How direct grants support Indigenous climate leadership in Cambodia  

As forests and water resources dwindle, strengthening community participation has become essential to protecting both ecosystems and social cohesion. Among local leaders witnessing this shift is Ms. Vun Hunna, deputy chief of Tataok commune. “Before, women only listened during meetings,” she says. “Now they raise concerns, share ideas and participate actively. When women are strong, the whole community becomes stronger.” 

Across Cambodia, similar changes are taking root. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are strengthening their leadership, protecting forests and securing land rights through direct access to climate finance that supports locally driven solutions. Through the Indigenous Peoples Direct Grants mechanism , supported by UNDP with funding from the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and soon the UN-REDD Programme, communities are leading climate action grounded in traditional knowledge, inclusive governance and long-term stewardship of forests. 

Securing rights and forests through community action 

Across Cambodia, Indigenous communities are protecting their forests, and as such, their futures. In Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom, ten Kui communities, supported by the O’som Community Forestry project with Action for Development and UNDP, secured legal recognition of their lands, safeguarding over 2,100 hectares of forest, including sacred spiritual sites. 

In Battambang, community leaders see land registration as a lifeline. “It conserves our identity and guarantees land safety,” says Mr. Chhit Chhorn, Head of the Por Indigenous Community. “Without it, outsiders could exploit our land.” Here, 112 families are moving closer to full communal land title, while managing 207 hectares of community forests through patrols, reforestation and sustainable farming. 

In Mondulkiri, the Bunong community of Antres Village protected 2,933 hectares of Indigenous land, installed 120 concrete boundary poles, and carried out 41 forest patrols involving 276 community members, with 60 percent of them being women. These efforts reduced illegal logging, safeguarded sacred sites, and resolved land disputes for 25 families, while fostering a women-led savings group that kept households resilient and off the path of land sales. 

In Kratie and Stung Treng, Kui communities now manage 2,283 hectares of land– including 628 hectares of community protected area or community managed forests with 232 hectares of spirit forest which are strengthened by community patrols and clear boundary markings. These spirit forests, inhabited by ancestral spirits, anchor Indigenous identity through rituals, traditions and community life. IP grants have also fueled livelihood innovations like cow and native pig banks to solar-powered water systems, honey collection, and palm processing, enabling families to earn income and ease pressure on forests as their sole source of sustenance.   

Capacity building has been a cornerstone of success. More than 90 Indigenous leaders, many of them women, received tailored-community training on land law, forest governance, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and dispute resolution. These investments strengthened local institutions, improved transparency and enabled communities to engage more effectively with government processes, while these in-house skills and community planning enable communities to secure further financing. 

Ten Indigenous villages in Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom are now actively pursuing full legal recognition as Indigenous communities, while two additional villages in Battambang and Mondulkiri are advancing efforts to secure communal land titling certificates. These milestones will further protect ancestral lands and cultural heritage for generations to come.