Phase 1 of SUSTAIN-Africa came to an end in December 2019, after a one-year extension to the programme. This report summarises the programme’s achievements in 2018 and 2019 for the areas of governance and institutional strengthening, integrated natural resources management, business engagement and market opportunities, and sustainable investments. Further to the results achieved in these areas of work, the last two years of the programme served the purpose of capturing learning, both for dissemination and to inform the design of a second phase.

The highlight from 2018-19 in governance has been the convergence of local governance processes for planning and management of natural resources into multi-stakeholder dialogues for optimising trade-offs between land, water, ecosystem, and business uses in the wider landscapes. While  SUSTAIN continued to invest in strengthening individual structures for managing land and water, increased coordination between these structures and emphasis on inclusive decision making are leading to better outcomes for people and nature.

SUSTAIN’s work to increase coordination in governance structures has positively influenced land, water, and ecosystem management. Key results in this area include better monitoring of water quality leading to informed decisions for water management, a shift to sustainable agriculture practices coupled with increased productivity and better income for local communities, and increased investment in restoration of ecosystems to safeguard the services necessary for human prosperity.

We also continued to build on a strategy of engaging economic actors as levers for change in SUSTAIN landscapes and at the national level. Partnerships with business in SUSTAIN landscapes and at the national level continued to influence environmental and social policies and practices of business actors. As for the finance sector, SUSTAIN has focused on influencing the rules for investment and contributing to the development of a sustainable and inclusive finance toolbox. Particularly notable during this reporting period is the agreement from financial institutions in Tanzania to adopt Sustainable Finance Principles for the sector.

You can find the full report here: SUSTAIN Annual Report 2018-19