Shifting power in climate and health
Issues at the intersection of climate and health are gaining attention, but who gets to decide what is funded, which questions are prioritized, and where resources flow remains a harder conversation. Researchers and practitioners in countries most affected by climate-related health risks often have deep expertise and proximity to the challenges, without equivalent influence over funding and decision-making.
This small working conversation will bring together people who build, fund, and hold community networks (especially around climate x health), research communities of practice, and other initiatives trying to move resources and authority closer to where the work happens. Rather than discussing the need to shift power in the abstract, we hope discussion participants will offer a specific action they are taking this year to shift funding or decision-making authority toward researchers and practitioners based in the countries most affected.
We will then discuss the scaffolding that makes that action possible or difficult: governance, fiscal hosting, credibility, cost-sharing, time horizons, and how we evidence real capacity beyond a polished report. How do you make the case for work that convenes and stewards when funder metrics tend to reward direct delivery? Where do good proposals get stuck?
We hope a smaller, candid room can surface honest discussion about what people are trying, what it takes to institutionalize it, and where collaboration could help.
What to expect
An intimate, discussion-based working session rather than a panel. Those in the room will briefly share concrete actions they are taking to shift funding or decision-making authority in their contexts. We will document where proposals get stuck and what we are learning about alternatives. The small group is intentional in order to hold space for participants to speak candidly and work through practical barriers. We will use the Chatham House Rule and the emphasis will be on specificity rather than general buzzwords or concepts.
Who this is for
This session is for researchers, practitioners, community builders, and funders interested in how resources and decision-making power move within the field, particularly toward people and institutions in countries most affected.
What you will get out of it
Concrete examples of how climate and health networks are shifting funding and decision-making authority
A candid view of the opportunities and constraints funders face in supporting locally led work
Space to test proposals directly with people on different sides of funding relationships
A clearer understanding of where stated commitments to shifting power meet practical barriers
Potential relationships and next steps that can continue beyond the room
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