Bridging the Climate-Gender-Health Nexus:

According to the latest World Health Organization scoping review on climate and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, dozens of studies have explored how climate change affects women’s reproductive health, newborn health, and increases in sexual and gender-based violence. However, evidence linking climate to broader aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights is still largely unavailable. The diagrams below, produced by YLabs as part of the Climate x SRH resource hub, depict several examples of how climate change directly and indirectly impacts women's and girls' SRHR.

The evidence shows that climate change disproportionately affects women's and girls' health, which is often experienced in compounding ways that multiply health and mortality risks. Yet, SRHR programs globally are perpetually under-funded. Budget shortfalls caused by unfulfilled national commitments, shifts in philanthropic strategies, and political swings in donor countries that result in constant restructuring of foreign aid contribute to a dearth of funding. Consequently, low-income countries face enormous out-of-pocket expenditures to cover basic health gaps and provide essential SRHR services.

Inaction is not an option for the global community. As climate threats become more frequent and intense, urgent adaptation to ensure the survival of current and future generations becomes a necessity. By maintaining the status quo, we risk:

1. A reduced return on investment on current and future women’s health initiatives, and a reversal of the progress made on gender and SRHR outcomes over the last 50 years.
2. Misdiagnosing factors that contribute to poor health or gender equity outcomes due to incomplete understanding of the drivers of the problem, including how climate affects SRHR.
3. Becoming trapped in a cycle of reactive funding and programming to crises, instead of planning proactive, future-looking strategies.

This Funder's Starter Guide is a starting point. We invite you to explore ways to strategically increase funding at the climate-SRHR intersection and learn about innovative organizations driving change in their communities. Each section covers one of five pillars, featuring recommendations for programmatic approaches that can complement existing funding strategies, and spotlighting investment-ready organizations that are well positioned to further scale with additional funding.

With collective action, we can advance equitable and resilient climate-health solutions that secure women's and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Methodology and Disclaimer

The list of featured organizations throughout the Funder's Starter Guide is not comprehensive. Given that current funding dedicated to the intersection of climate-SRHR work is sparse, we offer examples of effective solutions to cultivate global learning and exchanges. The Climate x SRHR initiative team at Panorama Global curated the list of featured organizations based on the following criteria:

• Existing and previous Panorama Global grantees (noted with asterisks throughout the Funder's Starter Guide) with proven progress at the intersection of climate and SRHR, evidenced through research publications, contributions to government National Adaptation Plans and Health National Adaptation Plans, and increased government budgets.
• Partners and collaborators that consistently advocate for the intersection of climate and SRHR by attending and hosting sessions at regional, national, and global events and/or publishing research highlighting the linkages and effective solutions.
• Desk research and informal interviews with organizations with missions and/or projects that focus on the intersection of climate and SRHR.

Panorama Global seeks to increase collaboration with additional partners working and funding the climate-gender-health nexus to expand this Funder's Starter Guide in the future. Please contact us to share feedback, learn more about the organizations listed, or to recommend additional organizations, networks, or advocacy efforts at the climate-SRHR nexus.