NDF Board approves a grant for locally led climate action

The project will be executed by the World Bank, building on experiences from a previous project in Kenya. The Locally Led Climate Action project will support the development of nationwide systems and capacity to crowd-in, absorb and manage climate finance at national and local levels. The aim is to improve planning and managing local climate actions in Tanzania, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Nepal. At the same time, preparations start in 3-5 other countries.

“Local communities are on the frontline of climate change impacts, yet rarely have a voice in the decisions that affect them most. We are excited about this new partnership with the World Bank transforming the top-down approaches to a new model where local actors have more power and resources to build resilience to climate change”, says Ole Stubdrup, Project Manager at NDF.

The project fits well to NDF’s strategic role as a catalytic financier, paving the way for future co-financiers and as a convener of like-minded donors. NDF’s aim is also to develop early-stage designs, structures and co-create with local communities, which all resonate with the objectives of this project.

Downstream climate finance investment is also an important element in the project. The accelerated roll-out of systems for locally led climate action is expected to leverage significant downstream investments, which respond to local needs and priorities, co-managed and driven by local stakeholders.

NDF’s participation in the project is still subject to a financial agreement with the project partners.

Photo: Chris Morgan