Consultancy to lead Research on Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA)

Background

Save the Children Denmark (SCD) is Denmark’s largest children’s rights organization. We are a member of the world’s largest independent children’s rights organization, Save the Children. We work in Denmark and in more than 116 other countries where we fight for children’s rights.

Climate change is a grave threat to children’s survival, development, education, protection and their other rights to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. All sectors that have traditionally been supported by SCD are affected and there is a risk that the hard-fought progress made towards realising children’s rights in the UNCRC will be reversed. The climate crisis increases the risks of displacement, inequality, violating rights, hampering education, impacting access to basic services, affecting their mental health and threatening their futures. Without adequate child focused and youth inclusive solutions, to address climate risks and strengthen adaptation capacity, the climate crisis is expected to jeopardize important development gains obtained thus far.

Addressing the climate crisis as a child rights crisis has been a priority for Save the Children Denmark since 2022, and key lessons from our engagement are starting to emerge. While adaptation to climate change (through e.g. improved access to early warning information, climate proofing of schools etc.) has proven key to secure the rights of children, and the livelihoods and future of their families, we need to do adaptation better, faster and at scale. To reach that goal, Locally-led adaptation (LLA) [1] is gaining momentum as an approach to enable local actors’ involvement and leadership in designing, planning, and implementing adaptation strategies, to ensure that projects are tailored to their unique needs, and reduce the risks of maladaptation. The Global Principles for LLA[2] are intended to guide the adaptation community as it moves funding, programmes, and practices towards adaptation that is increasingly owned by local partners. While most INGOs have started the processes of ‘localization’, and LLA is considered increasingly critical to strengthen climate resilience, only limited consensus and knowledge exists of how the approach is operationalized, especially regarding the specific needs of children and youth. It is therefore crucial to continue to unpack and research the potential for LLA to contribute to transformational adaptation.

Objectives & scope of analysis

Against this background, the overall objective of this research consultancy is to explore the potential for LLA to help communities strengthen their adaptation and resilience capacity, with a specific focus on children and youth. The consultancy aims to examine real-life experience with LLA, to contribute to an increased understanding of what the drivers of successful climate adaptation are from the perspective of local actors, when they are put in the driving seat.

The research analysis will assist SC in laying the groundwork for developing a new LLA Common Approach[3] including a technical guidance to operationalize and scale LLA within SC, which the present consultancy will feed into. The results will also contribute to improving existing climate programmes, and help addressing the lack of knowledge within LLA, with new insight and practical recommendations. By exploring and sharing new learnings on sustainable and inclusive approaches for climate action, the research also aims to inform policy development (National Climate policies, NDCs, NAPs, Regional/local adaptation plans etc).

The main analytical questions guiding the research include:

When analyzing current experience, results and lessons learnt with LLA, the analysis should include specific attention to:

• Child-centered climate adaptation
• Gender transformative adaptation approaches/processes
• Local/traditional knowledge (including: use, ownership, reproduction)
• Conflict and fragile settings
• Formal and informal governance context

Methodology

The analysis will be based on (a) a desk study and mapping of current experience with LLA, best practices, existing LLA tools, stakeholders(internal and external), gaps and methods and (b) in-depth participatory action research (including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, observations etc.) undertaken in selected contexts (in Sahel[4]), where LLA approaches have been applied (by Save the Children and other organizations/actors).

To ensure that youth voice is embedded in the research, the consultant will work in close collaboration with an established group of young researchers that SC is already working with, throughout the research process, to design, collect, analyze and interpret the data collaboratively. The consultant will be responsible for holding regular meetings with the young researchers and Project Working Group (consisting of young researchers, the consultant, and relevant members of Save the Children), which will meet throughout the project to oversee its development and delivery.

Tasks & Deliverables

The tasks planned under the consultancy include:

• Initial desk study to systematically review existing knowledge and evidence to develop a state of play of the LLA landscape, incl. stakeholder mapping of current actors, project mapping for relevant LLA projects (2015-2024) (with support from project Working group, and CRES TWG), current approaches, programming tools and methodologies, gaps, evidence review and emerging trends, internal & external barriers, roles and staff capacity for LLA etc. (scientific & grey literature & key informant interviews).
• Conduct mapping exercise to identify target locations where the fieldwork will be conducted, based on discussions with SCD and key stakeholders and findings of initial desk study.
• Plan and facilitate research scoping workshop (remote) with young researcher and project working group.
• Develop research design (incl. data collection methods and process, tools to analyze data etc.) and analytical framework for assessing LLA, based on key research questions, in close partnership with young researchers and project working group.
• Liaise with key stakeholders and develop field research plan together with young researchers
• Development of data collection tools adapted to specific group of respondents, together with young researchers.
• Coordinate and undertake participatory action research with young researchers in selected countries/regions (based on mapping exercise).
• Data processing, cleaning, structuring and collaborative analysis of data, in partnership with young researchers (including sense-making workshop with young researchers and project Working Gorup).
• Draft of final consultancy report on the current practice, challenges and opportunities with LLA, case studies, and recommendations for Common Approach development, based on results from primary and secondary data collection, sense-making workshop and analysis.
• Plan and coordinate dissemination workshops to test findings, allow for community feedback, and embed wider learning and awareness, in collaboration with young researchers and Project Working Gorup.
• Elaborate Save the Children Brief, including programming- and policy recommendations – that can inform a technical guidance in SC and recommendations for integration of LLA into the next Danish Development Policy Strategy 2026-30 across the HDPC[5] nexus.
• Support results dissemination event with SC
• Develop visual product
• Regularly update the Project Working Group on progress as per workplan

