Gender Responsive Climate, Peace and Resilience: Climate Opportunities for Peace and a Unified Sri Lanka
Read the policy brief here (available in English, Tamil and Sinhala)
Key insights include:
1. Justice and equity in climate adaptation
Historical governance failures and unequal service provision have increased climate vulnerabilities and weakened social cohesion, especially among Tamil and Muslim communities in the North and East, who have long been excluded from national development priorities. While poverty and climate vulnerability affect all communities, for Tamil and Muslim communities barriers are both situational and structural, rooted in decades of political marginalisation and conflict legacies.
2. Food insecurity, land and livelihoods
Climate change is pushing rural farmers towards less profitable crops or out of agriculture entirely. In the North and East, ongoing land disputes and restricted access — especially where military occupation continues — fuel grievances and strain already strong anti-government sentiment.
3. Gender and ethnicity rights
Marginalised communities — predominantly from Tamil-speaking and/or poorer rural backgrounds — face compounded challenges from climate variability, economic insecurity, and systemic neglect. Women are particularly affected: female-headed households are especially vulnerable, as climate-induced livelihood disruptions often force women into precarious, low-paying work.
4. Social cohesion and conflict prevention
Migration, unresolved wartime grievances and land disputes erode social cohesion. Locally led, inclusive adaptation can help rebuild trust. Meaningful participation — especially by women, youth, and marginalised groups — strengthens resilience to climate shocks and addresses root causes of vulnerability and social tensions.
5. Finance, governance and accountability
Fragmented coordination between government agencies, development programming and civil society — combined with limited local capacity and insufficient oversight — has resulted in duplicate efforts, inefficiencies, and gaps in service delivery.
Recommendations:
- Foster localised and inclusive climate planning
Develop province-level climate action plans tailored to local needs and ensure they are gender-responsive. Prioritise the most vulnerable groups, especially in conflict-affected areas. Use peacebuilding objectives like equitable resource allocation and inclusive decision-making to address existing grievances.
- Strengthen coordination and accountability
Establish a central platform to improve collaboration between agencies, reduce duplication, and ensure accountability. Track equity metrics to monitor impacts of climate action and publish annual, disaggregated progress reports.
- Empower women and marginalised groups
Support livelihood diversification to enhance financial stability and reduce climate risks. Invest in flood-proof healthcare infrastructure and mobile clinics, particularly for plantation workers and female-headed households. Provide financial literacy programmes, fair microfinance schemes and entrepreneurship trainings.
- Address wildlife conflicts and strengthen social cohesion
Introduce community-managed wildlife deterrent systems and compensation schemes. Promote inter-community dialogues and collaborative climate adaptation projects. Balance conservation and livelihoods by promoting agroforestry and mixed-cropping with native species.
This policy brief was based on the Gender Responsive Climate Security Assessment for Sri Lanka, which was commissioned by the UNDP–DPPA Joint Programme and UN Women with the support from the Government of Australia, and conducted by adelphi research using the Weathering Risk methodology. The assessment can be downloaded here, while the policy brief can be downloaded here.
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