Mobilising knowledge,
capacity and leadership in
the global South to improve
the well-being of the most
climate-affected people
Lady with plants
CDKN
We work with the public, private and non-governmental sectors in support of locally-owned and -led climate-resilient action.
This English language site features projects in the 70+ countries where we’ve worked, and resources and blogs from those and more.
Feature
9th December 2025
Towards resilience and equity: FFLA-CDKN aligns with Latin America’s water funds This blog, by Paola Zavala and Karen Hildahl, explores the recent strategic pivot by FFLA–CDKN toward supporting water funds in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It explains how these long‑term financing mechanisms harness inclusive, multi‑stakeholder governance to protect watersheds and drive equity‑focused climate adaptation.
Feature
8th December 2025
COP30 nature agenda: Modest wins, missed opportunities, and the urgent case for coherent action COP30 was promising in its symbolism, with the over 900 Indigenous Peoples in the Blue Zone, and an agenda that elevated Indigenous voices, rights and nature finance. But by the close of the final plenary, there was only evidence of small incremental changes – not the bold and ambitious outcomes needed to support transformative change, say CDKN EbA Thematic Lead, Nadia Sitas, and CDKN Senior Technical Advisor, Mairi Dupar.
Feature
2nd December 2025
New UNFCCC Gender Action Plan finds nuance in women’s needs and opportunities By Mairi Dupar and Patricia Bamanyaki. Gender equality is currently under threat. Governments are sidelining it in policy making; international agreements and negotiated texts are backsliding on once accepted gender language; and donors are retreating from prioritising gender financing. Without bold and transformative action, the hard-won gains of women and marginalised groups risk being erased.
News
1st December 2025
New CDKN working paper explores how water funds in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are protecting water sources and supporting communities A new CDKN Working Paper, 'Fostering local resilience and enhancing equity through ecosystem-based adaptation: Learning from eight water funds in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru', produced with Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA), examines how these water funds are helping to protect water sources while supporting livelihoods and community well-being
Feature
25th November 2025
CDKN CEO ⁠Shehnaaz Moosa reflects on COP30 outcomes Taking place in Belém, Brazil – enveloped by the moist and humid air of the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest green lung – this year’s COP had a distinctly different character from the three preceding COPs, says CDKN CEO Shehnaaz Moosa.
Feature
12th November 2025
What would be a strong outcome for the global goal on adaptation at COP30? There are high expectations that COP30 will adopt a package to measure progress on climate adaptation, but several elements must fall in place for a decision that is robust. The following article explores what a strong outcome for the global goal on adaptation at COP30 would look like – written by Mairi Dupar, senior technical advisor at CDKN, based at ODI (UK), and was originally published on the ODI website.
News
6th November 2025
CDKN at COP30 As the world’s climate leadership gathers in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, CDKN and its partners are shaping conversations on adaptation and resilience, placing the knowledge and leadership of the Global South at the centre of resilient approaches to climate adaptation challenges.
Feature
4th November 2025
Rethinking climate and biodiversity finance through a rights-based lens When we talk about financing the response to climate change and biodiversity loss, the discussion often turns to numbers; how much is being pledged, how much is being spent, how big the gap remains. But as became clear during a recent Paris Committee on Capacity-building Network (PCCB) webinar, finance is never just about figures. It reflects the choices we make about what, who and, how we value.
Feature
27th October 2025
FFLA hosts dialogue to reflect on ethics and climate action ahead of COP30 On 16 September, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA), a CDKN partner, convened women leaders, community representatives, activists and conservation groups from across Ecuador to reflect on the ethics of the climate crisis. The dialogue formed part of the Global Ethical Stocktake, contributing to efforts to identify the root causes of the crisis and propose ethical, collaborative solutions ahead of COP30 in Brazil.

Where we work

CDKN works across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Find out more by navigating to our country pages.

CDKN on film

The Gender Equality in a Low Carbon World (GLOW) programme investigates opportunities for women’s economic empowerment in low-carbon transitions across 12 projects in 17 countries.

 

Gender Equality in a Low Carbon World

Innovations for women’s economic empowerment and climate action

Ecosystem-based Adaptation

Strengthening equitable and locally-appropriate ecosystem-based adaptation

Justice in a changing climate

Empowering local groups to effectively advocate for just and inclusive climate action

Knowledge brokering for climate action

Exploring and strengthening the role of knowledge brokers as facilitators of change