Call summary :

Purpose

The purpose of this grant is to generate evidence-based insights into how disaster risks and early warning messages are perceived, trusted, and acted upon by women, girls, persons with disabilities facing intersecting vulnerabilities due to age, migration status, ethnicity, remoteness or socioeconomic status in five border communities in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Cambodia. The findings will directly inform the design of more inclusive, accessible, and actionable early warning communication strategies, plans and standard operating procedures in view of the principle of No One Left Behind.

Outcome

Improved understanding of the social, cultural, linguistic, technological, and psychological factors that influence how communities, particularly women, girls, persons with disabilities with intersecting vulnerabilities due to age, migration status, ethnicity, remoteness or socioeconomic status perceive, trust, and act on early warning messages in five disaster-prone border areas in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Cambodia.

Output

- A comprehensive analysis report, informed by local community stakeholders (women, girls and persons with disabilities and their organizations), will be produced based on research conducted in five targeted border provinces across Thailand, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. The report will be submitted as a single document comprising five distinct parts - each corresponding to one of the communities studied (all in English and in Thai, Laotian or Khmer, depending on the community). It will synthesize key findings, emerging patterns, and actionable insights to inform the design of inclusive and accessible risk communication strategies, plans and/or standard operating procedures for early warning systems. The research will explore disaster risk experiences, knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of women, girls and persons with disabilities with intersecting vulnerabilities due to age, migration status, ethnicity, remoteness or socioeconomic status. This includes their perspectives and interactions with past early warning messages - what communication channels they received message, whether they received, understood, and how to respond to these warnings, and the reasons behind their actions or inactions - as well as their preferred and trusted communication channels for receiving early warnings. The report will be grounded in disaggregated data (by sex, age, and disability status) to ensure the diverse needs and experiences of at-risk populations are adequately reflected.

In addition, the report will incorporate an analysis of the link between environmental degradation and disaster risk, particularly for vulnerable groups. This includes examining how deforestation, land degradation, and other environmental stressors influence exposure, preparedness levels, and response capacities. By integrating these environmental dimensions, the research aims to provide a more holistic understanding of disaster risk dynamics and their intersection with social vulnerabilities.

- Validation of the research findings carried out with the local communities and local authorities in the five selected border communities, with actionable recommendations shared with national stakeholders.

- As part of crisis communication platforms, support the conduct of interactive workshops in the five selected border communities that empower the platform members to collaboratively understand the root causes of delayed or non-existent responses to early warnings in at-risk communities. This activity is co-facilitated by a civil society organization / civil society organizations.

Suggested activities

- Establish a research team with experience and knowledge of the suggested geographic regions in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia.
- Desk review and development of research protocols aligned with UNDRR’s Risk Communication for Early Action: Guide for Essential Research (2024).
- Co-design and delivery of participatory research in five selected border communities in:
Thailand (Mae Hong Son, Nan, Ubon Ratchathani, or Chang Rai - provinces to be confirmed)
Lao PDR (Champasak - province to be confirmed)
Cambodia (Stung Treng - provinces to be confirmed)
- Focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and community-based consultations with women, girls, and persons with disabilities and their organizations.
Field data collection and transcription, ensuring ethical standards and accessibility.
Analysis and validation workshops with communities and local government counterparts.
Preparation of final research reports and presentations to inform subsequent risk communication and capacity-building components of the project.
Validation sessions