Mobilising knowledge,
capacity and leadership in
the Global South to improve
the wellbeing 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
8th April 2026
Championing inclusive climate action in Addis Ababa: Lessons from Ethiopia’s gender and climate change community of practice Ethiopia has maintained a strong commitment to addressing climate change and advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement. Over the past fifty years, the country has experienced increasing climate impacts, such as food insecurity risks, pressures on natural resources, and threats to livelihoods, underscoring the need for robust adaptation and resilience strategies.   Despite national ambition, a 2019 CDKN-supported scoping study and the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Facility’s gender framework revealed the fragmented state of gender integration across climate initiatives in the country.    Recognising this gap, national stakeholders identified the need for coordinated capacity strengthening efforts and a shared platform to strengthen gender-responsive approaches in climate action.  
Feature
27th March 2026
Stewarding nature through culture: Lessons from Indigenous knowledge systems for biodiversity protection in Benin Forests and biodiversity-rich landscapes in Benin are not only ecological assets; they are entangled with cultural realities, belief systems, and knowledge traditions. Yet, the value of these knowledge systems is not always captured in conventional approaches to natural resource governance. The “Revitalising Biodiversity by Drawing on Traditional African Knowledge in Central Benin” project, implemented by SURVIE NGO in Central Benin, under the CDKN Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) programme, sought to change this narrative.
Feature
26th March 2026
In conversation: Unpacking finance for resilience with Ameil Harikishun At the heart of climate, biodiversity, and development work is the question of finance. How do we ensure that resources reach the communities who need them most, and how can we align global investment with local realities? We spoke with Ameil Harikishun, CDKN’s Finance for Resilience Thematic Lead, to learn more about his work at CDKN and gain insight into how finance for resilience is helping address challenges in climate finance.
Feature
25th March 2026
Strengthening rangeland management through community knowledge and science in Otjinene This blog by Ester Nangolo reports on CDKN Namibia's recent capacity-building and capacity-strengthening activities in the Otjinene constituency of the Omaheke region. Here, farmers are already seeing the impacts on rangeland management in a changing climate. However, communities are working with partners like CDKN to find practical and locally grounded solutions.
Feature
11th March 2026
Learning from the ground: How science and local knowledge are reducing climate risks in the coastal city of Saint-Louis, Senegal In the coastal city of Saint-Louis, Senegal, local knowledge and climate science are being brought together to help residents anticipate risks and act before crises strike. This blog, written by Jean-Pascal Correa, Ndèye Mané Fall and Amanda April, explores how a climate-sensitive early warning system, through CDKN Senegal's implementing partner, ENDA Energie, is being developed to strengthen the resilience of local actors, giving them with the tools needed to forecast and prevent climate disasters.
Feature
11th February 2026
Traditional knowledge driving local-scale business and biodiversity conservation in Central Benin The following blog by Ferdinand Ayimasse, Edmond Totin and Esdras Obossou of Survie de la Mère et de l’Enfant, one of CDKN's Knowledge-to-Action grantees explores how climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation are increasingly shaping Benin’s national environmental agenda.
Feature
2nd February 2026
Driving inclusive climate action: Insights from Namibia’s GESI workshop The following blog by Margaret Angula and Ester Nangolo explores the work done by the CDKN Namibia team to strengthen Namibia’s capacity to mainstream Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) while decentralising climate change adaptation from national to local government levels.
Resource
28th January 2026
Technology, tradition and co-existence: How one CDKN partner is working with local communities to monitor and manage their environment CDKN has been working with Nature and People as One (NaPO), a CDKN knowledge-to-action grantee, since 2024, to support their work on ecosystem restoration and governance by Indigenous pastoralist communities in Mt. Marsabit, a semi-arid region of northern Kenya. NaPO advances locally-led solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge, community stewardship, and sustainable ecosystem management. This photo story documents their Herder Conservation Network (HCN) initiative, which equips local pastoralist herders with the technical skills and technology to monitor and steward community lands outside formal protected areas.
Feature
27th January 2026
Reflecting as we go: More lessons from designing and delivering CDKN’s knowledge brokering workshops 2025 was a busy year for CDKN in strengthening our knowledge-brokering capacities. Lucia Scodanibbio reflects on the lessons from our first two workshops in 2024 to deliver five more in 2025, shifting our attention to young people. As the year drew to a close, we took stock of these experiences and found many rich lessons emerging.

Where we work

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

How knowledge brokering turns ideas into high-impact projects

CDKN organised a four-day training of practical learning for young climate leaders in Ethiopia. The training unpacked the principles of knowledge brokering, refined youth-led project ideas for the Ethiopian context, and talked plainly about funding so that proposals land and impact grows.

 

Gender equity and social inclusion (GESI)

Empowering those most affected by climate change, including women, youth, and Indigenous peoples

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)

Strengthening equitable and locally-appropriate ecosystem-based adaptation

Finance for resilience

Promoting flexible, inclusive and locally-led financing systems that supports systemic change, rather than isolated projects

Knowledge brokering for climate action

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