Move the world with local voices
Connect, support, and amplify the impact of existing inspiring climate initiatives of local communities.
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WWF recognizes that for effective climate action, it's important to involve local communities, especially indigenous people, women, and youth. These communities lived intimately connected to nature for generations and have specific landscape knowledge and often possess necessary skills to counter the effects of climate change.
What is the situation?
In our close work with local communities, we see growing recognition but it’s precisely these local communities that are not at the centre of decisions about their environment and livelihoods. They have no influence on policy or financial resources, simply because they are not part of the conversation.
Let local communities play their role better
Women, youth and indigenous people are often innovative agents of climate change. Instead of sharing our perspective on the value of local expertise, we need to let government officials, policy makers and finance and business leaders to actively listen to local voices themselves.
What is Voices for just Climate Action?
Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) is a network of now almost two hundred organizations and thousands of people across Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Zambia. As part of the network, WWF can ensure that local and global knowledge to fight climate change is connected and facilitate that local people, communities, and organizations have their own seat at the tables where climate decisions are made.
The VCA network started in 2020 as an alliance with four Southern and two Global civil society organizations (Slum Dwellers International, South South North, Fundación Avina, Akina Mama wa Africa, Hivos and WWF-NL) to bring local and global actors with diverse expertise on climate justice and equity and local knowledge on climate adaption closer together.
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Programme impact overview & reflections
This report reflects WWF’s journey within the VCA Alliance, highlighting how this experience has advanced our understanding of Inclusive Conservation: not only as a concept or set of principles, but as a transformative practice.
It distills lessons on partnership, governance, movement building, and deep listening with those who live with, depend on, and care for nature. Ultimately, the VCA program helped reinforce that when rights-holders lead, climate adaptation and conservation outcomes become more resilient and sustainable.
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A local network across 7 countries
Learn more about the local partners, the local challenges and local solutions in the 7 countries of our VCA network. Among them a diversity of rural and urban civil society organizations, alternative media, and grassroots organizations: some youth-led, other Indigenous-led or woman-led.
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© Gernant Magnin / WWF-NetherlandsHow can we engage with local communities?
With the VCA-network we want to ensure that local communities are in the centre of climate action. How can we facilitate?
Collaboration and partnership-building
By connecting CSOs across different levels, we can bring actors with diverse expertise and local knowledge closer together.
Joint lobbying and advocacy
As a network, we can lobby and advocate together to make policy and financial flows responsive to locally shaped climate solutions.
Locally led climate solutions
With local knowledge from rich ecosystems around the world we can consider the unique perspectives and needs of different communities and scale up initiatives.
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© Jasper Doest / WWF)
© James Morgan / WWF-US)
© WWF / James Morgan)
© Luis Barreto / WWF-UK)
© Karine Aigner / WWF-US)
© Marizilda Cruppe / WWF-UK© Jasper Doest / WWF© James Morgan / WWF-US© WWF / James Morgan© Luis Barreto / WWF-UK© Karine Aigner / WWF-US© Marizilda Cruppe / WWF-UKReports and updates
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© © camilodiazphotography / WWF Colombia / WWF-UKReport: Stories from the Gound Applying the Locally Led Adaptation Principles
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© Yunaidi Joepoet, Yayasan WWF IndonesiaTropisch bosgebied zo groot als Limburg beter beschermd
© Yunaidi Joepoet, Yayasan WWF IndonesiaIndigenous Communities Papua Gain Land Rights to Protect Forests
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Video: 28@28 28 Minutes of youth-led climate finance solutions at COP28
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© ©Denys WakumStrong women and strong nature in Papua go hand in hand
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© James Suter / Black Bean Productions / WWF-USHelp us move the world!
Thanks to VCA we can connect directly at grassroots level and work with new partners, such as indigenous associations, alternative media and local civil society organizations. It challenges us to practice deep listening and learn from the past and others. Please join our mission to create awareness and spur public debate.
For more information on how to collaborate, visit the website: www.voicesforjustclimateaction.org or contact us via info@voicesforclimateaction.org.
Follow Voices for Just Climate Action on Twitter and LinkedIn.