Consultant-MECR

Job Description

Climate change is one of the fundamental challenges for sustainable development in the 21st century and is likely to have significant impacts on Sri Lanka. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, floods, prolonged dry spells and droughts, storms, intense lightning and hurricanes, together with land degradation and human-wildlife conflicts, are some of the main impacts that climate and environmental change are having on communities across the country. These climate-related hazards magnify the risks and uncertainties of human life and livelihoods, jeopardizing the living standards, livelihoods, and well-being (material, social, and cognitive) of people across the country. 

The impacts on vulnerable communities are particularly acute, especially for those living in climate-vulnerable zones and who rely upon nature-based livelihoods such as farming and fishing. In addition, daily paid jobs and self-employment are also directly and indirectly affected due to climate shocks due to reduced coping capacities and increased vulnerability.

Human mobility linked to climate change, disasters and environmental degradation takes place in multiple forms, including migration, displacement, and planned relocation, amongst other forms of mobility and immobility.

The decisions to migrate in the context of climate change, disasters and environmental degradation can span extended periods such as in the case of slow-onset environmental degradation that reduces crop yields over multiple seasons, leading to eroding incomes. Sudden-onset events force immediate decisions to flee, such as in cases of displacement due to floods or landslides. Sudden-onset events force immediate decisions to flee, such as in cases of displacement due to floods or landslides. Recent events, including Cyclone Ditwah (2025–2026), have further demonstrated the scale and urgency of such movements. At the peak of the event, the DMC situational report data indicated that over 2.3 million individuals were affected, including more than 270,000 internally displaced persons across the country.[2] Ongoing situation reports from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) further indicate that displacement continues across multiple districts, Kandy, Kegalle, Matale, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya,[3] highlighting the need for strengthened data systems, monitoring mechanisms and anticipatory planning for climate-related mobility. However, environmental degradation and natural hazards rarely act in isolation. Human mobility is driven by multiple and interrelated factors: economic, political and socio-cultural.

Displacement and migration can happen either permanently or temporarily within a country or across administrative borders. Although displacement is mostly a direct impact of climate-related disasters, other forms of migration are also influenced by social, political, economic, demographic, and environmental drivers (anyone or many of which can cause migration). Thus, human mobility in the context of climate-related events is a multi-dimensional issue. With the right conditions in place, migration can be a powerful tool for climate adaptation. It can diversify income sources, create new livelihood opportunities, and enhance peoples’ knowledge and skills. For example, planned evacuation as a disaster management strategy has significantly reduced the risk of deaths, here in Sri Lanka and overseas. Furthermore, state-led, community driven planned relocation initiatives in landslide-prone areas in the central hills of the country have proven necessary steps towards mitigating disaster risks and anticipatory actions for disaster risk reduction. However, such mobilities can also produce negative outcomes, including increased trauma, loneliness, loss of livelihood, access to education, heavy workload, conflict, loss of social cohesion, loss of identity, loss of socioeconomic and cultural ties, stress of the new environment, burden on health, hygiene, and sanitation, loss of routine lifestyle. Ultimately, these negative impacts affect the material, relational, and subjective aspects of the wellbeing. A safer and secure environment for settlement is crucial for people affected by climate change. Since this is an accelerating phenomenon with surging climate change-related disasters, policy interventions and inclusivity are of paramount importance.

While disaster response systems are relatively well established, climate-related human mobility remains insufficiently integrated into national data systems and development planning frameworks. Multiple institutions collect disaster-related data; however, methodologies, definitions, indicators, and reporting systems are not harmonized to the extent possible. Displacement data is often event-based and short-term, with limited tracking of extended displacement, planned relocation, slow-onset mobility, anticipatory movement, and gender- and socio-economic dimensions. Recent discussions at the 69th National Disaster Management Coordination Committee (NDMCC) underscored the urgent need to review and operationalize the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) and National Emergency Operations Plan (NEOP), particularly in light of lessons learned from Cyclone Ditwah. 

In this context, a comprehensive Data Gap Analysis is required to systematically assess the existing data ecosystem related to climate mobility and particularly on disaster-related displacement in Sri Lanka. The assignment will identify the existing frameworks/tools used in data collection, identify strengths, gaps, inconsistencies, duplication and coordination challenges, and provide practical and harmonized recommendations to strengthen existing systems. This assessment also contributes to the planned revision of the NDMP and NEOP by providing evidence-based insights and practical recommendations derived from the gaps and priorities highlighted during the NDMCC discussions.

The assessment will also recognize that disaster-related mobility data is generated and used through both formal systems and operational/ground level practices. During emergencies, decision-making may also rely on rapid communication channels, field observations, local knowledge and informal information flows between communities, GN officers, DS offices, district authorities and national institutions. The analysis will therefore examine not only the availability of data systems and tools, but also how information is collected, verified, communicated and used in practice during preparedness, response, recovery and relocation-related decision-making.

Tentative research questions are:

Existing Data and Data Systems

• What data on climate change, disasters and human mobility are currently collected? 

• What are the major gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies in current disaster‑related and climate‑mobility data?

• What national and subnational/operational mechanisms and systems exist that currently collect data on disaster impacts, displacement, and mobility? 

• What are the gaps, constraints, and inconsistencies in these data systems?

• How are different stages of disaster-related mobility currently captured, including early risk signals, evacuation, displacement, return, secondary movement, protracted displacement, planned relocation and longer-term settlement outcomes?

• What minimum data is required at different stages of an emergency to support timely operational decision-making, even where complete datasets are not immediately available?

