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OCTOBER 2025

"[Women and girls need to be equipped with the] confidence to say no when she needs to, and yes when she chooses to”

Saina Sarin, founder of Project Kamakhya, India, speaking at Rights and Choices in Action ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child.

This month we celebrated the annual International Day of the Girl Child, with the theme, ‘Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis’. Climate change, driven by human activity, directly affects girls' lives and reproductive choices.

For many communities on the frontline of the climate crisis, extreme weather events heighten fears for girls’ safety, prompting families to arrange early marriages in search of security.

Climate pressures disrupt livelihoods, forcing girls out of school to help at home, limiting their opportunities for the future.

To truly advance girls’ lives and rights, we need to confront the interconnections between population growth, gender inequality, and climate change. These challenges affect everyone, but their consequences fall hardest on the most vulnerable- denying girls and women the right to make choices about their own lives and futures.

IUCN: The Rights of Nature

Every 4 years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together global conservation experts and policy makers to set priorities for the years ahead. This October, we joined the congress to ensure population dynamics, and their links to environmental sustainability, are part of those conversations, and to connect with partners working toward shared goals.

While there, we joined delegates in a historic vote to recognise ecocide as an international crime. This decision means that severe harm to nature could now be prosecuted under national and international law. It’s a vital step towards making environmental protection a legal obligation, rather than an option. The motion passed with strong support from governments, NGOs and Indigenous organisations.

The decision reflects a [growing movement]([link removed]) that challenges the idea of nature as human property that we own or manage. Globally, we’re already seeing this shift in mindset taking shape- from Sweden where researchers are exploring legal rights for Lake Vättern, to discussions about granting similar protections to the Baltic Sea.

[Read more about the ecocide motion]([link removed])

Population and Health in Nigeria

Building on a two-year collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), our team travelled to Abuja, Nigeria to join workshops with community representatives, government officials and policy makers. Together, we explored the drivers and impacts of high population growth in one of the world’s fastest-growing nations.

Drawing on these insights, we called on the Nigerian government to adopt a stronger, evidence-based approach to addressing the roots causes; primarily unmet family planning needs and limited access to education.

[View the photo essay]([link removed])

FUNDRAISING

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Population Matters supporter Marc Braddock is spending this month walking nearly 800km of the Camino de Santiago - from the French side of the Pyrenees to Santiago in western Spain - to raise funds for our work!

You can [read about his inspiration]([link removed]) follow Marc’s incredible journey on his [YouTube channel!]([link removed])

Feeling inspired to take on your own challenge for a good cause?[Get in touch](mailto:[email protected]) with our fundraising team to find out how you can get involved.

The Big Give Christmas Appeal

You don’t have to walk across Europe to make a difference!

This December, Population Matters are holding our 5th annual Big Give Christmas appeal, where all donations made are doubled at no further cost to you. It’s for one week only, so if you’re interested in supporting our work into 2026 and beyond, you can register to be the first to know!

[Register to be notified when it opens!]([link removed])

Stay tuned this coming month for:

- Updates from Sierra Leone: our first Empower to Plan partner on what your funds have helped make possible

- All the latest from COP30

- What Black Friday and consumption-culture means for our planet

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