The COP26 presidency calls for an all-of-society response to adaptation that will catalyze locally led and inclusive adaptation, harness the power of nature and ensure adequate and equitable adaptation finance.
The Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh Work Program on the Global Goal on Adaptation calls for accelerated support for equitable adaptation in the Global South. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2022) identified Africa, Latin America and South Asia as priority regions for adaptation support. Step Change is designed to rise to these challenges.
The initiative
Step Change accelerates equitable and inclusive locally led adaptation by focusing on priority adaptation areas and responding to critical capacity strengthening needs. Step Change will:
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support the integration of gender and social inclusion in policies and practice to achieve climate-resilient development;
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strengthen the implementation of eco-system-based adaptation to build the resilience of climate-affected communities;
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advance access to equitable finance for climate-resilient development that enables locally led solutions;
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strengthen the capacity of climate knowledge brokers to support locally led adaptation;
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strengthen the capacity of key actors to use knowledge and implement locally led adaptation.
What will Step Change do?
Step Change has two complementary components that drive equitable, inclusive and sustainable climate action.
The first component of Step Change will build on and extend previous investments in the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), a global network led by SouthSouthNorth, in partnership with Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) and ICLEI South Asia. Through Step Change, CDKN will advance gender-responsive and socially inclusive climate-resilient development by mobilizing knowledge into action, climate leadership and capacity from local to global levels.
The second component of the initiative scales lessons learned through CDKN about effective approaches to knowledge brokering. It will also grow the number of organizations employing knowledge brokering approaches to drive locally led adaptation. This component will develop capacity, talent and momentum for locally led adaptation that will be present long after Step Change has concluded.