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SUNCASA Resilient Cities. Natural Solutions

The Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) project aims to enhance climate resilience, gender equality and social inclusion, and biodiversity protection in urban communities Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa). Focused on community-level capacity building and leveraging gender-responsive nature-based solutions (NbS), SUNCASA will benefit 2.2 million people living in high-flood-risk areas.

The Challenge

By 2050, more than 65% of Africa's 2.5 billion population will be living in cities. However, incipient climate governance systems, rapid urbanization, and deforestation have degraded landscapes and ecosystems, affecting urban communities' capacity to adapt to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts temperatures in Africa will rise faster than the global land average, and many cities will face water scarcity, droughts, increased urban heat, and greater flood risk from intensifying storm events. As environmental threats multiply, marginalized communities are likely to experience increasingly adverse impacts.

SUNCASA at a Glance

Jointly managed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), with USD 22 million in funding from Global Affairs Canada through the Partnering for the Climate Program, SUNCASA will work with local partners to improve urban communities' capacity to adapt to climate change. By implementing gender-responsive NbS for the restoration of watersheds, riparian corridors, and urban green spaces, the SUNCASA project directly responds to risks like climate change-induced flooding, landslides, extreme heat, and biodiversity loss. In collaboration with a host of local organizations with expertise in restoration and gender, equity, and social inclusion, SUNCASA will work with local governments, civil society, and community associations to enhance an enabling environment for the adoption and scaling of urban NbS that prioritize the most vulnerable. This includes mainstreaming gender-responsive NbS into policy frameworks, sharing the latest research, building capacities, and unlocking finance for scaling NbS projects.

Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion

Women and girls, along with other marginalized groups, have limited access to natural resources and are often disproportionately affected by climate crises. NbS can play an important role in reducing urban climate vulnerability and can be explicitly designed to reduce inequities in the process. The SUNCASA project will empower women and other marginalized groups with the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in NbS planning, project preparation, long-term management, and local decision making. SUNCASA will facilitate conversations around gender-based barriers, driving the improved engagement of women and youth in climate adaptation measures that enhance the resilience of their communities. The project's design and implementation will use a gender-responsive, inclusive and participatory process guided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Global Stand ard for NbS.

Impact

SUNCASA will directly and indirectly benefit 2.2 million people by increasing their resilience to climate risk, directly train and support over 22,000 individuals involved in implementation and improve water security for millions more. The project aims to address gender gaps in climate adaptation: at least 50% of the project's beneficiaries will be women, representing a shift in existing social norms.

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