1.Background
Sri Lanka faces increasing climate-related risks, including floods, droughts, extreme rainfall and heat, with significant implications for livelihoods, food security and vulnerable populations. At the same time, the country is strengthening its social protection system, creating opportunities to better integrate climate resilience, disaster preparedness and social protection.
The Climate Resilient and Inclusive Social Protection (CRISP) Country Assessment examines existing linkages, gaps and opportunities across policies, program delivery systems, data, financing and institutions, and proposes practical pathways for strengthening climate-responsive social protection in Sri Lanka.
The workshop is being convened under the Climate Resilient and Inclusive Social Protection (CRISP) initiative, implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment (MRDSSCE). Through country assessments, policy dialogue and regional knowledge exchange, CRISP supports countries in strengthening the role of social protection in building resilience to climate-related risks and supporting inclusive and just transitions. Sri Lanka is one of five partner countries in Asia and the Pacific undertaking an in-depth country assessment and pathway development process under the initiative.
Recognizing that climate resilience requires coordinated action across sectors, the workshop will bring together stakeholders from social protection, climate change, disaster risk management, labour, agriculture, planning and finance to strengthen dialogue and understanding promote policy coherence and identify opportunities for collaboration.
The Sri Lanka CRISP Country Assessment finds that the country already has many of the foundations required for climate-responsive social protection, including established social protection programmes, disaster management systems, digital delivery infrastructure and supportive policy frameworks. However, stronger integration is needed between climate, disaster risk management and social protection systems to better identify climate-vulnerable populations, support climate-exposed workers and livelihoods, improve shock responsiveness, strengthen financing arrangements and enhance institutional coordination.
The two-day workshop will provide an opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding on social protection and climate change; review and validate the findings of the country study; discuss their relevance to ongoing national policy processes; and identify priority actions for strengthening climate-resilient and inclusive social protection in Sri Lanka.
The discussions will help refine pathways and recommendations emerging from the assessment and contribute to ongoing national efforts to build resilience, strengthen adaptive capacity and promote inclusive development in the context of climate change.
2. Objectives of the two-day National Workshop
Purpose:
- To build understanding and awareness of importance of social protection and climate change
- To foster intersectoral dialogue on synergies between social protection and climate change
- To validate the Sri Lanka CRISP country assessment findings, refine and prioritise the proposed country pathways, and identify practical actions, institutional roles, data and system requirements, financing opportunities, and sequencing for implementation.
3. Participants
The event will gather 40 Senior officials from Government, academia and development partners. The workshop should bring together senior officials and stakeholders to build capacity on social protection and climate change and validate the evidence and refined the country pathways.
4. Format
The workshop will be delivered through a mixture of presentations, interactive groupwork and plenary discussions.