Blog archives
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Is COP26 back on track? The UN General Assembly will be a pivotal moment
29 July 2021While COP26 may still be on rocky ground, recent G20 and high-level ministerial meetings show signs that progress is possible – but only if G20 countries step up on the 1.5°C target and wealthy countries deliver on the US$100bn climate finance goal
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We also want greens in our meals: community gardens in the Philippines
27 July 2021One of the founding mothers of the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines, Ofelia Bagotlo, describes how community gardens on vacant city plots are providing vital nutrition for the urban poor
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Five key questions for making the Global Goal on Adaptation work for local people and places
23 July 2021Emilie Beauchamp discusses how parties to the Paris Agreement could agree on a roadmap towards a Global Goal on Adaptation that will work for the whole of society
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African social movements call on UN food summit to give people back control
22 July 2021In the second blog in our ‘food year’ series, guest blogger Million Belay explains why now is the time to demand a better food system that works for small-scale food producers in Africa – who account for most of the world’s food insecure
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Envisioning a better future for The Gambia
20 July 2021The Gambian environment minister outlines a better future for his country, where climate action and sustainable development go hand in hand
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Rethinking urban climate resilience: time for a reset?
19 July 2021Aditya Bahadur and guest blogger Thomas Tanner discuss their new book which explores the changing nature of climate risk in towns and cities and explains why existing approaches for tackling this risk need a shake-up
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Rethinking research and development approaches from a decolonisation perspective
15 July 2021Following a recent Dilemmas of Development webinar series, Tracy Kajumba and guest blogger Daniela Nemeti Baba reflect on the complexities of decolonising development approaches to research and development
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Community-led COVID-19 response: an update from the Philippines
14 July 2021One year on, Ruby Papeleras and Migo Gaddi provide an update on the action of the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines in its fight against COVID-19, including case studies of what has been done in the cities of Davao and Talisay
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Building wider support for ecosystem-based adaptation: how can communications help?
13 July 2021Evidence shows that ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) can help increase people's resilience and ability to adapt to climate change. However, policy-makers have not adopted this approach as widely as they could. Following a recent CBA15 event, Gabriela Flores outlines three ways communications could help increase EbA uptake.
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How India’s civil society rose up in the face of COVID-19
12 July 2021As the pandemic overwhelmed India’s public systems and cut off the livelihoods of millions, civil society organisations offered a lifeline to the cities’ poorest and most vulnerable residents
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COP26 hangs in the balance if G20 fails to show solidarity with climate-vulnerable countries by delivering action
8 July 2021This week, G20 ministers come together for two major meetings. Following commitments they made to climate-vulnerable countries at the Climate and Development Ministerial in March, Alex Scott and Ebony Holland reflect on progress to date and how critical it will be for the G20 to maintain momentum and fill the gaps left by the G7
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Delivering an inclusive COP26 in the age of COVID-19 requires more than vaccines
7 July 2021The UK government announced last week that it would make vaccines available to people attending COP26 in Glasgow. But even vaccinated, negotiators from vulnerable nations face logistical and financial barriers to travel to Glasgow amid border closures and quarantine measures
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Policymakers take note: climate displacement is driving millions into slavery
6 July 2021Many factors force people into slavery; but climate change as a driver is largely ignored in policy and planning
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CBA15: Four messages ahead of COP26
5 July 2021The annual international conferences on community-based adaptation (CBA) are unique events where adaptation practitioners, researchers, donors and decision-makers come together with grassroots community representatives and engage in open, dynamic conversations about how best to drive locally-led adaptation to climate change. This year’s event, CBA15, saw more than 400 people from more than 60 countries discuss how adaptation that is inclusive and locally led can be delivered in practice. This blog shares highlights from these exchanges
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En Zambie, les chefs traditionnels font évoluer les normes en matière de genre et renforcent les droits fonciers des femmes
1 July 2021Guest blogger Patricia Malasha describes how community-level dialogues uprooted harmful gender norms that hinder women’s rights to land
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Feeding all city inhabitants
28 June 2021Cecilia Tacoli explores how food and nutrition security in urban areas is often overlooked by policymakers and city governments
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It’s got to be virtual and in person – key steps for a successful COP26
23 June 2021In a moment of reflection, with the first round of virtual climate negotiations and the G7 Summit all concluded, Anna Schulz asks where are we now and what steps can be taken to ensure success at COP26?
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UN Food Systems Summit: it’s time to listen to civil society’s concerns
22 June 2021Guest blogger Molly Anderson kicks off a new blog series leading up to the UN’s first ever Food Systems Summit. Here, Anderson sets out practical ways for the summit’s convenors to regroup after getting off to a rocky start
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COVID-19 in cities: pathways towards a transformative urban recovery
16 June 2021COVID19-is asymmetrical and will impact differently as poorer countries battle to gain access to vaccines. At a time of diminished budgets and resources, their needs are the highest. We can only respond if we do our work more inclusively and strategically
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Turning up the heat – how chilli growing is conserving Uganda’s wildlife
15 June 2021Juliet Aneno explains how chilli-growing enterprises in Uganda are helping households generate non-poaching related income – supporting efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict around Murchison Falls National Park
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What women want – part two: to map vulnerability to climate change
11 June 2021Guest blogger Sheela Patel continues her discussion of the priorities and needs of women living in informal settlements and tenements, highlighted by COVID-19. In this blog, she explains why women are ideally placed to map vulnerability to climate change in their community and city
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Tricky questions and frank discussions: a participatory forum on protracted displacement in Afghanistan
10 June 2021Guest bloggers Nassim Majidi and Jawid Hassanzai draw together three key points emerging from a recent multi-stakeholder forum aimed at developing innovative and inclusive solutions to manage forced displacement in Afghanistan
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Life and livelihoods: the impact of COVID-19 on small-scale fishing communities
8 June 2021Small-scale fisheries are a vital source of employment, income and food for millions, especially in developing countries, but COVID-19 has affected the entire aquatic food system. On World Oceans Day, Cristina Pita looks at the drastic impact on the life and livelihoods for the poorest and most vulnerable
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Fifty years on, 'Only One Earth' rings true
8 June 2021On IIED’s 50th birthday, director Andrew Norton links our founder’s vision with the urgent global crises of today and finds new hope for change in locally-led social movements
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Trees need locally-grown politics
4 June 2021Presidents and celebrities planting trees are in the news again, and with green post-COVID-19 recovery plans afoot and the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, James Mayers considers what it will take to get the right trees planted and looked after in the right places, by people who actually want them.