In Sri Lanka, GGGI is partnering with the Climate Change Secretariat (CCS) of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) to implement the GCF Readiness project “Mobilizing International and Domestic Climate Finance and Private Investments for Climate Resilience in Sri Lanka”. This project enhances institutional capacities at the national and provincial levels, strengthens frameworks for climate finance mobilization, and enables private sector engagement in climate-resilient investments.

This work builds directly on the achievements of the earlier GCF-funded National Adaptation Plan Readiness Support (GCF-NAPRS) Project, which supported the preparation of Sri Lanka’s revised National Adaptation Plan (2026-2035) and nine Provincial Adaptation Plans (PAPs). The NAPRS project also helped establish Provincial Climate Institutions (Provincial Climate Committees, PCCs) and Provincial Climate Units, PCUs), conducted provincial capacity needs assessments, delivered trainings, and developed provincial climate exposure and hotspot maps as evidence for adaptation planning.

While these steps laid a strong foundation, provincial statutes and legal frameworks still require updating and strengthening to reflect emerging climate risks, gender and social inclusion (GESI), and disaster risk reduction. Without statutory alignment, the ability of provincial governments to access climate finance and operationalize adaptation strategies remains constrained.

Complementing the policy gap assessment parallelly being carried out by the Climate Policy Expert Consultant, the Legal Consultant will focus on translating policy findings into statutory reforms. This includes identifying legal gaps, drafting statutory amendments or provisions, and facilitating consultations with provincial councils and stakeholders. The consultancy will also pilot translating policy gap findings of a selected local authority towards recommendations for necessary amendments into bylaws for future scaling up. Together, the Policy and Legal Consultants will ensure that reforms are not only technically sound but also legally enforceable, providing a robust foundation for mobilizing climate finance and private investments across all nine provinces.

This consultancy will be implemented in close coordination with other thematic consultants to ensure cross-sectoral alignment and integration.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1. Conduct a detailed legal review to identify relevant statutes across the 9 Provincial Councils related to key 13 climate change vulnerable sectors such as agriculture, water management, health, energy, infrastructure, and others under the NAP and PAPs.
2. Compile a database of these statutes, categorizing them by sector and highlighting their relevance to climate action and resilience building.
3. Conduct a legal review of the identified statutes to assess their alignment with national climate policies (e.g., NAP, NDCs) and international commitments (e.g., Paris Agreement, UNFCCC decisions).
4. Identify legal gaps where existing statutes do not adequately address or incorporate climate actions, with a focus on resilience-building, disaster risk management, and GESI integration.
5. Analyze how statutes could be reformed or enhanced to better mainstream climate adaptation strategies at the provincial level.
6. Provide detailed recommendations on statutory updates or new provisions, ensuring alignment with national and international climate frameworks.
7. Assist in drafting statutory amendments or new provisions tailored for each Provincial Council, ensuring practicality and enforceability.
8. Pilot the application of policy and legal review findings at a selected local authority (e.g., a Municipal or Urban Council), focusing on translating policy gaps into strengthening policy (bylaw) via amendments. Ensure the pilot application and outcomes are documented.
9. Provide legal advisory support during provincial-level consultations to explain reforms and implications for climate action.
10. Collaborate with the IT Expert Consultant to ensure that the compiled database of provincial statutes is structured, formatted, and tagged for integration into the digital training and knowledge-sharing platform.
11. Provide guidance on metadata standards, data privacy, and access levels (public/internal) for the legal database to support provincial and national users
12. Prepare a consolidated legal reform report documenting statute identification, gap analysis, and recommendations for updating or drafting new statutes.

**These objectives are designed to complement the policy gap assessment of the Climate Expert Consultant, ensuring that policy recommendations are translated into implementable statutory/policy instruments.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

Education & Professional Experience

• Licensed legal professional with 5-8 years of expertise in environmental law, governance, and climate change.
• Demonstrated experience in legal review, statutory reform, or governance frameworks, ideally within provincial or governmental systems.
• Strong understanding of Sri Lanka’s legal system, climate policies, and international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC decisions.
• Proven ability to identify and address legal gaps in the context of climate resilience and adaptation.
• Experience working jointly with policy experts, provincial councils, and technical consultants on integrated policy–legal reform processes.

Functional Competencies

• Excellent research, drafting, and analytical skills with the ability to translate legal analysis into actionable recommendations.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills to engage effectively with provincial stakeholders and simplify complex legal concepts.
• Experience in collaborative legal reform processes, particularly involving multiple levels of government.
• Proactive, punctual, and able to meet deadlines under pressure.