GPSA projects

Country: Latin America and the Caribbean
Sector: Climate Change 
Implementation timeline: Approval date – November 7 2022; Closing – June 30 2024  
Grant: $ 1,000,000 from the GPSA & $ 450,000 from other donors

Climate change will impact the livelihoods of communities around the globe. To mitigate the worst outcomes and help in the adaptation to a changed climate, the global community is mobilizing resources, and more will be needed. Oftentimes, remote communities will experience the worst effects of global warming. Indigenous people and Afro-descendants represent about one third of the Latin American population, but well over two-thirds of the people living in extreme poverty. 

Several studies have shown through soil analyses that many parts of the Amazon have benefited from indigenous human management prior to western colonization. Despite their proven role in creating sustainable climate solutions and high vulnerability to the worst outcomes of global warming, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) only marginally benefit from climate financing and the broader green agenda. Currently, indigenous communities globally only receive 1% of climate funding dedicated to stop deforestation, while safeguarding about 80% of the world’s crucial biodiversity. Funds do not reach these communities and when they do, IPLCs often do not have enough say in the allocation and end-use of climate finance.

The project focuses on supporting grassroots civil society organizations in Latin America. It promotes IPLC’s effective participation in policy dialogue and direct community investments for climate action, including piloting people-led monitoring of climate funding flows. CSOs in several selected countries will receive capacity-building to build collaborative social accountability mechanisms to create or strengthen regional, national or local monitoring instruments that track the flow of climate finance and its impacts on communities. Increasing IPLC participation in locally-led, national and international climate dialogues will contribute to a more equitable and inclusive distribution of climate financing. 

The project is in early stages of implementation. The outcomes will be posted here as activities progress. 

Lessons learned will be posted here as the project progresses.