As the international community gathered in Azerbaijan for COP29, connected to the work of the Global Hub, the GCA COP29 Leaders Event “Global Champions for LLA” was the Global Center’s flagship event at the United Nations Climate Change Conference at Baku. It served as a celebration of the possibilities of adaptation action led by, and for, communities most affected by the climate crisis and included the presentation of the 2024 Local Adaptation Champion Awards.

The Global Center on Adaptation marked a significant milestone in climate adaptation, sustainable urban development, and green jobs with the inauguration of 12 Black Soldier Fly units in Mukuru, Nairobi . The initiative, undertaken with key global and local partners, is set to revolutionize waste management in one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements while providing employment opportunities for young people by equipping them with skills in sustainable agriculture, waste management, and business management.

During this session hosted by Micro Save Consulting, panelists explored the key challenges, opportunities, optimal solutions, and innovative approaches to ensure effective climate adaptation strategies in Africa.

Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), visited Chattogram today to listen and learn from local communities who are leading in the preparation of People’s Adaptation Plans, aimed at improving climate resilience in the city’s informal settlements. The visit underscores the GCA’s commitment to supporting local leadership by vulnerable populations in their fight against climate change, and linking their priorities for resilience building to investments by international financial institutions.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 shares what we already know about how to reconcile global goals and local ambitions for equitable and inclusive action. Lessons from Africa and Latin America are shared about approaches to measuring the effectiveness and outcomes of locally led adaptation (LLA) and inform on the critically important Global Goal on Adaptation.

This event held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 gives visibility to four United Nations Development Programme-AFCIA grantees from the African Region, presents their innovative solutions and journeys to build local resilience, and discusses how platforms and partnership networks can help scale or replicate these solutions.

A fundamental aspect of a successful locally led adaptation (LLA) initiative is to have robust monitoring and institutional systems, which can support the efficient tracking of impacts at the local level and create the enabling conditions for the model to be sustained and potentially replicated. This session focuses on the implementation and monitoring of LLA projects and presents concrete examples from the Adaptation Fund (AF) National Implementing Entities implementing such initiatives.

This session at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 examines the importance of conserving village common forest (VCF) management in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, and how climate change is impacting natural resources.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 discusses how to think outside of the climate finance paradigm and explores some of the changes that have to be made for funding of locally led adaptation efforts to be more accessible.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 discusses the design of the Heritage Adapts to Climate Alliance (HACA), which is being launched to support the operationalization of the cultural heritage provisions of the Global Goal on Adaptation Framework (GGA) adopted at COP28.  

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 highlights the role and importance of financial services in building the resilience of the most vulnerable. MicroSave Consulting, the International Center for Climate Change and Development, and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) share insights, highlighting the role of financial services in advancing LLA and convening donors working on financial inclusion and climate change.

LLA practitioners and beneficiaries of local adaptation efforts featured in the 2023 edition of Stories of Resilience: Lessons from Local Adaptation Practice presented their work on inclusive and transformative adaptation at the local level and reflected on lessons and challenges.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 discusses how to advocate for greater emphasis on women's inclusion and empowerment in agricultural policies and programs within Bangladesh and strengthen collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to prioritize women farmers in agriculture-related interventions.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 delves into the transformative potential of youth-led initiatives in combating climate change impacts. Anchored within the unique context of Africa's climate hotspots, where communities face disproportionate vulnerabilities, the session highlights the pivotal role of young people as catalysts for change.

This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 explores practical approaches to addressing loss and damage caused by climate change through locally led solutions. Participants engaged in discussions and presentations focusing on successful initiatives that empower communities in vulnerable regions to mitigate and adapt to climate-induced challenges.

Winners of the 2022 and 2023 Local Adaptation Champions (LAC) Awards presented their triumphs and challenges at the Fourth Gobeshona Global Conference, including funding, political support and goodwill, opportunities to scale, and further accolades.

Local leaders from Mongla, a coastal town in Bangladesh, convened at the Fourth Gobeshona Global Conference to present on progress, lessons learned, and challenges in developing People's Adaptation Plans. A collaboration between GCA and BRAC, the People’s Plans aim to empower vulnerable communities to confront escalating climate vulnerabilities, such as increased rainfall and flooding.

A session on "Community-based Monitoring for Behavior Change in Climate Vulnerable Areas" was held at the Gobeshona Global Conference 4. The session shared evidence-based experience with locally led adaptation practitioners and organizations on how community-based monitoring can provide opportunities for locally led planning and monitoring.

The seventh Principle for Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) talks about ensuring transparency and downward accountability through financing, design, and the delivery of programs to local stakeholders. This session held at Gobeshona Global Conference 4 discusses potential and feasible ways to enhance accountability between key climate actors for delivering LLA initiatives.

A session on "IIED: A LLA Framework for Bangladesh" was held at the Gobeshona Global Conference 4, a part of a consultation process for the locally led adaptation (LLA) framework under development by Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Asian Development Bank. A draft framework was presented for discussion with feedback.

This talk delves into the revolutionary impact of data on reshaping urban landscapes and improving lives.

Research by BBC Media Action in Bangladesh in 2023 revealed that adaptation efforts by communities and individuals are often not reported or communicated.  Media coverage is mainly focused on climate disasters and the international climate negotiations. In 2023, GCA teamed up with BBC Media Action to train journalists on reporting local efforts by communities to tackle the impacts of climate change.

Starting in 2020, the Nairobi city government began implementing a community-driven, multisectoral upgrading plan. The plan was the product of an ambitious two-year process known as the Mukuru Special Planning Area or SPA. While the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed official ratification of the upgrading plan, the Nairobi city government and Nairobi Metropolitan Services have already built roads, storm drains, several hospitals, a school, and a pilot water and sanitation project. Ongoing implementation efforts provide opportunities and pose several challenges.

Mukuru residents worked with the local government to plan crucial infrastructure investments to improve their health, safety and dignity. The SPA is an example of a true “co-planning” process. Work was undertaken together by government, residents and their civil society partners. This empowered residents to make planning decisions that have improved their resilience to climate change.

The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC), which has been implemented by universities worldwide, is a transformative approach to prepare students for the workforce, advance scholarships for researchers and make meaningful contributions to communities through engagement with, and empowerment of, local community members.