Over 100 participants from over 17 countries gathered at the Sokhalay hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia — 2-4 November 2015 — to share lessons learned from the LoCAL experience and to coordinate the development of LoCAL as a global mechanism.

The 2-day workshop welcomed high level representatives from the participating countries and other partner agencies. The workshop in Siem Reap was one of the first major international occasions for countries to meet and share their experiences in rolling out LoCAL as a mechanism. This event showed how quickly it is being adopted and the progress achieved since it started in 2012 in Bhutan and Cambodia.

During 2015, over 38 local governments from 14 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have received over 4.5 million USD to undertake local adaptation and mitigation measures. It is expected that more countries from Asia, Africa and the Pacific will soon be joining the fast expanding global mechanism.

Judith Karl, UNCDF Executive Secretary, noted the success of the LoCAL mechanism and underlined the strong potential of the performance based grant model in the months and years to come. One key strategic aspect is that it provides a unique and accountable funding channel for global funds specifically devoted to the LDCs. With over 9 LDC representatives members of the LoCAL board, the mechanism is also becoming an important reference in the climate change negotiations, giving LDCs a united voice to lobby for climate funds.