ThaiNGO

Terms of Reference

Climate Risk & Livelihood Adaptation Assessment and

Pre-Risk Planning Assessment with a Focus on Community Youth Readiness in Southern Thailand

1.About Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and promoting equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child, recognizing that poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination often suppress this potential especially for girls in all their diversity.

Together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan International strives for a just world by addressing the root causes of challenges faced by girls and vulnerable children. We support children from birth to adulthood, helping them prepare for and respond to crises, while influencing policy and practice at local, national, and global levels. Through strong partnerships and innovative approaches, we drive sustainable and long-term change.

With over 85 years of experience across more than 80 countries, including over four decades of dedicated work in Thailand, Plan International is committed to creating a world where every child can learn, lead, decide, and thrive free from discrimination, inequality, and violence.

2.Background                 

Plan International Thailand is a leading child rights and humanitarian organization committed to advancing equality for girls and promoting the rights of all children. With extensive experience in disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, and community resilience, the organization works closely with children, youth, and communities to strengthen their capacity to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to emerging risks.

In recent years, the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation have intensified across Thailand, particularly in coastal and southern regions. Provinces such as Songkhla and Satun are increasingly experiencing climate-related hazards including coastal erosion, flooding, extreme rainfall, and changing marine and ecosystem conditions. These risks have significant implications for local livelihoods especially for communities dependent on fisheries, agriculture, tourism, and coastal resources. The impacts are often disproportionate for vulnerable populations, including children, youth, women, migrant communities, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, who frequently face limited access to resources, decision-making spaces, and climate adaptation support.

In particular, there is limited understanding of how communities and young people can anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate-related risks before they escalate into crises, and how local systems can better support such proactive approaches.

To address this gap, Plan International Thailand will conduct a Climate Risk and Livelihood Adaptation Assessment with a Pre-Risk Planning Focus in Songkhla and Satun provinces. The study will generate practical insights to support community-level preparedness, youth engagement, and inclusive climate resilience programming.

Rather than producing a strict ranking, the assessment will adopt a comparative and contextual approach to identify patterns, differences, and priority areas across locations, and will develop a Pre-Risk Readiness Framework to guide future interventions.

3.Objective

To generate actionable, context-specific evidence on climate risks, livelihood vulnerability, institutional preparedness, and community and youth readiness for pre-risk planning, in order to inform inclusive and locally grounded climate resilience programming in Southern Thailand.

Specific Objectives

1. To identify key climate hazards, trends, and exposure patterns in selected study areas
2. To access the preparedness and capacity of local institutions to support pre-risk planning and climate adaption.
3.  To analyze livelihood sensitivity, vulnerability, and existing adaptation practices among climate-affected communities.
4. To examine the roles, capacities, and barriers faced by youth and communities in anticipating and responding to climate risks.
5. To develop a practical Pre-Risk Readiness Framework (or simplified index) that reflects relative readiness across study areas and supports programme design.

4.Scope of Work

The consultant/team will conduct the assessment across Songkhla and Satun provinces which propose clear criteria exposure, livelihood systems and vulnerabilities profiles. Final site selection will be agreed with Plan International Thailand during the inception phase.

The assessment will operate across multiple levels of analysis, including district/community and household. As relevant to following four analytical components:

4.1 Climate Risk Profiling

• Review climate data, hazard maps, and environmental reports.
• Identify climate risk trends (flooding, coastal erosion, storms, etc.).
• Map vulnerable areas or climate risk hotspots.
• Analyze severity and frequency of climate hazards.

4.2 Institutional Preparedness for Pre-Risk Assessment Capacity

• Functionality and accessibility of early warning and climate information systems
• Coordination mechanisms across relevant agencies and stakeholders involved in climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction
• Availability of resources and financing mechanisms supporting preparedness and adaptation initiatives
• Capacity and effectiveness of local disaster risk reduction committees or community-based disaster management structures
• Local governance arrangements related to natural resource management and ecosystem resilience
• Identify institutional strengths and gaps in pre-risk planning and climate adaptation.

 4.3 Livelihood Sensitivity and Adaptation Gap

• Identify key livelihood systems affected by climate risks (e.g.,fisheries, agriculture, tourism), and map their value chains.
• Assess livelihood sensitivity and economic vulnerability.
• Identify existing adaptation practices and gaps in support.

4.4 Gender and Youth Adaptive Capacity

For the purpose of this study, youth adaptive capacity refers to the ability of young people to access information, participate in decision-making, and develop the skills and resources needed to anticipate, adapt to, and respond to climate-related risks. The analysis should consider several dimensions of youth adaptive capacity, including:

• Analyze gender-differentiated climate impacts.
• Youth access to climate information, risk awareness, and early warning systems
• Assess youth’ opportunities for youth participation and leardership in climate action and disaster risk reduction initiatives.
• Assess youth engagement in digital platforms and communication channels related to early warning and preparedness
• Assess on youth accessibility to skills and livelihood opportunities related to climate resilience, such as green jobs and climate-smart livelihoods

Identify barriers and opportunities for strengthening youth- and gender-responsive climate action.

5.Methodology

The consultant/team is expected to apply a mixed-methods approach, participatory and comparative assessment design, combining secondary data review, qualitative inquiry, quantitative analysis and community-based participatory tools. The methodology should be sufficiently rigorous to generate actionable evidence for programme design while remaining practical within the assignment timeframe. The overall analytical framework should be grounded in a climate risk lens, assessing the interaction between hazards, exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity with explicit attention to gender, age and social inclusion.

