Consultant (Migration, Environment & Climate Resilience) Individual Consultant

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to government and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at Diversity and Inclusion at IOM | International Organization for Migration. Internal and external candidates are eligible to apply to this vacancy. For the purpose of the vacancy, internal candidates are considered as first-tier candidates.

Project Context and Scope:
Climate change is one of the fundamental challenges for sustainable development in the 21st century and is likely to have significant impacts on Sri Lanka1. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, floods, prolonged dry spells and droughts, storms, intense lightning and cyclones, 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 marginalized 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. Amidst a myriad of coping strategies, human mobility is accelerating within vulnerable households as a climate change adaptation strategy.
Human mobility often stems from the pursuit of better livelihood opportunities and a desire for a safer environment with improved living conditions. Such movements are driven by the interactions between various socioeconomic, cultural and environmental elements. Some drivers may force people from their places of origin by creating or exacerbating vulnerabilities, risks, and loss of livelihoods and belongings caused by the adverse effects of climate change. Others may pull people towards new destinations offering opportunities for better livelihoods, safer environments, decent settlements, greater education access and improved hygiene and sanitation. Consequently, marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as youth, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, often migrate, either permanently or temporarily, following other household members.
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.
In Sri Lanka, human mobility linked to disasters, environmental degradation and climate change (either migration, displacement, or planned relocation) is determined by multiple interacting factors; distance (short vs long); territory (internal vs external); movement path (urban-rural, rural-urban, rural-rural, urban-urban); duration (temporary vs permanent); routine (one time vs seasonal); choice (forced vs voluntary); opportunities (work, livelihoods, education, amenities), social networking (formal vs informal); decision making (self-motivated vs community induced); compatibility; nature of the impact (sudden onset- short term vs slow onset – long term). Human mobility also depends on peoples’ vulnerabilities and aspirations, perceived opportunities, and social connections.
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, 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.

In this context, this desk review will provide a foundation for understanding, through academic and grey literature, the gender dimensions of climate mobility in Sri Lanka. Additionally, it will assess what kind of responses exist at local and national levels through local interventions and policy responses, while considering also the gaps and needs on gender and climate mobility.

Tentative research questions are:
• What gendered impact pathways2 emerge when existing evidence (including the National Assessment) is re-analysed through an intersectional lens (e.g., care burdens, GBV risks, shifts in decision-making, left-behind stressors)?
• How do gender roles shape mobility decisions, mobility types (seasonal, temporary, displacement, relocation), and experiences across key livelihood systems (farming, fisheries, informal labour)?
• What gendered vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities exist among:
left- behind women, children, elderly;
female-
headed households;
differently
abled individuals;
youth?

• Which gendered impacts have the strongest implications for programming (e.g., care burdens, GBV risks, loss of income, education disruptions, stress on left-behind women), and what groups are most affected?
• How and where can national policies, DRR frameworks, climate change adaptation strategies, and social protection schemes be practically adjusted to better address gender–mobility linkages?
• What are the most feasible, context-specific opportunities for gender-responsive programming and interventions at community, district, and national levels?
• How and where can future research better incorporate the gender–climate mobility nexus?

The desk review will consolidate and critically analyse available evidence, identify thematic and methodological data and policy gaps, and recommend priority areas of interventions to be strengthened to better include gender-sensitivity in research, local interventions and policy processes.
The findings will contribute to further studies, national policy processes, inform policy coherence efforts, and support the development of a gender-responsive climate mobility framework aligned with national and regional approaches.
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, evidence-based and 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 / Core Functions & Responsibilities:

A comprehensive desk review, responding to the agreed research questions, of available academic and grey literature, research papers, assessments, evaluations, policy documents and institutional reports relating to gender and climate mobility. The consultant will build explicitly on findings from the 2023 National Assessment, avoiding duplication of descriptive content covered in that study.

• Map the existing evidence base, building explicitly on the Assessment on Linkages Between Climate Change and Migration in Sri Lanka and related major studies to extract and reframe gender-relevant insights for programming and policy development, and avoiding duplication of descriptive content covered therein.