Governance & Coordination

• How effectively do government institutions coordinate on climate change, disaster management, and human mobility? 

• What information flows exist between communities and institutions? 

• How effectively do existing Early Warning Systems capture and communicate risks? 

• What are the gaps in EWS communication channels, especially for affected population[4][GN6][RK7][NM8][RK9][MK10] ?

• What institutional or operational constraints hinder coherent governance of climate mobility?

• How do formal and informal information flows function between community, GN, DS, district and national levels during preparedness, response and recovery?

• What factors enable or constrain timely data-sharing between institutions, including operational, technical, procedural and institutional considerations?

Improvements needs

• How can existing systems better capture climate‑related mobility? What improvements are required for data collection tools, forms, digital systems, workflows and capacities of sub-natioanl and ground level officials? How can traditional and scientific knowledge be combined to improve climate-risk monitoring and mobility forecasting?

• How can disaster-related mobility data better support anticipatory action, including early warning, preparedness, evacuation, planned relocation and resource allocation decisions?

• What practical data thresholds, indicators or decision points could be considered to support early action or risk-informed relocation planning?

• What are the operational and resource implications of key data gaps, including their effect on response efficiency, targeting of assistance, avoidance of duplication and prioritization of support?

• What should be pilot‑tested in selected districts—and why those districts?

The findings of this assessment will support evidence-based policy formulation at the national level in relation to climate mobility. The analysis will also inform the work of the relevant government ministries, departments and agencies and contribute to strengthening existing disaster-related data collection and management mechanisms. It will also provide a clear understanding of current gaps to guide improved policy integration and planning processes on climate mobility data.

This consultancy is part of a sub-regional project “Comprehensive Approach to Climate Mobility in South Asia”, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), funded by the European Union. 

“A Comprehensive Approach to Climate Mobility in South Asia” is a three-year sub-regional initiative designed to strengthen how climate-related migration and displacement are governed across seven countries in the region. The project focuses on advancing coherent, forward-looking national and regional frameworks that can guide governments as they respond to the growing impacts of climate and environmental change on human mobility.

Scope of the Assignment

Conduct a comprehensive assessment, responding to the research questions, of existing national and sub-national data and data governance systems on disaster displacement, migration and relocation with an emphasis on identifying practical opportunities to strengthen the governance and use of climate mobility.
 

Responsibilities

• Map institutional mandates and coordination structures, clearly identifying which institutions collect, compile, validate, analyse and disseminate climate, disaster and displacement-related data, and assess the effectiveness of inter-agency coordination mechanisms.

• Review and analyse existing data collection, compilation and reporting methodologies, including indicators, definitions, tools, reporting formats, frequencies, levels of disaggregation (sex, age, disability, ethnicity, socio-economic status) and current operational challenges respectively.

• Map the current data collection, verification, reporting and dissemination pathways from community/GN level to DS, district and national levels, including formal reporting systems, operational and informal communication practices, local knowledge inputs and practical pathways for risk communication and EWS dissemination to affected communities.
• Examine how disaster-related mobility data is collected and used across the mobility lifecycle, including early risk signals, evacuation, displacement, return, secondary movement, protracted displacement, planned relocation and longer-term settlement outcomes.

• Undertake a limited number of field-level consultations, observations or scenario-based walkthroughs in selected districts, in coordination with DMC, NDRSC and relevant district authorities, to understand how data is collected, shared, validated and used during real or simulated disaster events.

• Examine data-sharing frameworks, including data interoperability, information management systems, institutional procedures, operational sensitivities, enabling factors and barriers to harmonization.

• Analyse the applicability, efficiency and usability of existing tools, identifying areas where tools exist but may be further strengthened, updated, harmonized or more consistently applied.

• Review existing Early Warning Systems (EWS) and analyse the linkages between disaster-related data systems, established disaster management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and contingency planning frameworks, including identifying practical opportunities to strengthen adequacy, coordination and field-level application.

• Assess how existing data can support anticipatory action and decision-making, including the identification of practical indicators, thresholds or decision points that may inform early warning, preparedness, evacuation, planned relocation and resource allocation.

• Identify minimum or “good enough” data requirements for different operational decisions in emergency contexts, recognizing that complete data may not always be available during rapidly evolving disaster events.

• Assess the operational and resource implications of selected data gaps, including how gaps may affect response planning, targeting of assistance, coordination, prioritization, duplication management and resource allocation.

• Provide clear, practical and prioritized recommendations including:

  • Standardized displacement and climate mobility indicators

  • Methodological harmonization options

  • Institutional coordination improvements

  • Data-sharing protocols

  • Capacity strengthening needs

  • Minimum operational data requirements

  • Options for pilot testing strengthened data tools in selected districts

• Support and facilitate national/local validation workshops and incorporate stakeholder recommendations into the final report.

• Ensure cross-cutting integration, including gender-responsive data collection, disability inclusion, human-rights-based data governance and conflict-sensitive approaches.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Migration Studies, Public Policy, Data Science or related field

• 7 years of experience in disaster data systems, migration data, climate risk analysis or related fields

• Demonstrated experience in conducting institutional or data gap analyses

• Strong understanding of Sri Lanka’s disaster management and climate governance frameworks

• Experience working with government institutions and UN agencies
• Proven analytical and report-writing skills
• Fluency in English (knowledge of Sinhala and/or Tamil is an asset)

• Experience with displacement tracking systems (e.g., DTM, IDMC methodologies)

• Preferably prior working experience with a UN organization or an INGO, in similar line of work and in close coordination with Disaster Management Centre and the National Disaster Relief Service Centre

Required Skills

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