At the second planning meeting of the Bangladesh National Platform on Locally Led Adaptation on 17 August 2023, participants discussed a mechanism to promote a "360 accountability" approach that is currently being piloted through the Community Led Innovation for Climate Risk Mitigation project in Cox's Bazaar. The mechanism is focused on tracking LLA finance flows; groundtruthing with metrics and markers; and dialogues to bring together divergent perspectives on LLA.
Participants highlighted that:
It is crucial to learn, document and contextualize LLA best practices from Bangladesh and the Global South.
Scaling up LLA might not always be the right strategy to involve local individuals and institutions; it is imperative to consider existing inequalities and multidimensional challenges.
LLA needs to establish a long-term and accessible monitoring mechanism which resonates with the local contexts and lived realities of vulnerable communities.
Valuing and incorporating traditional and local knowledge in adaptation planning and design is a key enabler for promoting local leadership.
Success of locally led efforts will depend on taking into account the intersectionality of social, economic and political aspects embedded in locality.
The National Platform on LLA creates a space for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange through highlighting similar challenges related to operationalizing LLA.
Open dialogue amongst the donors, intermediaries and the local community can ameliorate upwards accountability of utilizing funds appropriately.
Youth-led platforms require funding and capacity building opportunities to pave strategic partnerships related to local leadership.