Local and regional authorities are on the front line of the global response to climate change, biodiversi-ty loss, and environmental degradation. Intensifying floods, droughts, and heatwaves are stretching infrastructure and governance systems, while rapid urban expansion and land sealing continue to de-grade natural buffers. Against this backdrop, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) offer a transformative, cost-effective, and multi-benefit pathway to strengthen climate adaptation while also delivering significant mitigation co-benefits—including carbon sequestration, stormwater management, urban cooling, and reduced energy demand.
NbS directly advance multiple global and continental frameworks for sustainable development. They operationalize the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDGs 6, 11, 13, and 15; support the Paris Agreement (2015) by reinforcing both adaptation and mitigation at local levels; and align with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) through ecosystem-based hazard management. NbS further re-flect the ambitions of the New Urban Agenda, the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, all of which advocate integrated, ecosystem-based, and inclusive planning that enhances both human and ecological resilience.
At the continental level, NbS also contribute to the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, which envisions environmentally sustainable, climate-resilient, and prosperous cities and regions. They support the implementation of the African Strategy on Climate Change and Resilient Development (2022–2032), the Great Green Wall Initiative, and the African Urban Agenda, which collectively call for scaling nature-based and ecosystem-driven approaches to urban development, regional planning, and livelihoods. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, fast-growing cities and regions are navigating water scarcity, land degradation, and informal expansion, where NbS provide affordable, scalable tools to manage floods, rehabilitate ecosystems, and safeguard livelihoods — while generating green jobs, enhancing biodiversity, and improving social cohesion.
In Germany, the strategic importance of NbS has grown rapidly as climate impacts intensify across re-gions. The German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (DAS), the National Water Strategy, and the Action Programme for Natural Climate Protection (Aktionsprogramm Natürlicher Klimaschutz – ANK) position ecosystem-based and landscape-scale interventions as key instruments for achieving national adaptation and mitigation goals. NbS play a vital role in addressing urban heat, flash flooding, and land sealing, while contributing to carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement, and improved quality of life in both urban and rural contexts. German local governments are increasingly embracing blue-green infrastructure, de-concretization, and urban cooling corridors as part of a broader transition toward climate-neutral, livable cities and regions under the European Green Deal and EU Adaptation Strategy.
Taken together, both regions are advancing along complementary pathways toward nature-positive, climate-resilient, and net-zero-aligned development. While Sub-Saharan African cities and regions demonstrate innovation in applying NbS for livelihood security and urban resilience, German municipali-ties are pioneering governance models, technical standards, and financing mechanisms for large-scale ecosystem restoration and green infrastructure. By connecting these experiences through peer learning and collaboration, the Learning Process aims to accelerate mutual understanding, joint innovation, and tangible progress toward sustainable, regenerative urban and regional systems that work with nature rather than against it.
Responding to this shared imperative, the one-year Learning Process will convene local and regional practitioners, technical experts, and policymakers from Germany and Sub-Saharan Africa. Through three in-person workshops and continuous virtual collaboration, participants will move from problem identification to solution co-development and implementation readiness. Guided by peer learning, tech-nical exchange, and coaching, participating authorities will strengthen institutional capacities and co-create actionable NbS concepts ready for piloting, financing, or integration into urban and regional development plans.
This collaboration takes place under the International Cities Platform for Sustainable Development – Connective Cities, established on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is jointly implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusam-menarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Engagement Global gGmbH – Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW), the Deutscher Städtetag (German Association of Cities), the Deutscher Landkreistag (DLT – German Association of Counties), and the Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund (DStGB – German As-sociation of Towns and Municipalities). Connective Cities provides an ideal framework to connect mu-nicipalities and regional authorities across continents for a shared agenda on Nature-Based Solutions and territorial resilience.