In this project, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) and CDKN are exploring whether locally led adaptation is transformative in a deeper sense: whether it shifts who participates and who merely validates, who controls resources and under what rules, whose knowledge counts, who sets the pace of the work, and how the socio-political context shapes what relationships are possible at the local scale. Through this work, CDKN is exploring the transformative potential of locally led adaptation efforts across LATAM, Africa and Asia, and how they are shifting views, practices and structures in ways that shifts power and decision making to the local level. 

Young people across Africa are emerging as powerful drivers of climate innovation, advocacy, and community mobilisation, yet many still face barriers such as limited access to technical knowledge, mentorship, financial literacy, institutional support, and practical pathways to scale their impact. The Climate Activist Programme (CAP) was launched in 2024 to close these gaps, and its current edition, CAP 3.0: Skills to Scale for Resilience, builds on the lessons of CAP24 and CAP25 with a multidisciplinary, experiential approach spanning climate science, policy, leadership, project management, climate finance, entrepreneurship, storytelling, and creative advocacy. 

This project supports the Government of Kenya to develop a participatory Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (MERL) tool to improve the tracking of climate investments, outcomes, and impacts. It addresses gaps in existing monitoring systems that limit the measurement of climate action effectiveness, climate finance mobilisation, project sustainability, and reporting. Led by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry (MECCF) with support from CDKN Kenya and pilot counties, the tool is being co-created to strengthen evidence-based climate planning and accountability.

CDKN’s partnership with ICLEI South Asia strengthens urban climate resilience in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka by supporting local governments and communities to develop inclusive climate action plans, build capacity, and implement locally led adaptation. The programme focuses on gender equity and social inclusion (GESI), ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), and practical interventions to enhance resilience and improve livelihoods in vulnerable urban areas.