Connected Advocacy, a Nigeria-based youth-led nonprofit organisation, has called for climate finance and decision-making powers to reach frontline communities.
The climate group warned that global commitments risk having little impact without local participation.
In a statement made available to reporters on Saturday, the organisation said it made the call at a high-level side event organised through its Global Localisation Forum.
The forum was held during the ongoing 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
The group urged governments, climate finance institutions, multilateral development banks and development partners to move beyond policy declarations and ensure communities affected by climate change have the resources and authority to implement solutions.
The event, themed “The Global Localisation Forum: Fixing Gaps in the Implementation of Climate Disaster Response and Energy Democracy,” brought together community leaders, civil society representatives, researchers and climate advocates.
It examined how to translate global climate policies into locally led action. Discussions covered climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, ocean and coastal protection, and energy democracy.
The organisation said communities bearing the brunt of climate change were often excluded from decisions about financing and implementation, despite their limited contribution to the crisis.
It identified coastal erosion, rising sea levels, flooding, ocean pollution, biodiversity loss, displacement and energy poverty as growing threats to vulnerable communities.
“Localisation must move beyond policy language. It must become a practical framework that transfers resources, authority and accountability to the people and institutions closest to the challenges,” the statement said.
The forum featured five sessions examining barriers to locally led climate action, including access to climate finance, community protection, energy democracy and the implementation of international environmental agreements.
His Royal Majesty Fon Ngum IV, Paramount Ruler of the Oku Kingdom in Cameroon, highlighted the importance of Indigenous, traditional and community knowledge in climate and environmental governance.
At a session on climate finance, Prof. Giuliana Battisti of Warwick Business School and the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre examined barriers that prevent local actors from accessing funding.
Gloria Majiga of Tax Justice Network Africa discussed climate tax justice, innovative financing and the need to curb illicit financial flows.
Participants said climate funding should be accessible, flexible and predictable, and available for long enough to enable communities to implement and expand their solutions.
The experiences of frontline and coastal communities were also highlighted by Sema Genel Karaosmanoğlu, founder of Support to Life in Türkiye, and Qarnar Igbal of Climate Alliance Pakistan and the Charter for Change Advocacy Working Group.
They stressed that local communities are often the first to respond to climate-related challenges, despite having limited access to resources and decision-making platforms.
Another session featured Yomar Elmawi of the Africa Movement of Movements, Seruni Salsabila of UNIDO’s Energy and Climate Action Youth Advisory Group, and Gunter Hermeyer, senior campaign manager for “Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer”.
The speakers examined clean-energy access, community-led renewable energy and public participation in energy-transition planning, drawing on experiences from Africa, Indonesia and Germany.
The forum also called for energy policies to be designed with communities rather than imposed on them.
Presenting the forum’s five calls to action, Prince Israel Orekha, a RISE UP Fellow, urged the international community to ensure climate finance reaches grassroots organisations and community-led initiatives.
He also called for faster emissions reductions, an equitable transition away from fossil fuels, stronger protection for oceans and coastal livelihoods, and greater recognition of gender justice in climate policies.
The forum urged governments to translate international climate and environmental agreements into measurable national and subnational actions that reflect community priorities.
It advocated a co-creation approach based on listening to communities, jointly designing policies and budgets, sharing decision-making powers, and delivering solutions through local partnerships and direct financing.
The organisation said its Global Localisation Forum also aimed to establish a coordinated platform connecting frontline communities, civil society groups, governments, development partners, researchers, youth movements and international institutions.
It said the platform would promote collective learning and coordinated advocacy for locally led climate action.
“The message from the Global Localisation Forum is clear: Nothing about communities without communities, and no localisation without resources, authority and accountability,” the statement said.
Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative works on inclusive democratic leadership, climate and energy justice, environmental protection, community resilience and sustainable development.
It promotes the participation of young people, women and underserved groups in decisions affecting their communities.
