Climate change can increase disaster risk by altering the frequency and intensity of hazard events, affecting vulnerability to hazards, and changing exposure patterns. In the context of changing climate, the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has been emphasized in the UN Sendai Framework for DRR 2015–2030 which laid out a pathway for DRR highlighting the ‘‘more dedicated action needs to be focused on tackling underlying disaster risk drivers, such as the consequences of climate change”.

CCA-DRR is designed to develop research capacities amongst academic staff members of UK and Sri Lanka, in “tackling climate change as an underlying disaster risk driver”. Under this initiative, Dr. U.L. Abdul Majeed from Faculty of Technology, Dr. M.H. Haroon from the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and Dr. A. M. A. Saja from the Faculty of Engineering participated in the two weeks program with a multi-disciplinary team of academics from Sri Lankan Universities and University of Huddersfield, UK from 26 June to 7 July 2023. This staff exchange program led by the Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK. Professor. Dilanthi Amaratunga, Professor. Richard Haigh, and Dr. Chamindi Malalgoda from the University of Huddersfield, UK organized and conducted this program.

The visiting team from eight Sri Lankan universities have developed a research road map in on CCA-DRR for Sri Lanka, an initiative for tackling the most pressing contemporary issues of climate change and disaster risks of the present time. The program purpose was to build the capacity of Sri Lankan university researchers to integrate CCA and DRR in Sri Lanka. Some 37 academics representing 8 Sri Lankan universities (University of Moratuwa, University of Colombo, University of Peradeniya, University of Ruhuna, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, and South Eastern University of Sri Lanka), and University of Huddersfield, UK researchers participated in this program.