Make Change Happen

In this episode, IIED senior researcher Camila Cocina, Lorena Zarate from the Global Platform for the Right to the City and Joseph Kimani of Slum Dwellers International Kenya talk about the reasons for the rise in forced evictions and the ensuing consequences for people and communities.

In this episode, IIED principal researcher Anna Schulz and Green Economy Coalition convenor Carina Bachofen discuss the impact of a rapidly changing multilateral system on climate ambition. With the help of their guests, they consider alternatives to global forums for bringing about change.

The focus is on food systems. The world is missing targets for addressing hunger and malnutrition while food systems contribute to nature loss and climate change. So how can sustainable food systems tackle those issues and also provide jobs, support economies and reduce poverty?

In this episode, IIED executive director Tom Mitchell discusses revitalising a commitment to international development and in the process, getting money to where it is needed most and can be used to best effect – to the local level.

In this episode, principal researcher Ebony Holland talks to Simon Cullen about the importance of nature finance and the need for changes in practice to make sure money for nature resilience gets to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

In this episode, IIED researcher Francesca Booker and Ritchel Cahilig from the Haribon Foundation talk about the critical role local leadership plays not only in restoring nature itself but also in conserving local culture, identity and communities too.

In this episode, IIED’s senior researcher Karen Wong-Pérez talks to IIED’s senior press and PR manager, Simon Cullen, about global progress towards gender justice and why the journey towards gender-just environmental action isn’t moving quickly enough.

In this episode, IIED’s climate diplomacy researcher Camilla More and senior climate finance researcher Sejal Patel discuss why so many countries missed the recent deadline for submitting their 2035 climate targets – and the implications for global climate action.

Our latest episode revisits the key themes covered on Make Change Happen during 2025, including critical minerals, climate action and reform of the international financial architecture. As well as reflecting on the progress made, our hosts – IIED’s Simon Cullen and Lindlyn Moma – highlight the big opportunities for global action in 2025, discussing what it will take to see change in the nature, cl...

There is a critical need to reform the international financial architecture (IFA) – the framework of institutions, policies, rules and practices that govern the global financial system. In the episode, IIED’s Laura Kelly and Mohsen Gul set the scene by explaining why the IFA needs to be fit for purpose and work for everyone, including the least developed countries (LDCs), and why discussions aroun...

IIED has launched a 'Manifesto for a thriving world’ and the need for new responses to a range of compounding crises, greater uncertainty and growing injustice. In this episode, the chair of IIED's board of trustees Tara Shine and trustee John Taylor discuss the intitute's plans for the future and changing ways of working. Tom Mitchell, IIED's executive director, stresses the importance of IIED be...

Critical minerals – such as cobalt, lithium and copper – are in the headlines, attracting global attention for their potential in supporting the green energy pathway and accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels. They make green technologies including electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines possible. The opportunities are huge and demand is booming. But this doesn't come without issu...

Despite global efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change, we are failing to achieve critical climate objectives. IIED’s Hidden Handbrake campaign aims to reveal and explain the bureaucratic, political, legal and practical barriers to countries taking effective action in response to climate change. Progress on mitigation and adaptation measures and anticipatory actions to reduce the potential...

This special guest episode, produced by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) looks at the work of a social network in Delhi that delivered food relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delhi Coordinated Relief Network succeeded in reaching some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in the city during an unprecedented crisis. This episode of Make Change Happen is hosted by Rashee Mehra...

According to UNHCR, the global number of people forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, human rights abuses, and other forms of persecution has reached 110 million. When asked to imagine the living conditions of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), rows of white tents or temporary structures often come to mind. In fact, around 60% of refugees and IDPs live in towns and cities. This e...

In this episode of Make Change Happen, marking LGBTQI+ Pride month, we want to spark conversations about how urban development and climate action can be truly inclusive of queer communities. What can we learn from queer thinking and practice? How can we challenge LGBTQI+ erasure in decision making to deliver stronger and more equitable change?  Hosted by Tucker Landesman, senior researcher in IIED...

In this episode, launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, an all-women panel share the transformative change driven by women as they take on leadership roles at every level – from remote rural villages to international conventions. Hosted by James Persad, director of IIED’s Communications group, this podcast features Ritu Bharadwaj, principal researcher in IIED’s Climate Change researc...

Our last episode of 2022 brings together experts from across the world to explore how far climate mitigation action can respond to pervasive urban poverty in the global South – seen in a lack of housing and basic services such as water, sanitation and energy – and contribute to more just and equitable cities. This special episode is hosted by Anna Walnycki, principal researcher in IIED’s Human Set...

At COP26, political leaders called for more action to address biodiversity loss and climate change together. In this episode of Make Change Happen, we discuss how this must be financed and the possible mechanisms for spurring actions on the ground. Hosted for the first time by James Persad, IIED’s new director of communications, this episode features Mandy Barnett from the South African National B...

In this episode of Make Change Happen, we discuss racism and decolonisation in the development sector. Hosted by Liz Carlile, IIED’s outgoing director of communications, this episode features Natalie Lartey, IIED’s advocacy and engagement manager; Maryam Mohsin, head of media and communications at Bond; and Mpho Tapela, executive director of Youth Unlimited Network in Botswana. We explore how deve...

As IIED celebrates its 50th birthday, this episode of Make Change Happen brings together four established members of the IIED family to reflect on key movements in the journey towards sustainable development. Host Liz Carlile, IIED's director of communications, is joined by ex-colleagues Steve Bass, now a consultant in sustainable development; Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for...

To reflect on International Women’s Day, and the 2022 theme ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’, this episode of Make Change Happen discusses how gender equity and intersectionality approaches are central to climate justice, and that means putting people’s rights, lived experiences and priorities at the centre of every response. Heather McGray, director of the Climate Justice Resili...

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 D...

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 d...

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. Gu...