Urban-nature program

The Urban-Nature Program aims to accelerate nature-positive development within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), through action at the subnational level. The Program focuses on three pathways:

• Improving Coherence: Enhancing coordination across different platforms and projects working on integrated solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.
• Co-creation of Tools: Facilitating the development of tools and complementary capacity-building activities.
• Scaling up Financing: Directing funding towards cities on nature and linking with portfolio development of multilateral development banks (MDBs), financial institutions, and the private sector to mainstream nature into investment.

How is the urban-nature program organized?

To achieve these objectives, the Program will be organized into three work streams:

• Upstream Policy Support: Coordination of global expertise towards a meaningful exchange of information across existing and new initiatives, supporting cities for policy engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and other approaches.
• Midstream Project Preparation Support: Targeted and bankable project preparation to build capacity and improve financing, engaging a global network of experts, international and domestic financial institutions, and private sector investors.
• Downstream Investment: Supporting MDBs and financial institutions to mobilize investment in nature-positive development.

Cities participating in the Program will benefit through engagement that supports resilience planning, nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration, green and blue infrastructure, and leveraging investment for nature-positive development at city-scale. Specifically, the Program will provide:

• Innovative communication and networking for empowered knowledge and advocacy: The Program will coordinate access to global expertise through expert groups (to be co-created with the member cities) while providing opportunities to influence global conversations on how to implement nature in cities on both knowledge and finance. The program will also increase visibility and strengthen advocacy around urban-nature action through in-person and online events, particularly in main global convenings like the Climate and Biodiversity COPs.
• Targeted financial support to ensure success: The Program will provide targeted technical support to selected cities to support planning and preparation for investment, while linking to MDB and financial institution portfolios to enhance access to financing and leverage private sector investment, and innovative financial mechanisms to invest in nature. Additionally, cities will receive support from the World Bank in advocating for funding windows within national-level financial institutions.

The Program will be coordinated by the World Bank through its Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (supported by the GEF), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as part of Generation Restoration and the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration, and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, in partnership with the World Resources Institute, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and C40 Cities. Key collaborators include the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), multilateral/regional development banks, and the European Commission.

A group of 20 Lighthouse Cities from developed and developing countries will be invited to join the Program as global leaders in urban-nature action, given their successful track records in protecting biodiversity or restoring ecosystems, which, for example, include mayoral awards and/or membership to an existing initiative on cities and nature.

Lighthouse Cities will be expected to make the following commitments:

• A letter expressing continued implementation of existing actions and demonstration of planned actions for nature-positive development.
• Willingness to participate in the Mayors’ Leadership Forum (once a year) and to demonstrate global leadership in contributing to the GBF targets, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and CBD Decision 15/12 (Plan of Action on Engagement, and clear statement of ambitions for implementing the GBF.