The climate crisis is a growing threat to human health, profoundly undermining sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and fueling a rise in gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices, placing the most vulnerable at even greater risk.
Despite growing evidence, the integration of these critical issues into national climate action remains alarmingly inadequate. A 2023 UNFPA and Queen Mary University of London review found that only 38 out of 119 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) explicitly address SRHR, GBV and harmful practices, stemming from insufficient national data, limited awareness, policy integration guidelines and climate financing opportunities.
In response to the observed gaps in the NDC reviews, and an identified demand for technical guidance from key stakeholders including UNFPA country offices, we present Taking Action: A handbook for integrating SRHR, GBV and harmful practices into national climate policies and action, UNFPA’s technical guide. This document provides national and sub-national stakeholders with actionable steps, good practices, and tools to effectively integrate these considerations into NDCs and other relevant national development and sectoral policies/plans.
With six sections, covering SRHR and climate intersections, current NDC reflections, a proposed integration checklist, actionable steps for integration into climate policies and useful resources, this handbook aims to strengthen national capacity, contributing to the development of a sustainable, gender-transformative and human-centred climate future.