By 2025, nearly 6 billion people will live within 200km of a coastline. Population growth and climate change related impacts like sea-level rise, storm surges and heavy rainfall events are noticeably increasing coastal risks and degrading coastal ecosystems. People and nature are becoming increasingly vulnerable. With two decades’ experience implementing urban sustainability projects in African cities – and through the UNA Coasts Project – ICLEI Africa and its coastal cities co-development a coastal resilience framework. This will enable cities to not only understand vulnerabilities but to develop tangible interventions that build climate resilience.