  
  

• Analyse gendered dimensions of climate mobility, including key gendered impact pathways that explain how social norms, roles, labour responsibilities and power dynamics shape differentiated outcomes for women, men, boys, girls and marginalized gender groups.

• Assess methodological approaches used to examine gender dimensions of climate mobility, including the quality of sex, age and disability-disaggregated data, use of intersectional methods, and representation of marginalized and at-risk groups.

  
  

• Identify key knowledge gaps in understanding the gender–climate mobility nexus, with attention to gaps not fully covered in previous assessments, including geographic gaps, thematic gaps, data limitations, and policy–practice disconnects.

• Assess the extent to which national disaster and climate-related policies, institutional frameworks and programmes incorporate gender dimensions of climate mobility, identifying opportunities for improved alignment.

  
  

• Develop a concise intersectional gap map (gender × age × disability × livelihood × mobility type) to highlight where evidence is strong, partial, or absent.

• Provide practical recommendations to address gaps in research, policy, and programming, highlighting feasible entry points for community-level and national-level interventions, including:

  
  

  – Identify 2–4 priority districts or communities where climate mobility pressures and gendered vulnerabilities intersect strongly and further research is necessary and suggest relevant methodology and tools for further research.

  – Provide clear suggestions for the inclusion of gender dimensions of climate mobility into relevant policies.
  – Identify 3–4 priority programming areas where gender-responsive climate mobility interventions could be piloted with communities, local partners, and government institutions.

  
  
  

  Use stakeholder consultations primarily for validation and co-creation of recommendations and programming options, rather than for additional descriptive data collection. Consultant will be required to work on the deliverables based on the agreed timelines and shall report to the Project manager of the progress of the project activities, as agreed. Products will be reviewed by IOM and comments are expected to be incorporated ensuring the quality of the expected products in a timely manner.

  Performance Indicators for Evaluation of Results

  
  

• Timely submission of deliverables.

• 
  

  Comprehensiveness of literature coverage including the most relevant and timely literature (e.g. the
  past 5-8 years).

  
  
  

• Effective engagement with stakeholders.

• Effectively considers comments from reviews.

  
  

• Research comprehensively but concisely responding to the agreed research questions including SMART recommendations created collaboratively with relevant stakeholders.

• Quality of written outputs, including the final report (max 25 pages), in alignment with IOM House Style manual.

  
  

• A quality knowledge product that will be publishable.

  Travel
  Consultant will be required to carry out official travel when applicable.

  
  

  Required Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Master’s Degree / University Degree in the field of Gender Studies, Development Studies, Climate Change, Migration Studies, Sociology or any other relevant field from an accredited academic institution.

  
  

• Minimum 7 years of experience in gender analysis, climate change, disaster risk reduction or migration research.

• Experience working with UN agencies or government institutions is desirable.

  
  

• Demonstrated experience conducting literature reviews or policy research

• Strong knowledge of Sri Lanka’s gender and disaster governance frameworks

  
  

• Proven analytical and report-writing skills.

  Languages
  Fluency in English (knowledge of Sinhala and/or Tamil will be an asset).

  
  

  Required Competencies

  
  

  Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

• Integrity and transparency: maintain high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

  
  

• Professionalism: demonstrates the ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

  Core Competencies – Behavioural indicators – level 1

  
  

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

  
  

• Managing and sharing knowledge continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

  
  

• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

  Other:
  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment and successful reference checks.

  
  

How to apply:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications with the following documents:
a. Detailed bio data
b. Cover letter demonstrating experience on prior research and assessments relevant to Gender, Migration, Displacement, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Resilience.
c. Two (2) Examples of written products relevant to the thematic area, such as publications.
d. Technical and Financial Proposal
• The technical proposal should include a Proposed methodology, examples of suggested policies and literature to be reviewed, order of conduct of the activities with a proposed timeline.
• The financial proposal for payments- including the total cost of assignment such as consultancy fees and other miscellaneous costs.

Kindy submit your application via email to HRSRILANKA@iom.int indicating position title on subject line by 11.59 PM on Tuesday 07th April 2026.

Applications without the above-mentioned will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Posting period: From 01.04.2026 to 07.04.2026

No Fees: IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts during the selection process.

Tagged as: Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihoods