Since land degradation is closely related to global environmental change, the Global Environment Facility also funds activities to prevent and control land degradation. The destruction of forests and the degradation of water resources threaten biodiversity, cause climate change and destroy the water circulation system. Considering the objectives of the Convention to Combat Desertification, many projects of the Global Environment Facility combine the above four areas to solve the problem of land degradation. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) revised its general rules at the 2002 General Assembly of Member States, and made land degradation its new key funding area.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was designated as the temporary funding mechanism of the newly signed Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and some related work was carried out. Global Environment Facility (GEF) revised its general rules in 2002, and made persistent organic pollutants as its new key funding area.

Multiple fields: In 2000, GEF adopted a new business plan: OP 12 to support integrated ecosystem management.