Why supporting local actors leads to change

Overcoming challenges to drive change in communities

February 25, 2026

Photograph: a woman in a black hijab sewing at a white sewing machine in a blue workshop. — In Marib, Yemen, a woman operates a sewing machine provided through a Peace Support Facility small grant to support local livelihoods.

Photo: UNDP Yemen

Author

Amita Gill

Local Action Team Lead, UNDP

Here’s the paradox of development today; the people best placed to address challenges are often the least supported to do so.

Local farmers adapting to climate shocks, women entrepreneurs sustaining fragile economies, youth innovators solving digital gaps, municipal leaders managing strained services and civil society groups preventing tensions from escalating--these are closest to both the problems and solutions. They understand local dynamics, social norms and political realities in ways external actors can’t.

They navigate scarce funding, bureaucratic hurdles, limited technical resources and few opportunities to influence national decision-making or to connect with development partners.

Drawing on experiences from initiatives supported by the UNDP and partners, these stories show what becomes possible when we prioritize locally-led development, putting locals at the centre of decisions, strengthening their voice within national systems and giving them the tools to sustain solutions in their own communities.

#1 Yemen: Reinforcing stability

In Yemen, local civil society organizations are able to reach remote districts, mediate community tensions and keep essential services functioning despite years of conflict. Yet they continue to work with minimal resources and face structural barriers.

Recent UNDP-supported initiatives show how targeted, risk-managed support can help address this challenge. Through the Peace Support Facility, small grants have enabled local civil society organizations to implement community-driven peacebuilding and service-delivery initiatives. UNDP is also strengthening the capacities of peace networks and civil society groups.

Ghada, coordinator of the Sixth Women’s Summit in Aden, says: “I feel more empowered to raise awareness on the role women play in peacebuilding and positively influencing their communities.”

Direct and flexible support to local actors allows them to reinforce stability from the bottom up.

#2 Armenia: Diversifying local economies

In Armenian communities, local leaders have long faced economic challenges due to limited investment, narrow economic bases and few opportunities for residents to shape development. In Kapan, southern Armenia, the local economy’s reliance on mining made it vulnerable to global market shifts.

With support from UNDP and the European Union through the Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) initiative, municipalities began working with residents, businesses and civil society to rethink their development paths and diversify local economies. In Kapan, this included investing in entrepreneurship, youth skills, social services and strengthening local institutions and planning capacity.

Kapan’s experience goes beyond diversification. The city is intentionally transforming by focusing on tourism, leveraging its landscape, culture and human capital. To support this shift, Kapan invested in institutional change within–reskilling staff, adopting new planning tools and embedding participatory approaches into everyday governance. This ensured that community collaboration became a lasting shift in how the city plans, decides and delivers.

The experience shows how locally led planning reduces economic vulnerability and creates new opportunities.

Man in a dark suit with lapel mic at a press event, blue backdrop with white letters and a flag nearby. — Gor Tadevosyan, Deputy Head of Armenia's Kapan community, is one of the local leaders from Areni, Gyumri, and Kapan involved in the Mayors for Economic Growth initiative.

Photo: EU–UNDP M4EG

#3 The Gambia: Giving community leaders an official role in peaceful transition

Since 2017, The Gambia has been undergoing a peaceful transition, rebuilding trust in public institutions. Community leaders have played a crucial role in preventing tensions around land, politics and local grievances, but their efforts lacked coordination, resources and a formal link to national bodies responsible for the country’s reconciliation process.

The EU-UNDP Partnership on Strengthening Insider Mediation is helping to change this. A national network connects 120 community leaders from eight regions–mostly women, youth, and persons with disabilities–trained in mediation and conflict resolution. For the first time, selected leaders will become National Insider Mediators, linking local efforts to the country’s emerging Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

The project also provides simple digital training tools in local languages to help address common sources of tension, such as land disputes or political divisions. Through initiatives like Peace Caravans, more than 113,000 people have been reached.

Community leaders are now connected to national peace structures, strengthening early dispute resolution as The Gambia’s peaceful transition progresses.

Smiling woman in a yellow hijab sits beside a man in white traditional robe indoors. — Community leaders in The Gambia during an Insider Mediation training supported by UNDP and the European Union.

Photo: UNDP The Gambia

#4 Colombia: Helping communities protect the environment

In Colombia, local communities often bear the brunt of deforestation, pollution, illegal mining and water shortages. Yet for years, they lacked reliable environmental information and a say in decisions impacting their land, water and livelihoods, making it harder to address environmental damage early and resolve tensions before they escalate.

The Alert for My Environment programme, led by the Ministry of Environment, is changing this. Community groups, youth, Indigenous leaders, Afro-Colombian councils and rural associations now monitor water quality, waste management, forest loss and pollution. By documenting risks and sharing evidence, they have strengthened their ability to raise concerns and better protect their environment.

The programme also helps local governments improve transparency, share environmental data and create spaces for dialogue. The initiative shows that when communities are empowered and public institutions are more accountable, trust is strengthened, conflicts are reduced and environmental decisions become fairer and better informed at the local level.

Person in a purple patterned shirt raises a hand in a dusty outdoor area. — Community members in Colombia take an active role in environmental monitoring under the ‘Alert for My Environment’ programme.

Photo: UNDP Colombia

#5 Afghanistan: Women leading change in local economies

Supporting women-led businesses in Afghanistan is about more than boosting the economy; it is about giving women a chance to reclaim their space in society, work and earn an income and connect with others outside the home.

With support from the European Union through UNDP’s Area-based Approach to Development Emergency Initiatives (ABADEI), women are gaining confidence, independence and hope.

Shukria Ahmadi runs a medicinal herbs business in Herat. With training and funding, she employs more than 500 people in rural areas to collect and process plants. “There are so many women with ideas, but they need support,” she says.

Across Afghanistan, more than 3,000 women-led businesses have received grants through this project, creating over 8,000 jobs. From cities like Herat to rural villages, these businesses are opening doors.

With the right support–funding, training and space–these women are not just running businesses, they are creating futures for themselves and their communities.