Descrição

The Strengthening Evidence on the Outcomes of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) Symposium invites researchers, practitioners, policy analysts and community knowledge holders to submit proposals contributing to a forward-looking agenda on locally led adaptation evidence.

The event seeks to broaden conventional understandings of “evidence” by valuing participatory, lived and narrative forms of knowledge alongside empirical research, with the aim of strengthening credible, inclusive and decision-relevant evidence on LLA outcomes.

About the Symposium

A two-day, in-person symposium will be held on 3-4 June 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together 25-30 researchers, practitioners, and knowledge holders to share new findings, take stock of the current state of evidence on the outcomes of locally led adaptation, and co-develop a forward-looking agenda for strengthening evidence that is credible, inclusive, and usable for decision-making.

The symposium will contribute to the development of a flagship report to be launched in August 2026 and will inform a targeted information campaign aimed at shifting perceptions of LLA among funders, policymakers, and the broader climate community.

Background

More than 130 organizations and governments have endorsed the Principles for Locally Led Adaptation, yet only a small share of international climate finance supports adaptation at local levels, and even less of this funding is truly locally led. Funders, policymakers, and practitioners have consistently highlighted the need for stronger, more nuanced evidence on the effectiveness of LLA approaches to help drive investment. Others argue that this evidence exists but is not reaching decision-makers. This symposium responds directly to that gap.

Purpose

The symposium aims to deepen collective understanding of whether, how, and under what conditions LLA contributes to climate resilience, both in the short and long term. It seeks to broaden prevailing notions of “evidence” beyond conventional academic and policy research, recognising that knowledge about climate resilience outcomes is also generated through participatory processes, lived experience, storytelling, and locally grounded ways of knowing.

Scope and Themes

Proposals are invited that engage with evidence of LLA outcomes and impacts. Contributions may be empirical, conceptual, methodological, or reflective, and may draw on diverse epistemologies and methods. Contributions should not be published in the academic literature (i.e. peer-reviewed journals); unpublished and grey literature contributions are welcome.

Relevant themes include, but are not limited to:

• Evidence of LLA effectiveness, efficiency, and equity and key factors that enable these outcomes
• Methodological innovations for assessing LLA impact
• Participatory, community-led, and co-produced approaches to evidence generation, including storytelling, narrative, and qualitative approaches to document change and resilience
• Comparative and counterfactual analyses of locally led versus externally driven adaptation
• Evidence of social, economic, and ecological co-benefits of LLA
• Scalability, replicability, and sustainability
• Vertical integration between local action and higher-level governance and finance

Types of Contributions

The symposium welcomes a range of contribution formats, including but not limited to:

• Academic and policy research papers or syntheses
• Practice-based case studies and comparative analyses
• Participatory research outputs and reflections from community-engaged processes
• Story-based, narrative, or visual approaches to evidencing LLA outcomes
• Methodological or conceptual frameworks for strengthening evidence

Rigour is understood not as adherence to a single methodological tradition, but as transparency, positionality, and coherence between claims and evidence. Diverse forms of knowledge can meet high standards of rigour when their evidentiary foundations and limitations are clearly articulated.

Selected contributors will be invited to present their work through presentations, facilitated discussions or other interactive formats, and to contribute to the co-development of the symposium’s flagship report. All contributors will be recognised as authors in the final report.

Who Should Apply?

The call welcomes proposals from researchers, practitioners, policy analysts and knowledge holders working on or with locally led adaptation. Interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaborations are strongly encouraged. Contributions should be in English, French, Spanish or Hindi.

Please note that only one submission per organisation is permitted.

Support for Participation

To help ensure broad and inclusive participation, limited funding is available to support contributors from community-based organisations, covering travel to and accommodation in Bangkok for the duration of the symposium. Applicants wishing to be considered for this support will be invited to indicate this at the time of submission. Funding will be allocated subject to available resources, with the aim of supporting diverse perspectives, geographies and forms of knowledge. All other attendees are expected to self-fund.

Organizers

The symposium is jointly organized by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), SouthSouthNorth (SSN), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Climate Analytics, the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), and BRAC, with additional partners to be confirmed. The symposium is supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom (FCDO).

Key Dates

Milestone	Date
Application Deadline	25 March 2026 at 23:59 CET
Symposium	3-4 June 2026, Bangkok
Flagship Report Launch	August 2026

How to Apply

Submit your application through the official SEI call page. Further details on support for participation and symposium logistics will be shared with selected contributors.