• Doris Capistrano
    Board Chair
  • Éliane Ubalijoro
    Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CIFOR-ICRAF
    Director General, ICRAF
  • Robert Nasi
    Chief Operating Officer (COO), CIFOR-ICRAF
    Director General, CIFOR

In 2023, the world experienced unprecedented heatwaves – exacerbated by El Niño – marking it the hottest year on record. Headlines of devastating storms, wildfires, food shortages and natural disasters reminded us all of the urgent need to take coordinated global action on the interconnected climate, biodiversity, and food crises.

Trees are finally becoming everyone’s business: more and more governments, grassroots and private sector actors are beginning to recognize trees as powerful tools for resilient economies, landscapes and livelihoods.

This year, CIFOR-ICRAF marked several major milestones: Dr Doris Capistrano started as Chair of the CIFOR-ICRAF Common Board in February. In May, Dr Éliane Ubalijoro joined as Chief Executive Officer of CIFOR-ICRAF and Director General for ICRAF, bringing over 20 years of experience in agricultural research, digital innovation and transformational leadership. Dr Robert Nasi, who guided both organizations through a three-year merger, took up the role of Chief Operating Officer and continues to serve as Director General of CIFOR. In addition, CIFOR celebrated its 30th anniversary as a leading centre of scientific excellence on forest and landscape management, featuring a Partner Day to highlight our longstanding partnerships in Indonesia. 

We also made significant strides in quantifying our contributions to people and planet. Based on preliminary assessments of a subset of 70 projects, we estimate that by the end of 2023, CIFOR-ICRAF had supported the protection and improved management of 135 million hectares of forest and non-forest land, the mitigation (via avoidance or removal) of 141 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases, the restoration of 1.2 million hectares of degraded land, and enhanced livelihoods for 3.5 million people, 48% of which are women.

This report features highlights of our work across three critical areas: biodiversity, climate change, and food security, made possible through a strong emphasis on equity and sustainable value chains. On policy, our long-term efforts in Peru directly supported a national commitment to reduce deforestation-related emissions in Amazonian peatlands, in Brazil we helped shape the State of Pará’s plan of native vegetation recovery, and members of the Ethiopian Parliament recognized our vital work on supplying high-quality seeds for forest restoration and agroforestry. We strengthened our global impact through our work in Engagement Landscapes and Transformative Partnership Platforms on areas from agroecology to blue carbon to refugee livelihoods.  

We continued to push the envelope for inclusivity, bringing forth new narratives that prioritize equity at the heart of integrated solutions to global crises. Dr Ubalijoro promoted these solutions in notable speaking engagements including the prestigious Sir John Crawford Memorial Address keynote on “Food and Nutrition Security”, the financial industry event of the year SIBOS 2023, and the UN Climate Conference. Our thought leaders also investigated inequities within hot topics and trends through op-eds ranging from carbon markets to the potential role of AI in climate solutions. To deepen our organizational commitment to this work, our Science Week 2023 was held under the theme “Equity in Action”, which featured first-ever events open to the public.

CIFOR-ICRAF and its partners championed numerous actions to share research and the achievements of flagship development products such as the Agroecology Transformative Partnership Platform’s One Million Voices citizen science app and the Regreening Africa project, which in 2023 was nominated for a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Flagship award. Notable events included The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2023, the Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Nairobi, and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), during which our first-ever daily bulletin, ‘Climate, Biodiversity & Rights’, offered insights into the negotiations. The Luxembourg–GLF Finance for Nature platform provided fertile ground for discussions on sustainable financial investments in Latin America and the Caribbean. The GLF reached over one billion people in 2023, and Resilient Landscapes established an incubator with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, among other key collaborations.   

We now have offices in 27 countries and over 800 CIFOR-ICRAF staff in 60 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Their dedication, along with the engagement with our 196 funding partners and 402 implementing partners, is what makes our vision of resilient, productive and healthy forest and tree landscapes an achievable reality.

 

CIFOR-ICRAF Board of Trustees

Doris Capistrano

Board Chair

Alexander Müller

Board Vice Chair

Bushra Naz Malik

Trustee

Kathleen Merrigan

Trustee

Marja-Liisa Tapio-Biström

Trustee

Helmy Abouleish

Trustee

Sunita Narain

Trustee

Ephantus Kimotho

Ex-officio Trustee, Government of Kenya Representative

Mego Pinandito

Ex-officio Trustee, Government of Indonesia Representative

Éliane Ubalijoro

Ex-officio Trustee, ICRAF
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CIFOR-ICRAF
Director General, ICRAF

Robert Nasi

Ex-officio Trustee, CIFOR
Chief Operating Officer (COO), CIFOR-ICRAF
Director General, CIFOR