Learning Report- Centering Community Voices through Peer Learning: Reflections from the Bay of Bengal Convening on Non-Economic Loss and Damage

This report synthesizes the key findings and outcomes of each session of the "Bay of Bengal Learning Convening on Non-Economic Loss and Damage (NELD)," held from August 18-20, 2025, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The convening brought together over 25 participants from seven grassroots grantee organizations, the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF), and independent consultants. Its primary goal was to build a shared understanding of NELD, facilitate peer-to-peer learning, and co-create actionable strategies to center community voices in climate action and policy advocacy. The dialogues, grounded in participatory methodologies like storytelling, NELD mapping, and Gender Power Walk, etc., revealed that the most profound climate impacts in the region are non-economic. These include severe mental health trauma, the loss of cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge, forced displacement fracturing social cohesion, and the systematic erosion of identity. A critical insight from the convening is that the current dichotomy between economic and non-economic loss is often unhelpful, as these impacts are deeply interconnected in the lived experiences of communities. The convening reaffirmed that meaningful learning on NELD emerges when communities are positioned as knowledge holders rather than grantees or beneficiaries, and when peer-to-peer spaces enable horizontal exchange across geographies and disciplines. Key cross-cutting challenges were identified, including: ● The invisibility of NELD, which denotes deeply personal and stigmatized losses like mental stress, is difficult to quantify and is consistently overlooked in policy. ● Systemic policy gaps are often found in the national and international frameworks, including the new Fund for Responding to Loss & Damage (FRLD), which lack robust mechanisms to address or value NELD. This results in fragmented mandates and limited accountability for addressing non-economic dimensions of climate impacts. ● Deep-rooted patriarchy, caste discrimination, and unequal power dynamics silence the most marginalized voices.Donor constraints and projectization limit the flexibility required for authentic community engagement and iterative learning. Such constraints risk reproducing tokenistic participation rather than enabling locally grounded, relational forms of learning and care. The following approaches were highlighted throughout the discussion for a clear, collective vision for accelerating action: 1. Community-Led Action: Effective responses must be co-created and led by affected communities, who hold the deepest knowledge of what has been lost and what recovery means in their local context. This ensures that interventions are both relevant and sustainable, reflecting lived realities rather than external assumptions. Our peer-to-peer learning exercise has demonstrated that community ownership transforms NELD responses from reactive aid to collective resilience-building rooted in dignity and agency. 2. Gender-Transformative Approaches: Programs must move beyond addressing symptoms to dismantle the root causes of power imbalances and inequality. True gender-responsive programming tackles the root causes of vulnerability—patriarchy, economic exclusion, and restricted voice in decision-making. When women and gender diverse people are supported as decision-makers and knowledge leaders, they redefine the terms of recovery and justice in powerful ways. 3. Holistic Support: Responses must meet the full spectrum of NELD, integrating mental health support and cultural preservation as core components of climate action. Recognizing healing and cultural continuity as climate action reframes NELD as both a psychosocial and political process of rebuilding meaning, not merely coping. 4. Accessible Finance: Funding must be flexible, long-term, and trust-based funding that reaches grassroots actors without bureaucratic barriers. Flexible finance is not only a logistical necessity but also a justice imperative - redistributing power in how climate resources are governed and deployed. 5. Strategic Advocacy: A unified, evidence-based advocacy front is needed to hold governments and global institutions accountable for addressing NELD. The convening demonstrated that while the crisis of NELD is severe and escalating, a pathway forward exists through collaborative, community-centered approaches. The recommendations outlined in this report provide a blueprint for governments, funders, and civil society to ensure that the full, human cost of the climate crisis is recognized, addressed, and integrated into the global response.