader partnerships and the involvement of private finance, the Global Biodiversity Framework targets will remain out of reach. This is why we call on our clients, philanthropists, governments and private sector partners to Join us. Together, through the GFCR we can amplify our impact, setting a precedent for future collaborations and driving investment towards a sustainable future."
Tom Hall
Global Head of Social Impact & Philanthropy, UBS CEO, UBS Optimus Foundation Network
"I'm appealing to leaders and decision-makers in government, as well as philanthropic organisations, financial institutions, and impact investors to urgently prioritise funding for the protection of coral reefs... We have the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, the science, and the tools to implement and scale action. Now we need the will. I ask you to lead that way so that we can be the first generation to save an entire ecosystem."
Ellie Goulding
Singer-Songwriter Global Goodwill Ambassador, UN Environment Programme
"Without collective action at pace and scale, scientists estimate that 90% of remaining coral reefs may be lost by 2050, with dire consequences for the communities and economies they support. To face this crisis, the GFCR Coalition has established a robust portfolio of innovative, market-based solutions spanning 23 nations to protect critical coral reef refugia - Earth's most resilient reef ecosystems."
Peter Bryant
Program Director, Oceans, Builders Initiative GFCR Executive Board Member
"By aligning its work with the goals of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs can be a powerful tool for implementation, for tracking of progress towards global goals and targets for biodiversity, and for elevating awareness on our collective goals for a future with healthy and robust coral ecosystems."
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
UN Assistant Secretary-General UN Environment Programme Deputy Executive Director Former Executive Secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity
“Coral reefs are vital to the health and wellbeing of coastal communities, including across our Pacific neighbourhood. New Zealand is proud to join the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, dedicated to coral reef preservation. The Government of New Zealand is committing USD $10 million to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs to leverage additional finance, and support urgent action. We encourage others to join us and help to safeguard these vital ecosystems for future generations.”
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand
Impact stories, articles and publications
Coral Reef Action Coalition
The GFCR Coalition is a public-private partnership driven by more than 60 nations, UN agencies, financial institutions, philanthropies, impact investors, and conservation organisations.
Contact Info
GFCR UN Fund
For more information on the GFCR UN Fund, please contact gfcr@uncdf.org
GFCR Equity Fund
For more information on the GFCR Equity Fund, please contact GFCR@pcalp.com.
Support GFCR through the UN Foundation
Contribute as an individual to protection and restoration of Earth’s most climate-resilient coral reefs.
