As climate impacts intensify across the globe, communities in the Global South are bearing the brunt of losses that go far beyond what can be measured in financial terms. These non-economic losses and damages (NELD)—including the erosion of cultural heritage, displacement of spiritual traditions, loss of biodiversity, mental health impacts, and threats to identity and social cohesion—represent profound and often irreversible harms. This COP30 Resilience Hub event aims to provide a window of opportunity to elevate NELD on the multilateral agenda, by providing a platform for deepening understanding, centering community voices, and catalysing learning and collaboration on approaches that are grounded in local realities and led by those most impacted. Through community-led insights from the Bay of Bengal, East Africa, and the Pacific, the event redefines risk in more holistic and context-specific terms, paving the way for more equitable, just, and effective climate responses.
