About CDKN

CDKN is a global Southern-led programme founded in 2010. The programme is managed by SouthSouthNorth, and implemented in partnership with Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano and ICLEI South Asia.

Our current five year phase (2022-2027) is focusing on accelerating equitable, financed and ecosystem-based action on climate change that is locally-led and strengthens the voice and climate leadership of disadvantaged groups at community level. Read more about our previous phase from 2018-2021.

Our objectives

• Enhance the integration of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) in policies and practice to achieve climate-resilient action. CDKN’s GESI work strengthens the capacity of key actors in our regions and shapes global GESI and climate agendas with lessons from CDKN’s experiences.
• Improve access to appropriate and equitable finance, that enables locally-led adaptation. CDKN’s finance work strengthens the capabilities of local actors to access finance, while engaging stakeholders, processes and funders at all levels to accelerate inclusive finance to the lowest appropriate level.
• Strengthen the implementation of equitable and locally-appropriate ecosystem-based adaptation that can address today’s interconnected societal challenges and build the resilience of climate-affected communities. CDKN’s EbA work is implemented at the local level, while influencing the global biodiversity conservation agenda and climate change commitments.

How we are funded

CDKN’s current phase is co-funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) through the Step Change Initiative, a Canada-Netherlands partnership to drive equitable and inclusive locally-led adaptation.

CDKN values collaborations and partnerships that help us achieve our aim of accelerating inclusive climate-resilient action. If your organisation or programme would like to partner with CDKN, please contact us at cdkn@southsouthnorth.org.

Where we work

CDKN works globally and across the three regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our focal countries are Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Senegal in Africa; Bangladesh, India and Nepal in Asia; and Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in Latin America.

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How we work

CDKN focuses on moving knowledge into increased action on climate change using a knowledge brokering approach. We define knowledge brokering as the process by which different individuals and groups interact to define their understanding of climate impacts and adaptation challenges, and to co-create and apply innovative solutions.

CDKN implements knowledge brokering using the following approaches:

• Producing and sharing actionable and relevant knowledge, weaving together diverse forms of knowledge – including local, Indigenous and scientific – to build collective understandings of climate resilience challenges, and co-create and apply solutions; 
• Advancing Southern and community leadership on climate resilience planning and implementation;
• Responding to the local context in a way that is appropriate to the socioeconomic, cultural and political decision-making circumstances;
• Fostering collaboration through long-term, collegial relationships and partnerships built on trust, working across diverse sectors and scales for an ‘all-of-society’ approach;
• Mobilising the capacity of individuals and institutions to harness the rich knowledge and expertise that exists in the global South; and 
• Facilitating continual learning to reflect on emerging lessons and insights in tackling the climate crisis.
   

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Independent Evaluations

Read the CDKN evaluation of the Knowledge Accelerator programme, 2018-2021.

To read independent reviews of CDKN’s previous phase of work from 2010-2017, please visit our Independent Evaluations page.