WUNRN
Climate Change & Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights in Bangladesh, Indonesia, & The Philippines
Direct Link to Full 32-Page 2014 ARROW Publication:
http://arrow.org.my/download/Scoping%20Study%20-%20Climate%20Change%20and%20SRHR.pdf
INTRODUCTION
Today more than ever, there is growing
evidence that the world is experiencing climate change, which will have a
profound impact on people and the planet. Adaptation and mitigation strategies
to address
global climate change will also need to
address deep-seated inequities and inequalities to be effective and meet the
needs of those most at risk from climate change’s negative impact. Currently,
there exists very limited evidence and studies on the critical relationship
between sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and climate change.
The relationship may seem indirect, but as the impacts of climate change are
more regularly and intensely felt, the lack of attention to SRHR in the context
of climate change may present greater challenges to poor and marginalised
people in the Asia-Pacific region.
The aim of this scoping study is provide
an important basis and guidance for addressing gender equality and SRHR in the
context of climate change. The findings of this scoping study reveal that
gender
equality objectives are being
mainstreamed and incorporated in national level adaptation plans and policies,
particularly in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, the degree
to which these gender
equality objectives are being
operationalised, through appropriate and sustained allocation of human and financial
resources along with political leadership and commitment, remains uncertain.
In our study, we recommend the following:
• Continue building the evidence and
collect necessary data to inform and improve policy making and
programs aimed at addressing the
challenges to women’s universal access to SRHR in the context of
climate change;
• Build on the progress that has been
made to date and deliver on existing gender equality and sexual
and reproductive health commitments, as a
measure to support the resilience and adaptive capacity
of women and girls; and
• Support and engage women and
organisations seeking sexual and reproductive health and equality
in climate change adaptation and
mitigation at the national, regional, and international levels.
Purpose of the Study
ARROW works in the Asia-Pacific region,
in an environment where climate change is already negatively affecting the
region and the lives of women and girls, including their SRHR. While our work
has always
understood SRHR to be firmly placed
within the sustainable development agenda, ARROW began its focus on Climate
Change in 2009.
This paper serves to inform the basis for
ARROW’s continued engagement with how climate change affects SRHR to flesh out
a better understand of the relationship between the two. ARROW believes
that without decisive action to address
gender inequality, climate change will reproduce and exacerbate structural
inequalities that impede the advancement of SRHR, as well as other important
development goals.
We believe that women are positive agents
in responding to the climate crises and must play an important part of their
national climate change processes. Their knowledge, skills, and participation
are fundamental to developing effective responses to climate change at the
community, national, and international levels.
We also believe that women’s
organisations play a pivotal role in maintaining the momentum for the
advancement of SRHR and, through their advocacy and activism, can ensure that
these rights are not
precluded from national policies and
action plans that address climate change. The purpose of this scoping study is
to identify the inter-linkages between climate change and SRHR. We examined
three country-level responses to climate change and how they consider SRHR, and
present some of the climate related vulnerabilities faced by women and girls.
The countries that we examined are
Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The study also considers gaps in
policies, laws and national plans on climate change with regards to gender
equality and SRHR. It also identifies possible entry points for effective
engagement on the inter-linkages between climate change and SRHR and necessary
action by governments, civil society, the international community, and donors.
It makes recommendations on opportunities to incorporate SRHR issues into
national level action around climate change, including existing 4 arrow working
papers climate change processes on adaptation and mitigation, as a
pathway to build resilient communities, especially of women and girls, to adapt
to climate change.
Methodology
This scoping study of the inter-linkages
between climate change and SRHR in, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines
is informed by a desk review of key documents and individual interviews with
ARROW
partners. Key informant interviews
involved a wide pool of expertise in the fields of gender equality, SRHR,
climate change adaptation, climate finance, and public health.
The lack of available literature on the
relationship between climate change and SRHR was a major limitation of this
study, and what little information that is available needed to be synthesised
systematically.
While the relationship between SRHR and
climate change is just beginning to be understood, we hope that this paper will
serve as a point of departure for others working to examine these
inter-linkages from a rights-based perspective.