Catalyzing Impact for Women’s Health and Rights in a Changing Climate
A framework to guide synergistic investments in climate action and sexual and reproductive health and rights
Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century, with severe implications for women and girls’ sexual reproductive health, rights, and agency.
Destruction of healthcare services, lack of access to contraception, and the rise of gender-based violence during climate disasters or forced migration perpetuate a vicious cycle of inequality for women and girls.
Without action, 14 million women risk losing access to contraception over the next decade due to climate-related displacement, leading to additional unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.
(MSI 2021)
Failing to systematically consider the impacts of climate change on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)— and the need to integrate climate resilience and mitigation measures in health initiatives— can lead to ineffective investments and misuse of resources. These risks include:
Backsliding on SRHR and gender equality outcomes
Mis-diagnosis of barriers to programmatic impact
Reactive “whack-a-mole” funding in response to crises rather than proactive future-looking funding strategies
However, through integrated investment and action, climate, health, and gender-equality, funders are extraordinarily well-positioned to support synergistic investments that can have an impact-multiplier effect on climate resilience and SRHR.
Who is this framework for?
This framework is designed to support funders who are:
Worried about the impacts of climate change on women’s health and rights, but aren’t sure how to practically assess gendered climate risk and opportunity within their own portfolio;
Siloed from climate and/or health and gender actors and need guidance on how to effectively work together to support synergistic investments;
Ready to explore, invest, and innovate at the intersection of climate, gender, and health but don’t know what kind of investments are needed.
