GCA Launches Stories of Resilience at COP30, Calling for a Breakthrough in Climate Adaptation Finance
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elém, Brazil, 11 November 2025 — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today launched its flagship publication Stories of Resilience: Lessons from Local Adaptation Practice at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), calling for a step-change in global efforts to finance and scale locally led adaptation.
The report showcases powerful evidence from Africa and Asia that locally led adaptation (LLA) delivers faster, fairer, and more sustainable results when communities are in charge of defining priorities, shaping investments, and managing risk. Yet, it warns that less than 17 percent of global adaptation finance currently reaches the local level, even as climate shocks intensify and the annual adaptation finance gap has widened to US$187–359 billion.
“Effective adaptation begins where climate risks are felt — in people’s homes, markets, and natural environments,” said Professor Patrick Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “Communities are not just beneficiaries; they are architects of their own resilience. Local leadership is not a risk — it is the solution.”
Drawing lessons from multiple country case studies, this year’s Stories of Resilience highlights the growing movement to devolve decision-making and finance to those most affected by the climate crisis. The report features GCA’s People’s Adaptation Plans, now underway in eight African countries and 13 municipalities in Bangladesh, which are helping vulnerable communities map risks, identify priorities, and negotiate directly with governments and international financial institutions.
In Homa Bay, Kenya, more than 21,000 households have been mapped by residents themselves—creating the country’s first integrated, climate-resilient local development plan. Similar approaches are informing investments across Zambia, Senegal, Rwanda, and Bangladesh through partnerships with the World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and other institutions.
“We face an adaptation finance gap of up to US$350 billion a year. Public money alone cannot close it,” Verkooijen added. “But it can unlock private capital, empower local lenders, and build financial systems that reach the most vulnerable.”
The report also underscores the role of local and inclusive financial systems. Inclusive Financial Service Providers (IFSPs)—such as cooperatives and microfinance institutions—lend more than US$1.5 trillion annually to low-income communities. Yet, in countries like Pakistan, 40% of local lenders have reduced lending and 20% have stopped altogether because of climate risk exposure.
The report calls for blended finance to de-risk such institutions, enabling them to continue providing credit, savings, and insurance services to those on the frontlines of climate change.
Beyond finance, Stories of Resilience highlights how philanthropy can accelerate systemic change by sharing power and governance. The Climate Justice Resilience Fund, for example, has invested US$27 million across 65+ community partnerships, transferring decision-making authority to activists and local leaders.
“Adaptation is not charity; it is justice in practice,” said Anju Sharma, Global Lead on Locally Led Adaptation for GCA. “It is about restoring fairness in a world where those least responsible for climate change are paying the highest price. By putting finance and power in local hands, we build resilience that lasts.”
At COP30, GCA called on world leaders to commit to a Global Breakthrough on Adaptation Finance — ensuring that at least half of all adaptation funding reaches the local level through predictable, transparent, and inclusive systems.
Notes to Editors
About Stories of Resilience
Stories of Resilience: Lessons from Local Adaptation Practice is GCA’s 2025 publication on Locally Led Adaptation. It compiles lessons from around the world, showcasing innovations in governance, finance, and community leadership. The report is published under GCA’s Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation and contributes to the global discourse on the Global Goal on Adaptation.
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent. Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organization to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi – underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co-designed and co-owned. Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka and Beijing, leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context-specific approaches. Together, these centers ensure a continuous, two-way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.
