LLA Alliance: join the endorsers of the locally led adaptation principles

Over 130 governments, leading global institutions and local and international NGOs have already signed up to principles to help ensure local communities are empowered to lead sustainable and effective adaptation to climate change at the local level.

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Mobilising money to where it matters

A programme of work helping to initiate a positive shift in the quantity and quality of climate finance reaching the local level to support locally-led solutions that address climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss

A groupo of people stand around a man speaking to the group. — South Africa, Farm Africa and Jamaica became the newest endorsers of the locally led adaptation principles at COP27 (Photo: Anne Schulthess, IIED)

The principles for locally led adaptation focus on the greater effort and commitment needed to put more resources into local hands for local adaptation priorities.

IIED is among more than 130 organisations, donors and governments to endorse the principles and call on the global community of practice on adaptation to help move programmes, funding and practices towards adaptation that is increasingly owned by local stakeholders.

Empowering local stakeholders to lead in adapting to climate change gives communities on the frontline of climate impacts a voice in decisions that directly affect their lives and livelihoods.

Endorsing the principles

In January 2021, 40 governments and leading institutions led the way at the Climate Adaptation Summit by committing to support locally-led climate adaptation.

The following May a communique issued by the G7 said it “welcomes the principles for locally led adaptation".

In November 2021 at COP26, Danida, Sida, USAID and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs were among the latest donor agencies to endorse the principles.

At COP27, over 80 endorsers of the locally led adaptation principles shared their achievements since endorsing the principles and outlined their priorities for the coming year.

The number of endorsers has since climbed to over 130. They include (with links to their commitments):

ACT Alliance; Act Church of Sweden; ACTED; Adaptation Fund; Africa Climate Action Initiative; African Education Program; Agence Française de Développement (AFD); Antigua and Barbuda, Department of Environment of; ASEAN Youth Organization; BRAC International; Build Change; CARE International; Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management (CECIC); Centro para la Autonomía y Desarollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CADPI); Child Care and Youth Empowerment Foundation (CCAYEF); Clara Lionel Foundation; Climate & Development Advice; Climate Action Network South Asia; Climate Change Africa Opportunities (CCAO); Climate Investment Funds (CIF); Climate Justice Resilient Fund (CJRF); Climate Wise Women; DanChurchAid; Danish International Development Agency; E Co.; Environmental Defense Fund; ENDA Energie; Environmental Incentives; Farm Africa; Fauna & Flora International; FoProBim; Foundation for Integrated Rural Development; Friendship; Fundación Avina; Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano; Fundecooperación; Global Center on Adaptation; Global Environment Facility; Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction; Global Resilience Partnership; Government of Italy; Government of Malawi; Government of Mozambique; Government of Nepal; Government of Uganda; Government of Vanuatu; Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment; Green Africa Youth Organisation; Groupement Agropastoral pour le Développement de Yongoro (GADY); Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation; Hivos; Ho Guo Shun Foundation; Huairou Commission; IAMOVEMENT; I'llaramatak Community Concerns in Kenya; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Institute for Social and Environmental Transition-International (ISET-International); Inter Agency Group of Development Organisations; InterAction; International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD); International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); International Institute for Environment and Development; International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) Afrique; International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD); International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Irish Aid; IRO Community Development; ISET International; Islamic Relief Worldwide; Join for Water (JFW); Kishoka Youth Community Based Organization; Lambassa Institute of Cultural Affairs-Benin (ICA Benin; Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), hosted by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); London School of Economics and Political Science; Mahila Housing Sewa Trust; Media Awareness and Justice Initiative; Mennonite Central Committee US; Mercy Corps; MINAE; Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation of Jamaica; Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; Ministry of Forests and Environment of Nepal; Ministry of the Environment of Japan; Movement for Community-led Development; Mutual Trust Bank of Bangladesh; Near East Foundation; NIRAS; Nordic Development Fund; Nyaka; Opportunity International; Oxfam; PanAfrican Climate Justice Alliance; Participatory Research in Asia; People in Need (PIN); Plan International; PlanAdapt; Power for All; Practical Action; Presidential Climate Commission, Government of South Africa; Runa Ray; Save the Children International; SIMAVI; Slum Dwellers International; SMART Initiative; SNV; Solidaridad Network; Sophoi; SouthSouthNorth; Start Network; Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; Switzerland; Tearfund; Tebtebba; The Nature Conservancy; Tree Aid; Tropenbos International; UK Foreign Cooperation and Development Office; UN Capital Development Fund; UN Development Programme; UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDN); US Agency for International Development; Vita Impact; Wallings Nature Reserve; Wangki Tangni; Water Aid; Women's Climate Centers International; World Resources Institute; WWF International; YACEI_SL; Young Power in Social Action; Youth Climate Lab; Youth-Led CBO-Young Africans Community Empowerment Initiative, Sierra Leone (YACEI-SL); Zurich Foundation; Zurich Insurance Company Ltd.

Endorse the principles

When organisations or institutions endorse the principles, they are encouraged to outline what they intend to do differently or good practices that will be strengthened to better support or enable locally led adaptation action.

Organisations can endorse the principles to raise global ambition and action on locally led adaptation: complete this commitment form (PDF) and email it to [email protected] and [email protected].

Sharing lessons and experiences

Different approaches to locally led adaptation are flourishing around the world.

IIED and partners have developed an interactive map of LLA experiences that provide examples of the eight principles of LLA in practice, and demonstrating that locally led adaptation works on the ground.