This policy brief calls for a shift from top-down climate adaptation to genuine Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA) in Bangladesh. By prioritising local participation and context-specific solutions, LLA can strengthen climate resilience and sustainability. Despite growing recognition, implementation gaps persist due to weak local leadership, limited financial access, low transparency, and capacity constraints. Political influence and bureaucratic barriers further undermine the effectiveness of LLA, particularly in government-led initiatives.
To address these challenges, the brief recommends targeted reforms to strengthen local decision-making authority, ensure transparent allocation and tracking of adaptation resources, expand direct financial access for local actors, and invest in ongoing capacity building. These measures are essential to move beyond rhetoric and establish LLA as an effective, fair framework for climate resilience.