Research capacity development, on the CCA-DRR is one of the most critical challenges facing Higher Education Institutes in Sri Lanka, and the proposed staff exchange programme will therefore address some of the most pressing issues for researchers and universities, in the context of building and sustaining research capacity. Eventually, it is expected that these gaps in the knowledge will be filled, providing better and timely recovery for disaster-affected communities. To help build resilience to climate and disaster risks, countries must be supported to identify and leverage relevant technical, financial, and organizational capacities in all sectors of society.

In this context, this international symposium is organised as part of the Research Training Network on Tackling Climate Change as an Underlying Disaster Risk Driver (CCA-DRR). It is designed as a research capacity-building and awareness programme targeting climate change and disaster management researchers in 8 higher education institutions in Sri Lanka.

The International Symposium has 37 research presentations structured across 5 key themes and 2-panel discussions. The key themes include:

• Theme 1: Climate change action for resilience in agricultural and food systems
• Theme 2: Climate change adaptation for coastal ecosystems and flood management
• Theme 3: Business continuity, policy and governance
• Theme 4: Climate change adaptation in the built environment
• Theme 5: Climate change risk management

The Symposium programme was designed with the expectation of developing a roadmap that reviews the current state of CAA and DRR and sets out the work required and major challenges and opportunities to advance the dialogue between the CAA and DRR communities.