Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today launched the 2023 edition of the Local Adaption Champions Awards to spotlight and reward locally led adaptation initiatives.
Around the world, local communities, particularly in the Global South, confront the devastating impacts of climate change. But people in these communities are far from passive observers of the climate emergency. On the contrary, they are building climate resilience through inspiring adaptation initiatives. The Local Adaptation Champions Awards aim to amplify, reward, and support these community-led initiatives through a cash prize, global publicity, and participation in the Awards ceremony at COP28 in Dubai.
In 2023, the Awards jury will recognize winners in four categories: Capacity Building, Business Adaptation Solutions, Women in Leadership, and Innovation in Devolving Finance. The Award is open worldwide to any individual, organization, or group of partners who have implemented or are in the process of implementing climate change adaptation or resilience solutions.
“By spotlighting and rewarding these local champions, we hope to underscore the fundamental importance of community-led adaptation,” said GCA CEO Professor Patrick Verkooijen. “We’ve seen how effective these Awards can be in helping small, community-based organisations gain new funding opportunities, expand their networks, and develop new partnerships to support their work.”
In 2022, Award winners benefited from local and global publicity, renewed donor interest, matching grants, and new partnership opportunities.
Rangamati Hill District Council, which empowers women to implement solutions such as solar-powered wells for clean drinking water, received a grant from the Bangladeshi government.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog, which enables women leaders to adopt resilient and sustainable farming practices in Maharashtra in India, says its visibility has increased thanks to increased media coverage and has been approached by five new funders.
Kenya’s Adaptation Consortium invested its prize money in developing a new five-year strategic plan that is critical to expanding its climate change fund model. Since winning, it has received interest from countries around the world including a visiting delegation from Uganda.
For Community Development & Advocacy Forum Nepal, which mobilizes local communities in natural resource conservation, winning has helped it to expand its network and bolster funding applications.
In 2023, the winners in the Capacity Building, Business Adaptation Solutions, and Innovation in Devolving Finance categories will receive $15,000 each. The Women in Leadership category winner will receive technical advisory services and development support equivalent to $15,000.
All winners will be invited to receive their award at COP28 in Dubai, U.A.E.
Awards applications are open until 31 August 2023.
For more information about the Awards and to apply, please go to www.gca.org/llachampions.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization which works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sectors. Founded in 2018, GCA operates from its headquarters in the largest floating office in the world, located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Beijing, China.
