As we observe Earth Day, I am again reminded that there will be no climate justice unless there is reproductive justice. Findings from an Ipas research project conducted in Mozambique and Bangladesh—countries frequently battered by cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather events—highlight the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and the need for women-led climate justice. 

Our research and the stories we’ve heard from women tell us that climate change affects their lives in multiple ways, such as their contraceptive use, their decisions whether to have children, their pregnancy outcomes, their vulnerability to gender-based violence, their economic roles, and their sexual health.   

Women and girls play an integral role in helping their families and communities survive and build resiliency in the face of climate crises. Yet they bear the greatest burden and are systematically left out of solutions. At Ipas, we’re working hard to change that. Our work to promote women-led climate justice and reproductive justice will continue, because we believe both are central to global development and stability. 

Join me this Earth Day—and every day—in making these connections, and lifting up the power of women, young people and their communities in shaping a healthier, more just world.

In solidarity,


Anu Kumar 
Ipas President and CEO