Executive Overview
In July 2025, the Global Symposium on Climate Justice and Impacted Populations convened 590 participants from 108 countries in Brasília. The conference established a definitive global consensus: the climate crisis is inherently a crisis of inequality. Lasting climate resilience cannot be achieved without addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV). The resulting report outlines the strongest evidence, lived experiences and strategic pathways emerging from the symposium and its Brasília Call to Action across seven core areas:
Key Thematic Pillars
- The Inequality Crisis & Intersectional Pathways: Climate change acts as a "threat multiplier" that exacerbates existing social hierarchies. The report introduces the concept of "sacrifice zones"—neglected territories inhabited by Indigenous and marginalized communities facing compounded environmental risks. True progress requires decolonizing climate governance, movingIndigenous women from aid beneficiaries to recognized decision-makers.
- The Invisible Health Crisis: A direct biological link exists between rising temperatures and deteriorating maternal health. Extreme heat and pollution correlate heavily with gestational diabetes, maternal hypertension, and spontaneous abortions. Current health responses risk "maladaptation" if emergency facilities fail to provide private, gender-responsive SRHR care.
- The Violence of Scarcity: Resource depletion accelerates GBV. As food and water disappear, women are frequently exposed to sexual violence, trafficking, or forced to exchange sex for basic needs. Economic stress similarly drives harmful practices that forces girls out of school and into early marriage.
- The Data Revolution: Traditional climate models suffer from an "urban blind spot," overlooking informal settlements. The report advocates for "Demographic Intelligence"—overlaying geospatial climate maps with georeferenced population data to implement life-saving anticipatory actions before disasters strike.
- Feminist Climate Finance: Currently, only 2.4% of climate Official Development Assistance targets gender as a principal objective. The brief demands flexible, localized funding models and insists that assessments and quantifications for "Loss and Damage" account for non-economic losses, such as psychological trauma and the erosion of bodily autonomy.
- Ground-Up Solutions & Just Transitions: Environmental preservation is intrinsically tied to gender equality. Ecosystem-based adaptation functions best when women possess complete reproductive autonomy. Furthermore, a green energy transition provides economic opportunities if all women are integrated into renewable energy leadership.
Forward Priorities
The Brasília Call to Action challenges global negotiators to implement four key items at upcoming and future climate summits: the Belém Health Action Plan, a measurable UNFCCC Gender Action Plan, intersectional indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, and expanding voluntary partnerships for gender-responsive just transitions.
