The Tropical Forest Forever Facility has officially launched at COP30

The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) is a new initiative launched by the Brazilian government to provide long-term financial support for tropical forest conservation.   

The plan for the facility was initially announced at the COP28 conference in Dubai in 2023.  The fund has now been formally launched at the COP30 Leader’s Summit in Belém, Brazil, on November 6, 2025. 

The TFFF has already received endorsements from 53 countries, including 19 potential sovereign investors.  Norway has made one of the most significant pledges to invest USD 3 billion over the next ten years.  Similarly Brazil and Indonesia, who have vast tropical forests, reconfirmed their USD 1 billion commitment.  In total, 34 countries with tropical forests endorsed the TFFF, accounting for over 90% of the world’s tropical forests. The World Bank has also already been confirmed as a trustee and interim host of the facility, increasing the credibility of the initiative. 

President of Brazil Lula da Silva opened the launch by saying, “The Tropical Forest Forever Facility we are launching today is an unprecedented initiative. For the first time in history, countries of the Global South will take a leading role in a forest agenda.”

More than 70 developing countries with tropical forests will be eligible to receive funds from the TFFF.  

The beneficiary countries have the authority to decide the destination of the funds provided by the TFFF.  Within that, there are some parameters, for example, any investment in projects involving fossil fuels is prohibited.  Also, 20% of the funds must be kept aside specifically for indigenous and traditional communities. 

The TFFF works like an endowment-style trust fund. Each investor nation is required to provide an initial contribution of USD 25 billion.  After this, they are expected to contribute an additional USD 100 billion from the private sector over the next few years.  With this structure, the government is at a slightly higher risk than the private sector which attracts private investors. 

The projections for this project show that this could generate USD 4 billion annually, which is nearly triple the amount invested globally for the protection of tropical forests. 

The launch of the TFFF supports the themes that have already been presented at COP30 including placing the global south at the forefront of climate conversations and promoting international cooperation.  

The initiative has faced a little bit of criticism already.  While the design of the fund could draw in more investors, if these investments don’t have strong returns, the fund may not receive any money which could leave a gap in expected payments.  

Many existing international funds provide money solely to national governments, like the TFFF, however, most of the work done to reduce deforestation happens on state and regional levels.  

Some have recommended that the facility improves itself by requiring participating countries to include state and regional governments in the decisions about how the payments are used.  

In the Heads of State Summit which began on November 6th, the same day as the launch of the TFFF, there was an emphasis on bringing the global south to the forefront of climate conversations. At the time, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio of Brazil said that multilateralism is capable of delivering concrete and innovative results in a world where international cooperation seems uncertain.  

“It is not something that is imposed from North to South, as we call it. This is very important to reinforce multilateralism in the area of climate. It is a sign of vitality,” said the Ambassador.

The structure of the TFFF supports the ideas of multilateralism that COP30 is trying to promote; it emphasises international cooperation while putting the Global South at the forefront of important climate decisions.

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By our COP30 reporter Elsie Tierney.

Cover image by Antonio Scorza/COP30, provided by COP30 official photo bank.