United States: The United Nations (UN) has warned that only a third of countries have sexual and reproductive health in their national plans to deal with the climate crisis.
According to a report published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Queen Mary University of London, out of 119 countries that have published plans, only 38 include access to contraception as well as maternal and newborn health services. Also, just 15 countries make any reference to violence against women.
The report is the first to examine whether climate plans refer to sexual and reproductive health. It urges more countries to learn about the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on women and girls as well as to take more action.
According to the authors, the climate crisis has intensified existing inequalities. For example, in east and southern Africa, tropical cyclones have damaged health facilities, disrupting access to maternal health services and helping spread waterborne diseases such as cholera.
Hurricanes and droughts increase the risks of gender-based violence and child marriage, it added, as families under stress are less able to support daughters and seek to marry them off.
Ms. Angela Baschieri, an adviser on population and development for UNFPA and one of the report’s authors, commented that “if we look at the plan of action for women and girls, national plans show there is more work that could be done. We know climate change disproportionately affects women and is not gender neutral, so there is a need to address those gaps and impacts.”
“Climate is setting us back on the fight for gender equality. Our point would be to make sure that climate policy recognises the differential impact on women and takes it into account in the design of policy,” Ms. Baschieri added.
According to the report, Paraguay, the Seychelles, and Benin have specified the need to build climate-resilient health systems that allow women to give birth safely and access health services.Nine countries, including El Salvador, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, have included policies or interventions to address gender-based violence.
The analysis noted that only Dominica has mentioned the need for contraception, despite evidence of disruptions to family planning services during climate-related disasters. Furthermore, Vietnam is the only country to acknowledge that child marriage occurs more often during times of crisis as families seek to reduce their economic burden.
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