At COP31, Local Leaders and Street Vendors Press for Direct Resilience Funding

The loudest message from a Nov. 13, 2026, COP31 side event on investing in resilience was that climate adaptation money is not reliably reaching the counties, communities and workers absorbing the damage. A Kenyan governor, a Brazilian state official and two advocates for India's informal workers described what works and what is blocked. Development bankers, meanwhile, argued that standard metrics are the key to drawing in private capital. No votes or formal decisions were taken.

• Informal workers want grants, not loans: advocates cite 40 million Indian street vendors and losses topping $20 billion a year.
• Kenya's Vihiga County points to county climate laws and 2% to 5% budget set-asides as a delivery model.
• Brazil's Goiás links payments to fire brigades with a 70% reduction in burned area.
• EBRD and other multilateral development banks launched PARI to standardize resilience investment and pool projects.
• Germany's CHAMP co-chair says adaptation lacks the market incentives that carbon pricing gives mitigation.

The panel on delivering resilience finance locally ran the longest of the session's segments. It was moderated by Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director, Africa and Global Partnerships, World Resources Institute, and centered on officials who route adaptation dollars below the national level.