Building Urban Climate Resilience through Nature-based Solutions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is among the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, facing rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, recurrent droughts, floods, and heat stress. Rapid urbanization has intensified these risks in Addis Ababa and Jimma, where informal settlements, inadequate drainage, and loss of green spaces have increased the exposure of poor and vulnerable communities. Fiscal constraints and weak institutional coordination have further limited the government's ability to respond through conventional infrastructure.

The project aims to strengthen urban climate resilience in Ethiopia by mainstreaming and scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across national, municipal, and community systems. It will directly benefit 300,557 people and indirectly reach over 1.4 million through reduced flood and heat risks, restored urban ecosystems, and improved climate-resilient livelihoods.

Structured around three outcomes, the project will establish an enabling environment for urban NbS through policy and institutional reform; implement large-scale NbS investments in Addis Ababa and Jimma, including restoration of degraded forest and catchment areas, flood-resilient riverbanks, and climate-smart urban agriculture; and create a dedicated financing mechanism to replicate NbS in additional climate-vulnerable cities.

Developed through a partnership among Ethiopia, GCF and the Republic of Korea, this is the first GCF project to be implemented by KOICA.