Leadership for Frontline Coastal & Island Cities: Driving Nature-based Solutions, Blue Economy and Community Resilience

Coastal and island cities are on the frontline of climate change, facing rising risks from sea-level rise, erosion, storm surges, and ecosystem degradation. These impacts threaten housing, infrastructure, livelihoods, and local economies - especially in small islands and low-lying areas with limited adaptive capacity. As climate impacts intensify, strengthening the resilience of these cities has become a central priority for global climate and urban agendas, including the Global Goal on Adaptation, Paris Agreement, Urban Agenda, NDCs, and NAPs. Despite growing urgency, adaptation finance remains severely limited and unevenly distributed. Only a small share of global urban climate finance reaches resilience efforts, leaving many frontline cities underfunded. At the same time, cities often struggle to translate strong resilience plans into bankable, implementable projects due to capacity and financing barriers.

Drawing on experiences from cities, regions, and countries such as Kerkennah, Cartagena, the Canary Islands, and Madagascar, this session highlights how locally led action, integrated planning, and partnerships can bridge these gaps. Partners including EBRD, ICLEI and the City Climate Finance Gap Fund support cities through technical assistance, project preparation, and financing pathways - helping turn vulnerability into investment-ready solutions that deliver climate-resilient housing, infrastructure, basic services, and livelihoods.