I n this conversation with the 2022 Winners of the GCA Local Adaptation Champions Awards at the 2023 Gobeshona Conference, community leaders and changemakers from the Award-winning interventions shared their experience in planning, designing, and executing locally led adaptation efforts.

Launched by GCA in 2022, the Local Adaptation Champions Awards spotlight and reward 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 recognized locally led efforts to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change across four categories: financial governance, inclusive leadership, capacity and knowledge, and local innovation. The winners were announced on 12 November 2022 during a side event at COP27. Each winner received €15,000 in funds to further the work they are doing in the spirit of the eight Principles for Locally Led Adaptation.