Climate change has a disproportionate effect on communities at the frontlines. Despite experiencing first-hand the impact of the climate and nature crises, these communities continue to be among the most overlooked as solution providers and knowledge holders.
This online event will explore how civil society-led mechanisms can deliver the solutions that are urgently needed at the local level.
Grassroots organisations have a demonstrated ability to innovate and produce solutions that work and can be replicated. Networks of organisations have produced, organised and mobilised communities and, with the right support, are well placed to champion climate change processes that can rapidly increase community resilience and reduce vulnerability. Support is growing for locally led initiatives, with more than 50 organisations now having signed up to the principles for locally led adaptation.
The urgency of climate action and what is at stake at UNFCCC COP26 provides an opportunity to reshape conventional narratives – to promote ‘business-unusual’ approaches.
We want to move away from business-as-usual approaches and design transformative long-term mechanisms that ensure that:
- Money gets where it matters
- Accelerate local climate resilience and adaptation
- Multiply the potential of grassroots organisations as change-makers
- Advance climate justice
- Respond to the needs, priorities and interests of grassroots organisations and vulnerable communities, and
- Place values of equity, solidarity and human dignity front and centre of climate action.
This event brings climate finance providers, foundations and multilateral organisations together with grassroots organisations and social movements to discuss the role of frontline funds as effective mechanisms to build resilience that is driven at the local level.
This event is hosted in partnership with Huairou Commission, Slum Dwellers International, Climate Justice Resilience Fund and Global Resilience Partnership as part of London Climate Action Week 2021.
About the speakers
Welcoming remarks by Andrew Norton, director of IIED
Panel
- Tracy Kajumba is a principal researcher and team leader in the Climate Change research group at IIED
- Edel Monteiro is programme lead for the India Climate Collaborative (ICC)
- Sinead Walsh is Ireland’s climate envoy
- Sheela Patel is the founder and director of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) India
- Naseem Shaikh is grassroots leader of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, and Huairou Commission
- Sarah Nandudu is national coordinator of the National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda (NSDFU)
- Godavari Dange is president of the Sakhi Women’s Federation, Osmanabad District of Maharashtra, India, and grassroots leader of Swayam Shikshan Prayog and Huairou Commission
- Allie Ebrahim is a qualified chartered accountant and independent financial consultant
- Nigel Topping is UK’s high-level climate action champion