SUNCASA by International Institute for Sustainable Development

The Scaling Urban NbS for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) project aims to boost climate adaptation, gender equality, and biodiversity protection in urban areas of Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa. By focusing on Dire Dawa, Kigali, and Johannesburg, it addresses local needs to enhance resilience against climate-induced flooding through gender-responsive nature-based solutions (NbS). The project uses an inclusive approach, guided by the IUCN Global Standard and IISD ALivE tool, to empower women in NbS planning and management. SUNCASA strives to shift social norms to ensure women’s active participation in climate decisions, emphasising gender-responsive adaptation that recognises diverse needs, promotes equitable participation, and ensures fair distribution of benefits.

The initiative aims to strengthen climate adaptation, promote gender equality, and protect biodiversity within urban communities across Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa. It focuses on increasing community demand for gender-responsive nature-based solutions (NbS) by employing watershed conservation and restoration techniques.

These efforts encourage the adoption of NbS practices that support flood control, enhance water security both upstream and downstream, and promote gender equality and biodiversity protection in urban settings. Additionally, the project works to enhance inclusive and gender-responsive governance, enabling municipal officials and local stakeholders to effectively implement NbS for climate adaptation within these urban communities.

This project focuses on capacity building and the development of resources, knowledge, and tools. Key outputs include communication campaigns highlighting the benefits of nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation, biodiversity, and gender equity. Peer-to-peer learning forums are organised, particularly for women and women’s organisations, to promote gender-responsive NbS.

Dialogue and training sessions are held to address gender-based barriers to NbS, focusing on social norms and local power dynamics, with a special emphasis on engaging men and local leaders. Training programs are offered to local partners and stakeholders to value and assess gender-responsive NbS for climate adaptation, and support is provided for developing integrated cost-benefit assessments of these options for watershed conservation and restoration.

Community-level climate vulnerability risk assessments, gender analyses, and activity validations are conducted to prepare projects. Restoration efforts include agroforestry, afforestation, and reforestation practices in upstream farmlands, bare lands, and degraded forests, with involvement from local landowners and women cooperatives. Riparian corridors and waterways are restored through planting and buffering practices in priority catchments.

Urban green infrastructure is installed for low-income households, particularly those led by women in informal settlements. Training programs are provided to integrate sustainability and gender-equality considerations into financial assessments for NbS projects. Financial models and recommendations are developed, with support for matching projects with appropriate funding opportunities.

Monitoring plans are established to assess the biophysical impacts of NbS projects, alongside frameworks to track gender, adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity benefits. Online data dashboards and hubs are created to monitor the impact of NbS projects. Training is provided to local government authorities on gender-responsive adaptation decision-making and natural resource management, with support for integrating and institutionalising these practices in city policies.

The project also facilitates peer-to-peer learning exchanges on urban gender-responsive NbS for adaptation and publishes cross-site analyses with recommendations for future projects. Training is delivered to women’s organisations to influence municipal policy, and support is provided to enhance the involvement of women-led local networks in planning, implementing, and monitoring NbS initiatives.