Result of Service

Findings, lessons and good practices from the evaluation, will enable the project to demonstrate tangible results and the transformative power of the various interventions.

Work Location

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Introduction Evaluation is an integral component of programming and project cycle management within the United Nations. These Terms of Reference are for the terminal evaluation of the project Go Blue Project Result Area 2 – “Connecting People, Cities and the Ocean: Innovative Land-Sea Planning and Management for a Sustainable and Resilient Kenyan Coast” (Project ID: RSO/FED/041-624), hereafter referred to as the “Go Blue Area 2” project. The project was funded by the European Union (EU), with a total budget of EUR 7,000,000. It was jointly implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The project aimed to support the development of a sustainable blue economy in Kenya by contributing to the economic development for coastal urban citizens and the protection of coastal and marine assets. The project aligned with Kenya’s national priorities and commitments towards building a sustainable blue economy, demonstrated through the leadership in hosting the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference (2018), and Kenya’s involvement in the preparations towards the UN Oceans Conference (2020). From the EU priorities, the project is aligned well with the ambition of promoting responsible digitalization and the European Green Deal. The implementation of the project will be carried out in coordination with the Coastal Counties Economic Bloc (JKP). The project commenced in December 2020 and was planned to end in November 2024. The project was extended until September 2025. The project has both mid-term and final evaluations in its evaluation framework in line with UN-Habitat’s and UNEP’s evaluation policies and procedures. The mid-term evaluation was conducted in April 2024 United Nations Human Settlements Programme and United Nations Environment Programme UN-Habitat is the specialized programme for sustainable urbanization and human settlements in the United Nations system. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. Pursuant to its mandate, UN-Habitat aims to achieve impact at two levels. At the operational level, it undertakes technical cooperation projects. At the normative level, it seeks to influence governments and non-governmental actors in formulating, adopting, implementing and enforcing policies, norms and standards conducive to sustainable human settlements and sustainable urbanization. UNEP is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP is driving transformational change by drilling down on the root causes of the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. One of the key enablers of UN-Habitat’s recently approved new Strategic Plan 2026-2029 is Integrated Urban and Territorial Planning that includes the protection of ecological assets, further ensuring that cities protect, conserve, restore, and promote the ecosystems in and around them, encompassing both land and water environments. The project “Go Blue Project Result Area 2 – Connecting People, Cities and the Ocean: Innovative Land-Sea Planning and Management for a Sustainable and Resilient Kenyan Coast” was designed to contribute to all four domains of change . The project was also meant to responded to the achievement of urban related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG 11 on cities, SDG 13 on climate change, SDG 14 on oceans, SDG 1 on poverty, SDG 5 on gender, SDG 8 on economy, SDG10 on inequality and SDG 16 on institutions; and numerous New Urban Agenda (NUA) paragraphs. The project addressed UNEP Subprogamme 3 – Healthy and Productive Ecosystems – in the UNEP Medium Term Strategy 2018 – 2021.It was implemented in selected urban centres of six coastal countries of Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Tana River to enhance integrated land-sea planning and management by addressing key socio-economic and environment challenges while stimulating benefits from the blue economy. GO BLUE PROJECT DESCRIPTION Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems are a critical component in the sustainability of blue economic development. In 2018, Kenya’s environment sector accounted for 3.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Jumuiya Ya Kaunti Za Pwani (JKP) region’s socio-economic development dynamics are heavily dependent on the environmental changes that are equally dependent on the land-based physical processes and their impact to the blue ocean. The coastal ecosystems and natural resources provide various services to coastal peoples; they host rich fauna, flora and attractive physical features that include coral reefs, sea weeds, seagrasses, coastal forests including mangroves, sandy and rocky beaches, fishes, sea mammals, estuaries, sand dunes, and more that are the basis for growing tourism. However, the greatest threats to the country’s marine ecosystems are unsustainable levels of fishing, unsustainable land-use and consumption patterns and the impacts of global climate change which have wrought havoc on the Indian Ocean coral reefs. The use of motorized fishing vessels and sophisticated fishing gear are destructive and erodes economic growth. It also erodes cultural restrictions on overfishing. Increased development and urbanization along the coastline generate run-off, impacts water flows, and causes sedimentation in Kenya’s coastal waters. In addition, pollution, poor waste management, shoreline modification, over-exploitation and destruction of marine resources such as mangroves, use of unsustainable fishing methods, invasive and alien species and adverse effects of climate change aggravate the issue. The protection and conservation of marine and coastal environment is therefore a prerequisite for sustainable blue economic development in Kenya and currently on 0.67% of Kenya’s coastal and marine areas are under protection. Increasing challenges caused by urban expansion and population growth continue to be felt globally, regionally and at national levels. Kenya’s coastal cities have not escaped the brunt of these challenges and are also struggling to adapt in a sustainable manner. The impacts of urbanization are most severe on natural environment, and, today, coastal cities and their marine environment are more vulnerable to climate change than ever before. In addition, land use patterns change rapidly, and policies, plans and regulations should be put in place to prevent unsustainable practices. Furthermore, the devolution of government functions to the local and county levels still has gaps in institutional structures to deal with marine protection along the coastal zones, including the influence of waste and other urban services management. In just over a decade, the JKP region’s six counties have experienced a population increase of 28 per cent with close to 40 per cent of the overall population residing in urban and peri-urban areas. This translates to an annual population growth rate of 2.8 per cent per annum, compared to the national annual population growth rate of 2.6 per cent. Globally, urban areas consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for over 70 per cent of global carbon emissions. Above statistics coupled with the high levels of poverty within JKP, standing at 57-75 per cent against the national average of 50.3 per cent (rural) and 33.5 per cent (urban), further reduces potential of quality of life and livelihoods opportunities. Sustainable urbanization including land-sea planning is important for coastal cities’ sustainable development. In the JKP region, almost 45 per cent of the region’s populations live in urban and peri-urban areas, mainly concentrated in Kilifi, Malindi and Mombasa. This upsurge in the urbanization process has come with environmental challenges especially along the coastline urban areas of Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi, Mtwapa, Mombasa, Shimoni, Vanga and other emerging coastal urban areas like Diani. While the urbanization process has led to greater productivity and prosperity in the region, including in the blue economy sectors, it has been disproportionately balanced. Urbanization patterns in some areas have been characterized by poverty, upsurge of unplanned informal settlements, and environmental degradation in essential areas. Today, the majority of the coastal population relies on informal employment, housing and lack access to essential public services. Levels of poverty at the coast are among the highest in the country, which reduces quality of life and livelihoods opportunities. At the same time, coastal populations – urban and rural – primarily rely on the benefits from the blue economy, often working in sectors such as fisheries or tourism. Thus, sustainable urbanization including land and sea planning is key for coastal cities’ sustainable development. Objectives and outcomes of the Go Blue Area 2 project The project’s overall objective was to enhance integrated ecosystem-based approach to land-sea planning and management that is participatory and inclusive to women and young people that results into enhanced institutional and individual capacities for a sustainable blue economy in the coastal urban areas. The project addressed key socio-economic and environmental challenges through capacity building and pilot activities in the six coastal counties. In doing so, the project aimed to contribute towards ensuring sustainable coastal development, healthy and resilient marine and coastal ecosystems and their natural capital, all of which directly supports nature-based climate change adaptation and mitigation, human well-being, food security, job opportunities, improved coastal public spaces to support sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive blue economies (underpinning sustainable fisheries, coastal ecotourism, information on blue economy, and promoting the value of coastal public spaces), and enhanced natural assets for the coastal communities and urban residents. The four outcomes of the project were: Outcome 1: Planning authorities use information generated from the project in demons