This microsite is a learning resource that synthesises insights from CDKN’s knowledge brokering work across Asia and Africa since 2018. It identifies seven common challenges to mainstreaming climate change into policy and decision-making and illustrates practical, context-specific pathways for overcoming them. The microsite draws on partner reflections, interviews, and learning exchanges to support practitioners working at the climate–development interface.

Based on CDKN’s experience supporting climate mainstreaming through knowledge brokering, this resource brings together lessons learned from multiple country contexts in Asia and Africa. It outlines seven recurring challenges that limit the integration of climate considerations into policies, plans, and implementation – ranging from low political prioritisation to capacity constraints at subnational and community levels.

For each challenge, the resource highlights how tailored knowledge brokering approaches – including stakeholder engagement, contextualised evidence, and relationship-building – helped address barriers in practice. Rather than prescribing a single model, it offers grounded insights that practitioners can adapt to their own institutional and political contexts.

The challenges are:

• Challenge 1: Key stakeholders lack sufficient information about the significance and urgency of climate change
• Challenge 2: Climate change is not sufficiently high on political agendas or part of institutional mandates
• Challenge 3: Climate change is mainly seen as an environmental responsibility, with little cross-sector collaboration
• Challenge 4 : Subnational actors lack guidance and support to implement climate change frameworks set at national levels
• Challenge 5: Limited capacities and resource allocation prevent climate change integration and implementation
• Challenge 6: When gatekeeping and bureaucracy become obstacles to project progress
• Challenge 7: Limited support hinders climate integration at the community level

Explore the microsite here.