Photo credit: DAI
Meet the Champions
Presentations by Winners of the GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards
This COP28 event will be an opportunity for the Winners of the 2023 GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards to describe their work and experiences in detail, and to discuss the potential for scaling up with support from global funding and support institutions
Event description
In December 2022, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. H.E. Sheikh Hasina, inaugurated GCA’s Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), which aims to promote LLA at scale and with speed, to reduce climate risks for populations and sections of society that are most vulnerable to climate change. The activities of the Hub are guided by the eight Principles for Locally Led Adaptation, launched at the 2021 Climate Adaptation Summit.
The GCA initiated the Local Adaptation Champions Awards in 2022 as part of the activities of the Global Hub on LLA, to reward and spotlight innovative, exemplary, inspiring, and scalable locally-led efforts that address the impacts of climate change, and build effective climate resilience among the most vulnerable communities, sections of society, and individuals who are at the frontlines of the greatest existential threat faced by humankind.
The Awards aim to:
- Recognize the critical contribution of locally-led adaptation and resilience building.
- Identify best practices and learn from locally-led efforts.
- Nurture and support replication/scaling up of successful and innovative LLA efforts, by creating opportunities for peer-to-peer sharing of knowledge, learning, and experiences across borders; identifying opportunities for scaling up; and brokering partnerships.
- Contribute to ongoing LLA efforts through cash awards.
In 2023, the LAC Awards recognized the efforts of local adaptation practitioners in four categories: Women in Leadership; Capacity Building; Business Adaptation Solutions; and Innovation in Devolving Finance.
Over 530 applications were received for the Awards in 2023. The winners in each category were shortlisted by a team of global experts, and a shortlist of 20 nominees was put forward to a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The final selection was made by a High-Level Ministerial Jury.
Following the Award Ceremony on 5 December, the “Meet the Champions” event on 6 December will be an opportunity for the Winners to describe their work and experiences in detail; and to discuss the potential for scaling up with support from global funding and support institutions.