Happy Earth Day! As temperatures and sea levels rise, the effects of climate change disproportionately upend the lives of the poorest and most marginalized communities. USAID has collaborated alongside local organizations to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation measures into international development. 

We have selected 10 organizations from the WorkwithUSAID.org Partner Directory to highlight the positive impacts locally-led development can have on the environment. We celebrate these organizations that serve as inspiring examples of what can be achieved when people come together to work toward a common goal. This listing does not represent an endorsement of any of these individual organizations.

• Biodiversity and Environmental Research Center (non-governmental organization [NGO]) (West Bank & Gaza-based headquarters) researches natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and environmental protection and engages with local communities to conserve threatened ecosystems and plant species.
• Center for Life and Learning for Environment and Community (NGO) (Vietnam-based headquarters) works to address air pollution and its health impacts in Hanoi through awareness campaigns, community engagement initiatives, and network-building among social organizations, businesses, and government stakeholders.
• Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT) (NGO) (Mexico-based headquarters) implements global projects that help maize and wheat farmers adapt to climate shocks while increasing food production and reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture.
• Digital Green Trust (NGO) (India-based headquarters) leverages user-oriented tech-based solutions and cultivates grassroots-level partnerships to empower rural farming communities as they uplift themselves from poverty and become more resilient to environmental shocks.
• Fundación para el Desarrollo Territorial y Comunitario - Proterritorio (NGO) (Colombia-based headquarters) reaches more than 8,000 rural families, providing agricultural technical assistance, natural resource management, and environmental protection services.
• Leadership for Environment and Development (NGO) (Malawi-based headquarters) aims to strengthen the ecological and social resilience of ecosystems in the region by leading communities in natural resource management for sustainable development.
• Organización para la Educación y Protección Ambiental (OpEPA) (NGO) (Colombia-based headquarters) implements several different initiatives that promote regenerative, nature-based approaches to tourism, agriculture, and protection of the earth’s biodiversity. OpEPA is also working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Colombia reach its decarbonization goals by 2050.
• Pekawa Humanitarian and Environmental Development Organization (NGO) (Iraq-based headquarters) runs programs that promote renewable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, and biomass energy, and establishes projects that reduce hazardous waste contamination in clinics, hospitals, and medical centers in urban areas and camps for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (NGO) (Thailand-based headquarters) advocates for community forestry and collaborative landscape management as tools for helping secure the land and resource rights of local communities, stopping deforestation, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and fostering gender equality.
• YY ReGen (corporation) (Lebanon-based headquarters) seeks to make renewable energy sources more affordable and accessible, cultivate reliable and sustainable water solutions in a water-challenged region, and utilize traditional farming techniques in tandem with new technology to farm sustainably.

Visit the WorkwithUSAID.org Partner Directory to find other organizations working in the areas of environment and climate change around the world, and register your organization today.