Themes: Adaptation and resilience

Themes: Adaptation and resilience

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Project
Active
Locally-led adaptation priority area

The risks faced by people and ecosystems in a changing climate vary from one locality to another. It’s partly a question of physical geography and partly a question of the human factors – social, economic, cultural – that make people resilient or vulnerable to climate hazards. That is why adaptation should be locally-led. Adaptation is most effective when it is centred on people’s human rights and driven by the knowledge and needs that local people, especially the most marginalised groups, bring to the table.

Feature
21st October 2025
Beyond the mitigation-adaptation binary: How funders can embrace the Resilience Continuum For far too long, philanthropy has been approaching intervention on the climate crisis from a series of binaries – adaptation vs mitigation, immediate vs long-term, etc. As we hurtle toward static solutions in the midst of climate devastation and polycrisis, we should be considering what it means to work along Resilience Continuum. This is an abridged version of an article originally published in Alliance Magazine.
Feature
10th July 2025
Challenges of climate change adaptation: Insights from vulnerability assessments of Dhulikhel and Karjanha Municipalities in Nepal The following blog, by Manju Adhikari and Rahul Singh of CDKN Asia, highlights Nepal’s significant vulnerability to climate change.Vulnerability assessments highlight that impact is disproportionately felt by those facing marginalisation. As a result, localised adaptation plans need to address both climate hazards and the needs of marginalised groups.
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
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.
News
20th February 2025
CDKN forms new partnership to address gender equity and land rights for climate resilience in East and Southern Africa CDKN has joined the International Land Coalition Africa to co-lead a project titled, Advancing Gender Equity and Land Rights through Knowledge Brokering for Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Southern Africa. They have partnered with the Micaia Foundation, the Uganda Community Based Association for Women and Children Welfare, Youth4CAN and the University of Botswana.
Resource
15th January 2025
Enabling the success of locally-led water investments in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid counties The County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) mechanism in Kenya enabled the implementation of 114 locally-led water investments to strengthen communities’ resilience to climate change. This policy brief looks at the factors and recommendations that enhance the sustainability of locally-led investments across their lifespans.
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Enhancing the resilience and sustainability of local communities through inclusive climate action in Senegal

The Senegal country programme works to strengthen the resilience of local communities by integrating gender equality and social inclusion into policies and practices and enhancing and amplifying local knowledge.

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Identifying climate-related risks and adaptation measures through infrastructure mapping in South Sudan

YEDA's knowledge-to-action (K2A) project seeks to inform community responses to climate emergencies in Mundri County by mapping flood-prone areas, evacuation routes, safe areas and infrastructurally sound establishments that support disaster relief.