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Around 150
employees 142 active
globally projects
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Over 120 partner
organisations in more
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“This is the first time in many years that our nations do not come out
of a COP empty-handed ... The decision [to establish a fund for loss
and damage] responds to one of our Group’s biggest demands over
the past decades.”
— Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Chair of the LDC Group
We challenged unmet promises: our ‘fair share’ analysis showed that donors are
providing barely half the money promised for climate adaptation in the hardest-hit
countries. We also showed that the people most vulnerable to climate change will get
just US$11 each per year to adapt to climate change by 2050. Our paper stressing poor
progress on the Paris Agreement’s long-term goal on climate finance supported LDC
Group negotiators at COP27.
Land rights, which can make or break social and economic justice, emerged as a major
issue in our investigation of what limits female smallholder farmers’ participation in
global value chains. Ahead of COP15, we made an evidence-based call for negotiators
to protect the land rights of Indigenous mountain communities, working with the
International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples. To support action by others, we
contributed to a community of practice: providing a searchable land rights knowledge
hub with Namati and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.
Following a two-year campaign for greater equity in the global framework on
biodiversity, working with partners representing Indigenous Peoples and local
communities, we welcomed reference to greater equity and participation in the final text
in December. IIED’s executive director said: “The agreement rightly places the needs,
rights, interests, cultural values and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local
communities at its heart.”
“With [this] tool we are all technical experts … We choose the land
and where and what type of structure to build. We are no longer
dependent on outsiders. This is better because we know what is
best for us.”
— Sardar Singh Barela, resident of Bisanjpur Tandi, an approximately 300-household village
in Narsullaganj Block, Madhya Pradesh
Another innovative idea focused on insuring farmers suffering crop damage by wildlife.
Where cumbersome government-run schemes faltered, we worked with the Institute of
Policy Studies of Sri Lanka and AB Consultants in Kenya to pilot more agile responses
from private insurance companies. This sparked interest: we are now working in
Malaysia with the Sabah Biodiversity Conservation Association (Seratu Aatai) and a
Thomson Reuters Foundation article was picked up by European and African media.
As home to half the world, cities are arguably where the struggle for inclusive and just
approaches will be decided. Last year, IIED argued that better cities are possible if
transformative ambition is embedded across city planning. We highlighted priorities for
action and named the tools needed: better data, local leadership and nimble finance.
Including residents in city planning also arose from our groundbreaking study
comparing displaced people’s wellbeing and opportunities in camps with urban areas.
We are working in four countries with eight partners; findings are due in 2023.
Growing evidence suggests that working at the local level with authorities and
communities can achieve timely action. Indeed, working with United Cities and Local
Governments (UCLG) and others, we documented hundreds of actions taken by cities,
local governments and communities to reduce inequalities. By launching the report at
the UCLG 7th World Congress and Summit of Local and Regional Leaders — the
world’s largest gathering of local and regional leaders — we again brought powerful
local solutions to global attention.
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Cover image: Madhya Pradesh, India. Community members in Puddar village piloting new climate-resilience technology co-created by IIED. Credit: H&K Communications;
below image: West Bengal, India. Small-scale fishermen in Kolkata haul in their catch. Credit: Shibasish Saha/Climate Visuals