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In the year IIED celebrates 50 years of working for a fairer and more sustainable world, we invite two eminent former colleagues to look back at where we came from, how we have developed, and where we should be going. Achala Abeysinghe, Asia regional director for the Global Green Growth Institute and ex-IIED vice-president David Runnalls, a fellow with the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Canada, join host Liz Carlile for the discussion. Among the issues that arise are climate finance, partnerships and how to support the poorest and the most vulnerable to ensure their voices are heard and they are able to achieve their goals in vital decision-making arenas – from village councils to international conventions.

Experts discuss the connections between the climate emergency, loss of biodiversity and rising inequalities, and why it is important to include nature in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to address these crises globally. The latest episode of the Make Change Happen podcast focuses on why and how developing countries are incorporating nature-based solutions in their NDCs to increase and deliver their climate ambitions. Guests include Nathalie Seddon, professor of biodiversity and director of the Nature Based Solutions initiative at the University of Oxford; Bob Natifu, acting commissioner on climate change in the Ministry of Water and Environment in Uganda; Maria Caballero Espejo, climate adaptation specialist from the Ministry of Environment of Peru (website in Spanish); Sarshen Scorgie, director of climate strategy at Conservation South Africa; and Harriet Drani, programme officer at IUCN in Uganda.

Forest and farm smallholders are fighting for their livelihoods and food security. New research shows producers’ practical measures for climate resilience have impact, but barriers remain to scaling the work up and out. In this ‘super year’ of climate and nature, the latest episode of the Make Change Happen podcast hosts a discussion on what support smallholders need, and who should provide it. Guests include Ugandan young agriprenuer Elizabeth Nsimadala, IIED Climate Change director Clare Shakya and Duncan Macqueen, leader of IIED's forest team and an expert on locally controlled forestry, climate-resilient forest enterprises and forest governance approaches.

The urban dimensions of COVID-19 have been largely ignored and yet the economic impacts of the pandemic are especially severe in cities and towns in the global South, where low-income residents have been disproportionately affected. In this episode of Make Change Happen, expert practitioners discuss the effects of the pandemic in urban areas, and they share a range of inclusive, locally led responses from the global South.

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have been the guardians of biodiversity for thousands of years. As a result, today, they conserve the world’s richest biodiversity on their lands and territories. In this Make Change Happen episode we learn about the term biocultural heritage, which comes from the lived experience of Indigenous Peoples, and is critical to the success of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework up for negotiation in Kunming later this year. Hosted by Liz Carlile, this podcast features IIED’s principal researcher Krystyna Swiderska; Alejandro Argumedo, Quechuan native from southern Peru and coordinator of the Mountain Indigenous People’s Network; Pierre Du Plessis, expert negotiator in the Convention on Biological Diversity from Namibia; and Joji Carino, Ibaloi Igorot from the Philippines, senior policy adviser with Forest People’s programme, and Indigenous Peoples’ negotiator on biodiversity. You can follow some of the people you have heard in this episode on Twitter at @lizcarlile and @KrystynaSwider4. Follow the podcast on @IIED_Voices for all the latest updates.

Climate change has devastating impacts on our planet and people. Some impacts are very noticeable, but many go unmentioned. In this episode of Make Change Happen, we acknowledge the untold loss and damage from climate change having devastating effects on culture and communities. Hosted by Liz Carlile, this edition’s podcast features IIED’s senior associate director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Bangladesh Saleem Huq, senior researcher in IIED’s Climate Change research group Brianna Craft, and Gladys Hub, a climate activist from the Solomon Islands, who is also a UNICEF Pacific Supporter and a full-time pharmacist. You can follow some of the people you have heard in this episode on Twitter at @lizcarlile, @SaleemulHuq, @pbnclimate, and @Gladys_H. Follow the podcast on @IIED_Voices for all the latest updates.

2020 set us back in achieving environment and development progress, leaving an unprecedented challenge ahead. But recovery is possible if we learn from last year and move ahead quickly. In the first ‘Make Change Happen’ episode of 2021, we learn that early action, youth participation and collaborative policymaking are pivotal to making change happen and a better future for us all. Hosted by Liz Carlile, this episode’s conversation features IIED director Andrew Norton; Ineza Umehoza Grace, founder and chief executive officer of the Rwandan organisation, The Green Fighter; and Dr Tara Shine, chair of the board of trustees of IIED and director of Change by Degrees. You can follow some of the people you have heard in this episode on Twitter via @lizcarlile, @andynortondev, @InezaGrrace, and @shine_tara. Follow the podcast on @IIED_Voices for all the latest updates