Voices for Just Climate Action Problem: Climate change, ecosystem degradation, and social inequality threaten human well-being and progress towards sustainable development. Current approaches to climate action often fail to consider the needs and perspectives of local communities, particularly marginalized groups.Solution: VCA aims to empower civil society to play a central role in shaping a just climate transition. By building collaboration and capacity among diverse civil society groups, VCA works to:Amplify local voices: Through innovative storytelling and communication strategies, the program helps marginalized communities express their concerns and solutions.Shape public discourse: VCA fosters a more supportive public environment for climate action by raising awareness and influencing public opinion.Influence policy and finance: By advocating for locally-shaped solutions, VCA aims to make climate policies and financing more inclusive and responsive to the needs of local communities.VCA operates on the principle of bottom-up change, supporting local civil society organizations (CSOs) to take the lead in co-creating solutions and influencing decision-making. This approach aims for increased local ownership and just and sustainable climate action. Here's a breakdown of each country's top achievement, highlighting how it aligns with the Hivos' Climate Justice Theory of Change:ZambiaReshaping Climate Narratives: Local partners produced research papers on climate finance and just climate action. This not only empowers local voices but also makes critical information accessible, promoting transparency and knowledge-sharing for a more informed public.Equitable Resource Distribution: The VCA database, filled with the research papers, ensures wider access to knowledge and resources on climate finance and solutions. This empowers local communities with crucial information to advocate for themselves.IndonesiaEquitable Resource Distribution: Establishing collaborations with diverse groups (media, artists, etc.) broadens the reach and impact of the climate justice message. Securing village-level policy and funding specifically targets marginalized communities, ensuring they benefit directly from climate action resources.Building Political Power: These collaborations also create a more powerful and unified voice for climate justice, increasing pressure on decision-makers.TunisiaBuilding Political Power: Collaborative advocacy campaigns successfully influenced policy frameworks and national dialogues on critical environmental issues. This demonstrates the program's ability to directly impact policy decisions.KenyaReshaping Climate Narratives: Influencing decision-making on climate change policies ensures local voices are heard and considered, shaping the narrative around climate action.Building Political Power: Mobilizing civil society participation in the Climate Summit People's March and amplifying youth and women's voices during the Africa Climate Summit/Week demonstrates the project's ability to empower key rightsholder groups and influence decision-making processes.BrazilReshaping Climate Narratives: Successfully incorporating "Climate Justice" into the narratives and practices of Amazonian civil society fundamentally changes the conversation around climate change.Building Political Power: This shift in the narrative, along with successful advocacy efforts, ultimately influenced policies at local, state, national, and even international levels. Local Empowerment and Tailored Solutions: Lessons from
Zambia, Indonesia, and Kenya emphasize the significance of empowering local
communities and tailoring solutions to their specific needs. This involves
amplifying the voices of key stakeholders, including marginalized groups, and
supporting locally-driven climate solutions. In Kenya, for example, efforts to
amplify the voices of youth and women during climate summits and marches
showcase the importance of grassroots engagement. In Indonesia, influencing
policies from village to ministerial level focused on locally-shaped solutions
and community rights.Building Strong
Partnerships and Coalitions: Collaboration and
coalition-building emerge as critical success factors. Establishing
partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including media, artists, indigenous
groups, and academics, strengthens the climate justice agenda and amplifies
voices at the national level. The success of initiatives in Tunisia and Brazil
demonstrates the effectiveness of collaborative advocacy campaigns and the
broadening of outreach through connections with non-aligned movements.Evidence-Based
Advocacy and Data Collection: Zambia's shift to data-driven
advocacy, with research papers on carbon markets submitted for policy consideration,
demonstrates the effectiveness of evidence in supporting policy change.
Similarly, data from Kenya on waste management informed the Waste to Rivers
Nairobi River Action Plan.