In Central America, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities are the most affected by the impacts of climate change due to their high levels of vulnerability. These communities are not responsible for global warming; rather, the territories they manage are already contributing to climate resilience, and are essential for a just, equitable and democratic transition thanks to their community governance systems. Sadly, these governance systems are threatened by democratic decline and the deepening of extractivist development models that put these communities on the front line and undermine adaptation capacities in the region. This panel will analyze the factors that undermine climate resilience in the territories (Young Voices) of the Afro-descendant and indigenous peoples of the region who resist and build equitable, democratic and sustainable alternatives.