The following research products will be generated:

• Detailed Workplan & report outline
• State of play of existing LLA landscape incl. evidence, projects & stakeholders (review of scientific and gray literature & consultations with relevant stakeholders).
• Research scoping workshop (remote)
• Research design (including framework for assessing LLA) and development of data collection tools
• Field work plan and detailed report of fieldwork participatory research conducted
• Draft report on the current practice, challenges and opportunities with LLA for inputs
• Draft internal brief and framework for a technical guidance
• Power point presentations of key findings and recommendations
• Feedback Dissemination workshop(s)
• Final report

Qualification & Experience

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in fields such as Climate Change, Environmental Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or other relevant disciplines. A PhD in a related field will be considered an advantage.
• At least 7-10 years of demonstrated experience in conducting research or leading projects related to climate change adaptation and DRR, particularly in locally-led, or community-based approaches.
• Experience in participatory action research, including designing and implementing participatory methods
• Proven expertise in climate related work in fragile or conflict-affected settings.
• Strong experience in conducting desk studies and systematic reviews of scientific and grey literature related to climate change adaptation and local leadership.
• Expertise in developing analytical frameworks, conducting data analysis, and writing comprehensive research reports, including policy and programming recommendations.
• Experience in working with youth-led or child-focused organizations, with demonstrated ability to facilitate youth engagement in research and decision-making processes.
• Experience with integrating gender into climate adaptation strategies and understanding of local and traditional knowledge systems
• Significant experience in resilience-building projects in Sahel and West Africa, with a clear understanding of the social, political, and environmental contexts in these regions
• Ability to coordinate and work closely with local stakeholders, youth groups, and research teams Excellent facilitation skills to lead in-person workshops, ensuring meaningful participation from diverse stakeholders, including children and youth.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, coordinate team efforts, deliver high-quality outputs within deadlines
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to translate complex research findings into practical recommendations for policy and program development.
• Fluency in French and English is required.

Additional information:

Common Approaches (CA) are Save the Children’s best understanding of how to address a particular problem facing children. They are based on evidence, can be adapted to work in multiple contexts and also replicated in different countries. In 2023, a Common Approach for Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA) was proposed during the pipeline review process, and subsequently added to the CA pipeline. The LLA CA will fill the current gap of a movement wide programming approach for climate resilience, building on the LLA principles, to which SC is a signatory, among other INGOs, NGOs, and donors. The CA must meet evidence criteria as listed below, and evidence will be reviewed against these criteria (though, not all projects are expected to meet all criteria to be considered in the review). Due to the absence of a generally followed approach to LLA, and the need to also be context specific in relation to climate adaptation, a technical guidance document will be developed based on evidence review and used for replication and further evidence building. Based on the technical review, the CA will be developed.

EVIDENCE CRITERIA

Effectiveness

• Evidence that shows there is a positive effect on the primary intended outcome(s) for children that the approach focuses on, and that it does more good than harm.

Acceptability

• Evidence that shows the ability and willingness of the intended target population to engage with the intervention as intended, and whether — in case resistance was encountered — the program investigated and identified ways to address this.

Safety / Risk

• Evidence that shows an intervention or program has identified contextual risks and mitigation actions — whether directly or indirectly related to the approach — in its design and implementation and has continuously monitored emerging risks throughout its lifecycle to prevent or reduce the risk of harm to children, adults, and staff. (Ex. include safeguarding risks and mitigation actions in program Quality Benchmarks.)

Equity

• Evidence that shows the approach has considered equity in its design. The two core salient marginalized and deprived groups which must be considered in all approaches are 1) gender and 2) socio-economic status.

Scalability

• Evidence that shows the demonstrated ability to reach greater numbers of children through the implementation of an approach at scale in partnership with, or by, other actors (at minimum, district-wide), and remains effective in achieving outcomes.

Cost-effectiveness

• Evidence of the cost involved in delivering specified outcomes (i.e. CEA, ROI, CBA) relative to alternative approaches to achieving the same outcome, and also — in the case of ROI/ CBA — that the value of the outcomes achieved is greater than the cost involved.

[1] LLA is defined as adaptation that is “controlled by local people, grounded in local realities, ensures equity and inclusivity, and is facilitated by local networks and institutions” .

[2] The LLA approach is guided by the Global Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) Principles endorsed by 120 organisations globally (including Save the Children) and provides the basis for how communities, not only participate, but take the lead in identifying, planning for, and implementing adaptation action.

[3] To ensure consistency and quality in the way Save the Children addresses critical issues affecting children, Common Approaches are evidence-based, standardized methodologies or tools that Save the Children uses to design, implement, and scale their programs globally.

[4] The mapping will form an important phase in the identification of the final locations the consultancy will take place in

[5] Humanitarian, Development, Peace and Climate