The study should be grounded in a climate risk and resilience framework, assessing the interaction between hazard exposure, vulnerability, adaptive capacity and readiness for pre risk planning.

5.1 Inception Phase

The assignment will begin with an inception phase to refine the research design and operational plan. The consultant/team will:

• refine analytical framework and research questions
• propose site selection criteria and sampling approach
• define sampling approach
• develop data collection tools
• propose Pre-Risk Readiness Framework
• prepare a detailed workplan for field implementation

5.2 Desk Review

A desk review will be conducted to synthesize existing evidence on climate risks, environmental trends, and livelihood systems in Southern Thailand. Sources may include:

• climate and hazard data
• provincial development plans and DRR policies
• livelihood and socio-economic datasets
• relevant research and policy reports

The desk review will help identify climate risk patterns, inform site selection, and highlight key evidence gaps for field investigation.

5.3 Site Selection

Fieldwork will take place in selected communities in Songkhla and Satun provinces. Study sites will be selected purposively based on:

• exposure to climate hazards
• diversity of livelihood systems
• presence of vulnerable populations
• relevance to future programming priorities

Approximately 3–4 communities per province are expected to be included, subject to feasibility and agreement with Plan International Thailand.

5.4 Qualitative Data Collection

Primary data collection will focus on qualitative research methods:

Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with relevant stakeholders such as:

• local government and DRR authorities
• civil society organizations
• community leaders
• youth representatives

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with community members, potentially including:

• youth groups
• women’s groups
• livelihood groups (e.g., fishers, farmers)
• climate-affected households

 5.5 Participatory Tools

Participatory methods will be used to capture local knowledge and strengthen community engagement. Possible tools include:

• community risk mapping
• seasonal climate calendars
• participatory discussions on local adaptation strategies

These tools will help identify local perceptions of risk, livelihood impacts, and existing coping mechanisms

5.6 Pre-Risk Readiness Framework

As part of the assessment, the consultant/team will develop a Pre-Risk Readiness Framework (or simplified index) to assess how prepared communities and local systems are to anticipate and manage climate risks.

The framework may consider dimensions such as:

• climate risk awareness and information access
• institutional preparedness and coordination
• livelihood resilience and adaptation options
• youth and community participation in climate action

The framework should use simple indicative categories (e.g., low, moderate, high readiness) rather than rigid ranking.

5.7 Data Analysis

Data Analysis will combine:

• thematic analysis of qualitative findings
• structured interpretation across study areas
• triangulation of desk review, interviews, and community data

The analysis will focus on identifying patterns, differences, and key factors influencing community and youth readiness for pre-risk planning.

6.Expected Deliverables

The consultant/team will deliver:

1) Inception Report

• Detailed methodology
• Tools/sampling
• Workplan and timeline
• Data collection tools

2) Climate Risk & Livelihood Assessment Report

• Climate risk analysis
• Institutional capacity assessment
• Livelihood vulnerability analysis
• Gender and youth adaptive capacity analysis
• Findings across all components
• Comparative insights
• Draft readiness framework

3) Validation Work shop and Presentation

4) Final Report

• Revised analysis which incorporating feedback from stakeholders
• Actionable recommendations
• Readiness framework

5) Annexes

• Tools
• Summary of participants
• Framework details

7.Duration and Timeline

The assessment is expected to be conducted over approximately 8–10 weeks, including:

1. Week 1–2: Inception and desk review
2. Week 3–6: Field data collection
3. Week 7–8: Data analysis
4. Week 9: Stakeholder validation
5. Week 10: Final report submission

 8.Required Qualifications

The consultant/team should demonstrate:

• Advanced degree in climate change, environmental studies, disaster risk management, development studies, or related fields
• Proven experience in climate risk assessment or climate adaptation
• Experience working in community-based research
• Strong understanding of gender equality and youth participation
• Familiarity with Thailand’s climate and DRR policy context
• Strong analytical and report writing skills in English and/or Thai
• Previous experience conducting climate change, environmental, or livelihood impact studies in Southern Thailand, particularly in Songkhla or Satun provinces, will be considered an advantage.

9. Ethics and Child Protection 

Plan International Thailand and hired consultant committed to ensure the rights of those who participating in developing content, data collection or analysis are respected and protected, in accordance with our Plan International’s Ethical Framework and Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy. The developing content and data collection team will be briefed on the child and youth safeguarding policy and sign on consent form before the developing content curriculum module, M&E tool in CSSF and/or data collection taking place. The personal data of the interviewees and participants will be kept as confidential and will not be publicized.

10. Reporting and Supervision

The consultant will work under the technical supervision of Plan International Thailand and coordinate closely with project staff and partner organisations. Regular check-ins will be held to monitor progress and provide guidance.

11. Applications

Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:

• Detailed response to the ToR with proposed details of methodology.
• Action plan detailing how the work will be done and how the objectives and deliverable above will be met, including proposed timeline.
• CVs of the researchers and the names of at least two references (these should be clients for whom you have conducted previous).
• Example of previous work
• Detailed budget, including daily fee rates, expenses, etc.

Please send your application to Thailand.procurement@plan-international.org by 20 April 2026 referencing; “Hire consultant for Climate Risk & Livelihood Adaptation Assessment and Pre-Risk Planning Assessment in Southern Thailand”

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

We reserve the right to extend the closing date at any time.