On 19 December 2024, a virtual knowledge sharing and feedback session was organised by IFSD for the awardees of grants from the Strengthening Loss and Damage Response Capacity in the Global South (STRENGTH) project.
In this project funded by IDRC and implemented in partnership with ICCCAD, we have a strong capacity-building component targeting emerging and early career researchers to help enhance the quality and impact of research and policy insights. Four research grants have been awarded to PhD students from these countries, empowering them to contribute to the understanding and response to climate-induced Loss and Damage (L&D). These researchers have been working closely with the STRENGTH team.
The virtual forum served to exchange interdisciplinary knowledge and stimulate critical discussions on questions such as climate losses and damages, adaptation limits, and gender and social inclusion aspects of L&D policy and action. As an important component of the event, two senior researchers Dr Hemant Ojha and Dr Basundhara Bhattarai provided critical and constructive feedback to each of the PhD researchers as they advance their work in the next stage. Discussion among the participants further enriched the collaborative learning process.
Below is a summary of their ongoing work:
Vanuatu: Stephen Kalo – Addressing Loss and Damage from Climate Change in Vanuatu: A Legal Analysis of Displacement of People.
Stephen’s research evaluates Vanuatu’s legal and institutional frameworks for addressing displacement caused by climate change. He identifies gaps in existing mechanisms and proposes reforms to provide adequate protection for displaced populations. While much of the current research focuses on environmental and socio-economic impacts, Stephen’s study emphasises the critical need for legal protections to address climate-induced displacement effectively in Vanuatu.
Nepal: Saroj Gautam – Climate Finance Regime and Climate Justice in Nepal: Understanding Adaptation Limits and the Policy Space for Loss and Damage.
Saroj’s research explores the international climate finance regime, identifies funding gaps, and examines the limits of adaptation to inform evidence-based policy recommendations for advancing L&D financing governance in Nepal. His fieldwork in the Helambu-Melamchi corridor revealed that communities have clearly reached their adaptation limits across biophysical, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. He has also identified financing priorities for L&D, such as resilience infrastructure, including flood retention walls, to support communities like the Magar, who resist relocation due to strong ancestral ties.
Slide Source – Saroj Gautam
Senegal: Abdou Diouf – Understanding Climate-Induced L&D in Senegal’s Agricultural Sector in Ngayokheme.
Abdou’s research applies climate modeling and AI to analyse extreme climatic events and its impacts on Senegal’s agriculture sector. His findings indicate that reduced precipitation significantly affects staple crops like peanuts and sorghum. The study underscores the complexity of navigating climate extremes and the pressing need for targeted mitigation and resilience-building measures in Senegal’s agricultural systems.
Bangladesh: Nazifa Rafa – Whose Value Counts? Gender, Lived Values, and Loss and Damage from Salinity in Bangladesh.
Nazifa applies a values-based approach to explore how non-economic losses, particularly gendered lived values, are affected by climate-induced salinity. Her findings reveal that men and women experience loss and damage differently, influenced by what they value. While men often experience loss from the destruction of religious sites and workplaces, women are more affected by the loss of secure spaces, such as homes, which are critical for maintaining social relationships and livelihoods.
Slide Source – Nazifa Rafa
Jointly, these interdisciplinary projects explore distinct yet interconnected dimensions of L&D across the case study countries. By integrating insights from agriculture, finance, gender studies, and legal frameworks, the grantees are advancing a holistic understanding of L&D and providing actionable solutions tailored to local and national contexts.
