Who holds the power? Rethinking intermediaries in gender-just locally-led climate action

Climate finance systems often prioritise accountability to taxpayers in the global North, sidelining the needs and voices of climate-affected communities in the global South. To shift this paradigm, this session explores how mutual and downward accountability can be built into climate finance systems to uphold the principles of locally led adaptation (LLA) and gender-just solutions. 

Intermediaries – organisations that channel funding from donors to local actors – play a critical role in shaping how climate finance is delivered. But what does it mean to be a 'good intermediary'?

Drawing on the organisers’ work developing LLA indicators, this session will unpack the attributes and institutional practices that enable intermediaries to support LLA effectively. Participants can share and learn how organisations are transforming their internal systems to prioritise local leadership and transparency through real-world examples and insights from diverse actors across the finance chain.

This session will be co-hosted by IIED, the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, and others.