BELÉM, BRAZIL — Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has announced that Norway will provide up to $3 billion USD in loans over the next ten years to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a pioneering international fund dedicated to preserving the world's rainforests. The announcement marks the largest single investment under Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative since its inception in 2008.

The TFFF operates on an innovative financial model designed to mobilize private capital alongside government contributions. The capital—aiming for a total of approximately NOK 1,250 billion—will be invested in global securities. The excess returns from these investments will then be distributed annually to tropical forest countries as a reward for successful conservation efforts. "Protecting tropical forests is an investment in our common future," stated Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, highlighting the fund's role in mitigating the global nature crisis.

Norway’s commitment comes with specific conditions to ensure the fund's sustainability:

• At least $10 billion must be mobilized by other partners by the end of 2026.

• Norway’s contribution must not exceed 20% of the total fund amount.

• The funding model must maintain an acceptable level of risk.

Crucially, the fund mandates that at least 20% of distributed funds go directly to indigenous peoples and local communities, who are often the primary guardians of these forests. Brazil and Indonesia have already joined the initiative, each pledging $1 billion USD, signaling a strong coalition between donor and forest-rich nations to combat high global deforestation levels exacerbated by climate change and wildfires.