Sejal Patel

Sejal Patel is an environmental economist and senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development. With over 10 years of experience, her work focuses on climate and environment finance, public policy, and governance, particularly in relation to low-carbon climate-resilient development, and on the themes of supporting inclusive and equitable processes that bridge local priorities and voices with the national and international levels.

Suman Sharma

Suman Sharma has over four decades of professional experience, holding senior positions in the Government of Nepal including as secretary across key ministries like finance, energy, and information and communications. He has led transformative national policies and development initiatives in the country, and oversaw post-earthquake recovery efforts and advanced energy crisis mitigation strategies in Nepal.

CRPP Talks 1: Scaling Up Locally Led Climate Action

While local communities are on the frontlines of climate impacts, they typically lack a voice in the decisions that affect them. The International Institute for Environment and Development estimates that less than 10% of international climate finance gets earmarked for local-level action. There are growing calls by countries, civil society, and many other stakeholders to improve both the quantity and quality of climate finance.