*Sign this letter by 10:00am Bogotá time, 8th December, and please share with your networks.

A call to COP28 participants:

The Shift the Power Movement, a global network of grassroots organizations, offers an unprecedented opportunity to efficiently and effectively work in solidarity with communities to address our greatest challenge, the climate crisis.   As global leaders met at the COP in Dubai, over 700 change-makers  who work in communities in over 80 countries met in Bogotá with a focus on harnessing and mobilizing resources so that all may thrive, even in the midst of the climate crisis.

Helene Desanlis of ClimateWorks echoes what many other researchers are saying: “There is a growing recognition that the voices and leadership of frontline communities must be at the center of climate action.” However, funding for these innovative home grown-solutions is almost non-existent.  According to the International Institute for Environment and Development in 2020 only 10% of climate funding reaches local communities in the global south and 97% of international humanitarian aid is channeled through international intermediaries that dilute the funds. The most recent studies show no improvement. 

Around the world, communities at the forefront of the climate response are investing their local knowledge, finances, energy, and leadership. They are creating solutions that are locally-led and owned, often at a lower cost-benefit ratio.

With access to greater funding, these organizations, individually and collectively, could accelerate and expand their climate activities and better sustain their organizations. This network has the potential to absorb, direct and deploy financial resources in ways that recognize and harness local assets, build local power and – of greatest importance - do no harm.

We invite you to partner with this ecosystem of locally-led organizations in order to accelerate and scale local climate action.  Strengthening the collective voice of grassroots communities and movements in the global climate discourse will empower climate justice.

We envision trust-based relationships that are transparent and inclusive. These partnerships would encourage  risk-taking, reciprocal  learning and capacity building.  Successful solutions would be shared, scaled and adapted as needed with measurable impacts and accountability for all.  

We are already hard at work, and that work will continue. But we can do so much more, so much more effectively, if we tackle this together. Please engage with us.