What we are doing
Africa is known to be one of the most rapidly urbanising continents globally. In this way, Africa’s urban transition is a key global game-changer: the way that African cities develop will determine whether or not we achieve our global climate mitigation targets, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), biodiversity, poverty and inequality targets, and resource sustainability. The Urban Natural Assets programme was designed to support local governments in Africa in addressing the daily challenges they experience around protecting and revitalising their urban natural assets whilst building climate resilience through integrating nature-based solutions (NbS) into land-use planning and decision-making processes by all levels of government.
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How we are tracking
Information and evidence available to unlock transformational NbS;
Enabling conditions for NbS and ecological restoration created in multiple countries;
Mandates that influence how nature and ecosystems are managed are placed at the right level, with resources flowing to where they are needed most;
Nature considerations are central to decision making;
Sufficient agency and momentum for an unfolding process of change is built; and
Framework for aligning socio-economic rights articulated by civil society with planning and governance approaches for nature.
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What we are achieving
The UNA Resilience project will work with local governments in African cities to integrate nature-based solutions into land use planning to increase urban resilience, which, in turn, will contribute to stabilizing warming below 2 degrees. Its overarching aim is to transform the development trajectory of the chosen African cities toward sustainable development and greater interconnectedness with surrounding natural systems. The project is built on the three interlinked urban pillars of governance, planning and finance. With an emphasis on building urban resilience and moving toward sufficient agency for local officials, it will facilitate equitable ecosystem governance and management that supports sustainable livelihoods, as well as adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction related to climate change. Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation in urban nature work, as well as continuing to experiment with NbS leads to behavior change of decision makers, e.g. proof of pro- nature climate decisions.
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