Addressing the Barriers to NBS Adaptation for Climate, Water and Biodiversity

5 October 2022

Organisation :

World Resources Institute (WRI), Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP), World Bank Group (WBG), Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), Cities4Forests, African Development Bank (AfDB)

Location :

Nairobi, Kenya and online

On 5 October 2022 (13:00-17:00 EAT), the World Resources Institute (WRI), Cities4Forests, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), African Development Bank and the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) are hosting a NBS infrastructure workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.

The workshop will feature leading thinkers on adaptation, climate policy experts, infrastructure funders and NBS project developers. By participating, attendees will learn from experts in the NBS field; participate in cross-sectoral discussions on the barriers to mainstreaming NBS in policy/planning and infrastructure design and implementation; and learn about new funding and financing strategies to scale up NBS investments.

This workshop will build on existing collaborations and launch new communities-of-practice to address the urgent need for climate adaptation, water resilience, and biodiversity investments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Time	Activities
Session 1: Introduction to NBS in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for climate, water, and biodiversity
13:00 – 13:20	Opening and welcoming remarks Dr. Vanessa Ushie, Ag. Director, African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre, AfDB Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnership, WRI
13:20 – 13:30	WRI presents an overview of NBS in SSA projects.
Session 2: Barriers in NBS project design and implementation: mainstreaming and adopting NBS infrastructure.
13:30 – 13:35	Overview: Overcoming barriers to incorporating NBS in project design and implementation. Perspectives from key infrastructure sectors, including urban resilience and disaster risk management (DRM), water and sanitation, energy, housing and transportation. Representative from the African Development Bank or World Bank (TBC)
13:35 – 13:50	Case study 1: Challenges for small-scale, community-led NBS project preparation. Showcase successful strategy from local NBS project. Case study 2: Challenges for incorporating NBS into infrastructure planning. Showcase successful large-scale infrastructure projects.
13:50 – 14:35	Breakout session: Facilitated discussion (virtual and in-person) on barriers and successes to incorporating NBS into project design and implementation.
Session 3: Challenges to owning, operating, and maintaining NBS: pathways to strengthen Operations and Maintenance (O&M), Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), and quantification methods for measuring co-benefits.
14:35 – 15:25	Panel session: Three project partners/participants share their experiences, recommendations for operationalizing NBS over the long term, and quantifying benefits from NBS infrastructure investments. Dr. Winnie Musila, Kenya Water Tower Agency (TBC) Private sector and NGOs with experience monitoring and maintaining NBS projects.
15:25 – 15:45	Tea/Coffee Break
Session 4: Scaling and replicating NBS infrastructure investment
15:45 – 15:50	Overview: Scaling investment and replicating investment for NBS.
15:50 – 16:05	Case study 3: Showcase replicable project model (i.e., R4 Initiative), recommendations for how to scale NBS projects to multiple geographies. Case study 4: Showcase an NBS intervention, policy, or financial innovation that has supported scale or replication. Could feature a blended finance tool (i.e., a guarantee)
16:05 – 16:45	Breakout session: Facilitated virtual and in-person discussion on the barriers to scaling and financing NBS infrastructure investment in SSA.
Session 5 NBS in SSA – Actionable recommendations to scale-up NBS investments in the region
16:45 – 17:30	Next steps: WRI to present the project timeline and future opportunities for engagement. Closing remarks from World Bank representative