Climate change has a direct impact on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as it exacerbates existing challenges and creates new ones, according to the speakers at a recent roundtable.
In Bangladesh, the impact of climate change on SRHR is significant. Climate-related natural disasters, such as floods and cyclones, have disrupted access to healthcare services and family planning, leading to increased rates of unintended pregnancy and maternal mortality.
Women and girls are particularly vulnerable, as they often have limited access to resources and face gender-based violence during displacement. To address these challenges, it is important to integrate climate change and SRHR policy into disaster risk reduction and adaptation efforts in Bangladesh, said the speakers.
Share-Net International Rapid Improvement Model (SHIRIM) arranged the roundtable, titled “The linkage between Climate Change and Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at the policy level,” at an auditorium in the capital yesterday. Government and non-government officials, foreign donors, and experts working on climate change were among the participants.
The roundtable was hosted by the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and RedOrange Communications, with Dhaka Tribune as the media partner.
Kazi Zebunnesa Begum, additional secretary (WH Wing), Health Service Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, addressed the roundtable as the chief guest. Daniel Novak, first secretary (Health) and Program Specialist-SIDA, Embassy of Sweden, and Prof Tahmina Shirin, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, spoke as special guests.
The guest speakers included Masuma Billah, head of program, BRAC Gender Justice Department (former Share-Net Bangladesh CoP Management and SHIRIM expert), Md Azmal Hossain, MSS, MPH, MScPH, program analyst -urban health, UNFPA Bangladesh, Dr Halida H Akhter, senior associate, Center for Human Nutrition, Dept of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mushfiqua Zaman Satiar, senior adviser (SRHR and Gender), Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Bangladesh, among others.
Prof Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) chaired and Arnob Chakrabarty, Managing Director of RedOrange Media and Communications, moderated the roundtable. Nazneen Khan, researcher of ICCCAD, presented the keynote paper.
Kazi Zebunnesa Begum said: “The Health Ministry alone cannot do anything when it's about gender and climate change issues. I think we all need to come to a platform and work together.”
She also highlighted tobacco consumption and said: “One cigarette contributes 14-gram carbon dioxide to the environment. Active smokers and passive smokers, everyone is facing the same level of problems. Our National Board of Revenue (NBR) is getting more taxes, almost more than Tk22,000 crores from tobacco, but they don't calculate the health issues caused by tobacco consumption.”
The additional secretary called upon the organizers to arrange more initiatives in association with multiple ministries of Bangladesh to address climate change issues.
Tahmina Shirin said: “We have to fix who will do what. There should be a chain. We need funds from the government sector because the government has funds for disaster management, but after every disaster there are also health issues. We need funds to respond to this as well.”
Daniel Novak said: “When talking about climate change, we usually focus on coastal areas, but we almost forget about urban areas. We also need to think about urban areas.
“We need to think about sound and air pollution as well. We have to think about other health aspects of climate change, not only SRHR,” he added.
Mushfiqua Zaman said: “We have to analyze who are being most affected by this. Every one of us is included, because climate change will affect us all. We need to engage the youth and private sector as well. We cannot delay any more, our back is already at the wall.”
Masuma Billah said: “We are working in 64 districts to address this issue, but there is a lack of women's participation when we are working at the policy and implementation level.”
Azmal Hossain said: “At the end of the day, the government will initiate this. We are supporting the government.”
Tasnia Ahmed said: “People are not getting any kind of information and in some remote places they don't even know what reproductive health is, like in the char area of Bangladesh.”
She recommended including local values and leaders at the advocacy level.
Halida H Akhter said: “Women and girls are always backbenchers in case of any emergency. Women and children are 14 times more vulnerable during disasters in developing countries.”
She suggested that women's representation be increased at the policy level and be considered when forming programs.
Furthermore, she said the media has a strong responsibility to raise awareness of climate change and SRHR.
Professor Saleemul Huq said: “Every one of us knows what our role is in dealing with climate change, and you need to figure out what your role is. The outcome of this roundtable is to help people who are working in this sector.”
He also said: “Climate is like a nexus term, and we should coordinate this term with a lot of issues, like climate and women, and climate and gender.”
Arnob Chakrabarty said: “We need to look at our existing health and climate policies and ensure that SRHR is integrated in disaster preparedness and climate change response programs.”
