Policy Brief
Leveraging Social Registries for Climate Action in Sri Lanka
SAVING LIVES CHANGING LIVES
Social protection can play a key role in supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation by providing income protection to those affected by climate shocks and disasters and facilitating a green economy transition through skill development and employment opportunities. To enhance their effectiveness in responding to climate shocks, social protection systems require robust data on population characteristics and detailed information about the intensity and likelihood of potential shocks. However, many countries operate with social registries1 focused on collecting data to assess chronic poverty based on proxies that are fixed or change slowly over time, limiting their ability to predict and respond to climate shocks effectively. This brief provides recommendations for enhancing the quality of social registry data and integrating it with climate risk information. These measures aim to improve the identification of vulnerable populations and inform the design of adaptive and shock-responsive social protection interventions to support climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
1. A social registry is a database or system that contains information on households and individuals within a specific population. Its purpose is to provide a centralized and up-to-date data source that can be used for targeting, planning, and implementing social protection programs.
December 2024