Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice

This research paper reviews 21 examples of locally led adaptation (LLA) interventions across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Caribbean and Latin America. It provides practical recommendations for funders and governments to ensure local organizations and communities have equitable access to climate finance and decision-making power to address climate risks and historical power imbalances.

• Locally led adaptation (LLA) aims to provide equitable access to financing and decision-making for local actors, particularly those most vulnerable to climate impacts, while leveraging local innovation and expertise for resilience.
• The paper analyzes 21 LLA interventions across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Caribbean and Latin America, identifying various mechanisms to deliver finance and agency to local actors, including microfinance, grants facilities, loan funds, savings schemes, national planning policies, domestic finance programs, social protection schemes, and community-led early warning and emergency response systems.
• Implementing LLA requires significant shifts from standard practice to redress power imbalances and prioritize the agency of local actors who are often best positioned to identify adaptation solutions.
• The paper recommends four primary strategies for advancing LLA: scaling the amount, accessibility, and flexibility of climate finance; addressing LLA principles holistically; advancing research and active learning to fill evidence gaps; and integrating social equity into standard processes to support disproportionately vulnerable groups.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice. https://www.wri.org/research/locally-led-adaptation-principles-practice

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/locally-led-adaptation-principles-practice.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice |url=https://www.wri.org/research/locally-led-adaptation-principles-practice |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendlocally, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/locally-led-adaptation-principles-practice}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }