Voices of The Ground: Communities, Climate, and Our Shared Future

About this event

Voices of The Ground is an intimate gathering that brings the lived experiences, knowledge, and leadership of frontline communities into Southeast Asia climate conversation. Across Southeast Asia, people are already living with rising seas, extreme weather, disrupted livelihoods, and changing ecosystems. Yet their voices are too often absent from the spaces where climate decisions are made—leaving climate action at risk of becoming overly technical, top-down, and disconnected from everyday realities. Inspired by MADANI Berkelanjutan’s Ramah Tanah gatherings in Indonesia, Voices of The Ground creates space to sit together, listen deeply, and learn from one another. Through intimate talk circles, an immersive exhibition, and meaningful conversations, participants will encounter stories from frontline communities across Southeast Asia and explore what these experiences can teach us about building more just, inclusive, and grounded climate solutions. Hosted during Bangkok Climate Action Week 2026, this gathering welcomes community leaders, civil-society actors, youth, policymakers, funders, researchers, and climate advocates to move beyond consultation—and recognize communities as knowledge holders, rights holders, and leaders of climate action. Come listen, connect, and imagine a different kind of climate action—one shaped by the people living the crisis every day. When the ground speaks, we listen.