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.
News
20th May 2025
CDKN at Rise Africa Festival 2025 The Rise Africa Festival 2025 takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 25-29 May. An annual event held around Africa Day, Rise Africa focuses on realising our urban imaginaries, transforming ideas into actions. Rise Africa expresses and celebrates multiple perspectives, cultures, visions and actions, all of which are vital for creating inclusive and vibrant African cities.
Feature
16th May 2025
Muungano youth share their role as knowledge brokers driving change in informal settlements Young people are often the first responders to climate and social challenges in their communities, and this is especially true for Muungano wa Wanavijiji Youth. Living in informal settlements where issues of land, housing, and access to basic services are deeply connected to climate vulnerability, Muungano youth are often the hardest hit by disasters like floods. In response, they have stepped into leadership roles, organising their communities, conducting research, documenting impact stories, and using creative arts for advocacy.
Resource
30th April 2025
Empowering Himalayan communities with solar micro-grids in Ladakh This case study examines the role that solar micro-grids have played in empowering remote communities in Ladakh, a region high in the Indian Himalayas. These systems have provided an alternative in areas that have long struggled with limited power due to harsh terrain and sparse populations, which have made extending the national grid unfeasible. Prior to this, many households relied on polluting and inefficient fossil fuels like kerosene, diesel, and firewood, sources that posed health risks and contributed to climate change.
Feature
10th April 2025
Bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems for inclusive forest-based resilience in Benin Rooted in cultural and spiritual traditions, sacred forests offer unique opportunities for conservation. This feature article by Edmond Totin, Esdras Obossou, and Ferdinand Ayimasse highlights the Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) project in Benin, led by the NGO SURVIE de la Mère et de l’Enfant. The K2A initiative aims to integrate Indigenous Knowledge and sacred forest management into biodiversity and climate policies across six districts.
Feature
2nd April 2025
What does a just transition mean for Africa? The concept of a just transition is not new and has been around since the 1980s when it was used by Trade Unions to draw attention to the social effects of environmental measures (United Nations, 2023). In the context of climate change, it aims to ensure that no one is left behind, or excluded, in the transition to environmentally sustainable and low-carbon economies.
Feature
26th March 2025
What do knowledge brokers working on locally-led adaptation need to get right to enhance their impact? This was one of the questions we posed to project partners involved in the Step Change initiative, who recently met in Arusha, Tanzania. CDKN facilitated a session using the 'All hands on deck' card game to bring out the most important aspects of their knowledge brokering approaches.
Feature
19th March 2025
Connecting early-career researchers with creatives for climate knowledge brokering in Ghana As climate change continues to pose unprecedented challenges across different sectors in Africa, the role of evidence-based research has never been more critical, as it provides the basis to diagnose and contextualise these challenges and design appropriate place-based solutions.However, there is limited capacity among researchers in Africa to connect  evidence-based research to place-based solutions that can address Africa’s unique challenges, especially for researchers who are aspiring or starting their professional research journeys.
Feature
18th March 2025
Advancing sustainable food systems and enhancing water security through supporting ecosystem-based approaches: Insights from the Step Change initiative Last month CDKN had the pleasure of attending a learning review of the Step Change initiative which brought together multiple project partners to reflect on progress, surface synergies and outline pathways for collaboration between projects to amplify impacts across research, policy and practice.
Resource
13th March 2025
Voices of resilience: Amplifying women's voices through songs for locally-led action and inclusion in Northern Ghana This video from CDKN's Ghana programme highlights the power and impact of creative tools for knowledge brokering. To be truly effective, knowledge brokering must respond to the context in which it is being carried out. This means considering the diverse ways in which meaning is created and shared.

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