Consultant on social protection in Sri Lanka

Under the direct supervision of the project manager and the overall guidance of the Chief of the Sustainable Socioeconomic Transformation Section, the consultant will deliver a coherent set of country-specific knowledge products for Sri Lanka under the CRISP initiative. These outputs will provide ESCAP and national counterparts with a clear and evidence-based assessment of climate-related vulnerabilities and social protection system performance, as well as actionable pathways for strengthening climate-responsive and shock-responsive social protection. The consultant will support the preparation and delivery of a national capacity development workshop on social protection and climate change, a validation workshop to share tentative findings of the study, as well as launch of the final report. The consultant will also support engagement of Sri Lanka in the regional CRISP partner’s workshop to held 9-10 November 2026. The ultimate result of the service is to support national decision-making by delivering analytically robust, policy-relevant, and action-oriented outputs that identify system-level gaps, practical reform options, and clear institutional roles. The consultancy will also contribute to regional knowledge under CRISP by generating lessons and approaches that can inform similar efforts in other ESCAP member States.

18/05/26-31/12/26

There is emerging acknowledgement of the role of social protection to strengthen climate resilience in climate change and Agenda 2030 related intergovernmental processes, highlighted in ESCAP Resolution 82/1, Baku-Bangkok Declaration on Promoting Social Development for Advancing Societies for All Ages in Asia and the Pacific (2026), Doha Political Declaration on the World Summit for Social Development (2025), COP outcome documents, including the Belem Declaration (2025) and Baku Declaration (2024) as well as other global outcome documents such as the Pact of the Future (2024). Nevertheless, despite the recognition on the need to integrate social protection and climate change sectors, there remain key capacity gaps in terms of policy integration, sectoral coordination mechanisms, lack of data, lack of analysis and understanding of key affected populations and climate financing mechanisms, and normative consensus. To strengthen the interlinkages between social protection and climate change, further efforts are required to harness policy integration, cross-sectoral coordination mechanisms, data as well as address key affected populations and increase knowledge and awareness on the urgency to integrate social protection and climate change policy tools. Under the Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Social Protection (CRISP) initiative, ESCAP supports member States in integrating climate risk considerations into social protection systems, with particular attention to vulnerability, shock-responsiveness, and the needs of groups left furthest behind. Through CRISP, ESCAP aims to bridge climate, social, and economic policy domains and to support countries in translating analytical insights into practical system-level and programme-level reforms. ESCAP is conducting a project to pioneer action in this emerging area for the Asia-Pacific region. It will build capacity of five beneficiary countries (Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand) that have engaged, or will engage, with ESCAP in the implementation of the Action Plan. It will engage five additional countries (China, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam) to share findings and build knowledge as part of ESCAP’s capacity development efforts through the Action Plan. It adopts a three-pronged approach to: a) Increase capacity to recognize social protection measures that mitigate climate risks and strengthen resilience for groups in vulnerable situations; b) Develop national capacities to quantify the impact of climate change on people and identify furthest behind groups; c) Enhance regional cooperation for better social protection strategies to mitigate climate impacts and increase resilience of groups left furthest behind. In support of the above, ESCAP is collaborating with the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Sri Lanka, to conduct a study to strengthen national capacity to identify actions needed to strengthen the role of social protection to mitigate climate risks and strengthen people’s resilience to climate change policies and events. A regional conceptual framework has been developed to guide the country studies. In addition, a capacity development workshop will be conducted to help build understanding of social protection and climate change linkages among climate change and social protection policymakers. A validation workshop will also be conducted to share the findings of the study and provide further input to refine the country pathways identified. The findings will be launched through a one day national consultation. These activities will engage the UN Country Team and Development Partners in close coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. This consultancy will support the Sustainable Socioeconomic Transformation Section in the implementation of CRISP activities in Sri Lanka through analytical, consultative, and advisory work. The consultant will assess climate-related risks to livelihoods and income security, review the performance and responsiveness of existing social protection systems, and analyse the extent to which these systems are able to anticipate, absorb, and respond to climate-related events and policies. Based on this analysis, the consultant will support the development of evidence-based and implementable country pathways for strengthening climate-resilient and inclusive social protection, working in close coordination with ESCAP and relevant national stakeholders, including the UN Country Team and Development Partners.

Demonstrated experience in research, data analysis, and coordination is required. The consultant should have proven professional experience in social protection and climate change. Proven experience working with government counterparts is required, preferably in Sri Lanka or similar country contexts. Familiarity with the social protection system in Sri Lanka, including policies, programmes, and institutional arrangements, is highly desirable. Experience in conducting analytical or policy-oriented studies of a similar nature and supporting stakeholder consultations, workshops, and validation processes.

Excellent speaking and drafting skills in English. Speaking and drafting skills in Sinhala and Tamil are desirable.

Not available.