CDKN: 15 years of bridging knowledge and climate action While CDKN legacy activities will continue in several of our focal countries and the relationships, capacities and institutional changes built over the past 15 years will endure, CDKN in it's current form will end. Before that happens, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the journey that brought us here. The world has changed considerably since CDKN began in 2010.

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network is closing Yes, we're closing. By March 2027, all CDKN staff will have completed their final day on the job. We'll shut the doors on a journey that has spanned more than 15 years. While CDKN may be closing, the need for this work does not. If you are a funder who shares our commitment to supporting Southern leadership, bridging knowledge and climate action, shifting power and resources to local communities, and advancing equitable, locally-led climate responses, we would welcome a conversation about how this work can continue beyond March 2027.

CDKN at COP31 As CDKN prepares to close in March 2027, COP31 offers an opportunity not only to reflect on what we've learned, but also to look to the future. The need for strong Southern leadership, locally led adaptation, and approaches that translate knowledge into action continues to grow. Throughout COP31, we'll share evidence and insights from the past five years of our work across Africa, Asia and Latin America, exploring what it takes to build relationships, strengthen institutions, connect diverse knowledge systems, and create the conditions for more equitable, locally led climate action.

Introducing CDKN's webinar series on enabling and scaling LLA As the third phase of CDKN comes to a close, we are excited to announce the launch of our webinar series exploring what it takes to move locally led adaptation (LLA) from principle, to practice, to scale. Join us as each webinar asks a question about how LLA can be enabled, strengthened and scaled. Registrations will open on a rolling basis.

From ideas to impact: Unlocking local agency in climate finance In this blog by Sinovuyo Mathibela, CDKN introduces a new toolkit to help local organisations turn climate adaptation ideas into fundable projects. The toolkit draws on lessons from Ghana, Namibia and Ethiopia and provides practical guidance on accessing climate finance. Pilot trainings in Namibia showed how local actors can strengthen their project development and communication skills. The toolkit aims to bridge the gap between community-led solutions and funding opportunities.

Quand l’art devient un levier de résilience climatique: Entretien avec Baana Enono Arnaud Partout au Cameroun, les jeunes utilisent l’expression artistique pour s’engager face aux défis environnementaux qui touchent leurs communautés. Le projet Urban Art 4 Climate a permis aux jeunes d’explorer les réalités du changement climatique tout en valorisant les savoirs locaux et les pratiques traditionnelles qui soutiennent activités génératrices de revenus locales.

In conversation: Building climate resilience through art with Baana Enono Arnaud Across Cameroon, young people are using artistic expression to engage with environmental challenges affecting their communities. The Urban Art 4 Climate project has created opportunities for young people to explore the realities of climate change while connecting with Indigenous knowledge and livelihood practices rooted in their local contexts.

Amplifying the voices of African early-career researchers for global and regional climate leadership Despite being disproportionately affected by climate change, African researchers remain underrepresented in global climate science and policy spaces. In this blog, Prince Ansah, Zelda Gadegbeku and Valerie Nutakor highlight the importance of strengthening African leadership in climate research through the CDKN Africa Early-Career Researchers (ECR) Fellowship.

From inclusion to influence: What SB64 taught us about strengthening GESI advocacy As part of SB64 in Bonn, CDKN supported a UNFCCC workshop for National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points to strengthen advocacy for gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). This blog, written by CDKN Programme Lead Lisa McNamara and CDKN GESI Lead Patricia Bamanyaki, reflects on this experience and the broader lessons for climate action to answer the question: How do we advocate for GESI when decision-makers are unconvinced?

Seeds of resilience: How community seed systems are advancing LLA in Africa Across Africa, climate change is placing growing pressure on food systems. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events are making it harder for small-scale farmers to produce food, while biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and dependence on commercial agricultural inputs are increasing vulnerability. This blog by Essia Guezzi looks at how Micaia Foundation, one of CDKN's Knowledge to Action (K2A) grantees, is working with communities in Mozambique's Manica Province to strengthen community-managed seed banks. 

CDKN in Bonn for the June Climate Meetings (SB64) CDKN Programme Lead, Lisa McNamara, CDKN GESI Lead, Patricia Bamanyaki, and partners will represent CDKN at multiple events during the 64th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB64) in Bonn, Germany.

Acting locally for global impact: Advancing biodiversity and climate action through rights, knowledge and governance To commemorate International Day for Biological Diversity, Nadia Sitas, Hannah Sack and Cris Robertson reflect on an urgent reality: biodiversity loss and climate change are deeply interconnected crises that require equally interconnected solutions. The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), however, provides a shared roadmap to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, with ambitious targets that recognise the central role of people, rights, and governance systems. At CDKN our work aligns closely with this agenda.