Recife Statement from the 19th International Conference on Community-based Adaptation

The 19th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA19) was held in Recife, Brazil, from 12-16 May 2025. The event brought together over 400 participants from 63 countries for a week of discussion, debate and action centred on the overarching theme of achieving just and equitable adaptation and identifying ways to progress the locally led adaptation (LLA) agenda in the face of a shifting international context.

The CBA conference is an annual event enabling practitioners, policymakers, researchers and donors to share the latest advancements in LLA, strengthen networks, and build capacities to address the growing impacts of climate change. 

Over the five days of CBA19, 27 sessions were held under three core themes: LLA in action; urban adaptation; and nature/adaptation. The programme also included lightning talks, “out of the box” sessions and a shark tank process, which encouraged broader discussions and innovation.

In the final plenary of the conference, participants adopted the Recife Statement: "We, as a community of practitioners, researchers and activists, are dismayed by the lack of progress in bringing local voices systematically into climate action. Despite messages like those emerging from this conference having been communicated and amplified for years, we see little change in power structures and an increasing vulnerability of communities around the world. We respectfully request the COP30 Presidency and all actors in the UNFCCC, researchers, practitioners, civil society and other supporters of locally-led action, to take heed of the multitude of calls for action and work to shift away from platitudes and commitments to a focus on the actions that need to be taken to ensure a just and equitable future for all."