Experiences from the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) in Niger, Lesotho and Cambodia indicate that while the Facility is a powerful vehicle for engaging local governments in LLA efforts, local governments often mirror the power dynamics of higher levels of governments and have exclusionary politics, which the LoCAL mechanism alone cannot shift. Intensifying efforts to involve non-governmental entities could enhance community participation in planning and budgeting processes.

Community leaders from Mongla shared their experience in developing People’s Adaptation Plans with residents of informal settlements in Kuakata, another secondary city in Bangladesh where the GCA is collaborating with BRAC to facilitate locally led adaptation planning, to inform investments by the Asian Development Bank’s Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project.

Dhaka releases its first-ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) to improve lives, reduce pollution and increase resilience to increasing climate impacts.

As we age, certain tasks get harder - like carrying heavy containers of water. But with age, they say, comes wisdom. In Shumar, a remote mountain community in south-eastern Bhutan, an isolated community of mostly older persons has used their years of experience in managing the impacts of climate change-related landslides to design a specially adapted water delivery system suspended from the branches of large trees.

The Alliance for Locally Led Transformative Action on Loss and Damage (ALL ACT) has launched a call for applications for a new scholarship and award in memory of one of the world's leading experts on loss and damage, Dr Saleemul Huq. The scholarship seeks to support researchers and local organizations in the Global South developing innovative solutions and strategies to address non-economic dimensions of loss and damage.  

Local communities bear the brunt of climate change-related disasters, made evident in three municipalities of Nepal (Aathbis, Panchadewal Binayak, and Barbardiya), where residents face challenges recovering from and responding to flooding, landslides and drought. As a result, residents often resort to loans for infrastructure reconstruction, while others relocate entirely.

GCA and BBC Media Action, hosted an experience sharing and completion ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh to celebrate the completion of a year-long training program from 40 journalists and 24 young communicators from six climate vulnerable districts in Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the GCA booth showcasing the Global Hub on LLA during the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Expo 2024, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She also highlighted the GCA’s South Asia Regional Office during her official address to the Expo. 

The Adaptation Fund has become the first multilateral climate fund to establish new funding streams for grants to back locally led adaptation (LLA) initiatives.

Limited knowledge exists on the real-world experiences and outcomes from applying the Principles for Locally Led Adaptation in practice, especially in relation to water which is critical in climate change adaptation. Progress and lessons learned from water adaptation initiatives in East Africa’s drylands are examined to assess the alignment of water adaptation projects with these principles.

A study of six locally-led adaptation (LLA) water-related projects in Kenya and Tanzania indicate how donors, government and civil society actors can support the implementation of LLA approaches.

As cities aim to transition their buildings to include more green and sustainable sources of electricity, retrofitting – or installing – fossil fuel-based buildings with high-efficiency and clean electricity is crucial. However, one size does not fit all. Including historically disadvantaged communities in the design of retrofit programs helps to identify and incorporate the individual needs and priorities of each community.

The way we talk about climate change influences how people understand the message and what actions they might take. Effective communication strategies for inspiring audience action are examined.

Pond sand filters and water harvesting have brought multiple benefits to coastal communities in south-west Bangladesh, including reduced expenditure on drinking water, reduced risk of gender-based violence, reduced health risks, and improved access to education.

Biochar, a form of charcoal used to lock up carbon and fertilize soils, offers a promising solutions to air pollution and health issues caused by slash-and-burn agriculture. The Older People’s Clubs (OPCs) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is producing biochar as a way of addressing these environmental and health-related issues. For OPCs, biochar is a way to manage green waste, transfer knowledge to younger farmers, and tackle air pollution in Chiang Mai, while creating opportunities for additional income.

The Kenyan government in collaboration with development partners has secured Sh39.3 billion, or approximately US$307 million, to roll out a locally-led climate action financing program.

On the International Day of Forests, we highlight why empowering communities to safeguard forests is a win-win for communities and climate change.

Successful implementation of locally led adaptation (LLA) interventions requires shifting away from top-down approaches to inclusive development structures that align with community needs. This requires us to re-evaluate how power dynamics are defined, how knowledge is dissemination and valued, and how financing is distributed to LLA efforts. 

Founded in 2018 as a private agribusiness in Kasese district, Uganda, Ugavoil farms black soldier flies as a means to recycle organic waste into fertilizer and livestock feed, while reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions. By utilizing the flies as a raw material, the company not only promotes sustainability, but also creates economic opportunities.

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.

While the effects of climate change are experienced globally, climate risks and impacts felt at the local level can vary from place to place, based on geographic and biophysical characteristics of the area. Local governments, with their firsthand experience of climate impacts, are well-placed to address climate change effects by tailoring solutions to local needs. Nonetheless, their adaptation needs often exceed local planning, technical and fiscal capacities. Cooperation is therefore necessary across levels of government to foster climate change adaptation at the local level.

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.

The Center for People & Environment (CPE) has issued a call for abstracts in the lead up to the Second South Asia Conference on “Unfolding Emerging Issues in the Context of Changing Climatic Scenario”. The Conference will be held on 2 and 3 November 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The deadline for abstract submissions is 31 August 2024.

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.