Of the 1.8 billion people who menstruate each month, 500 million are unable to adequately manage menstruation, leading to health, economic, and safety concerns. Menstruation remains a taboo topic that is often overlooked within health sectors. But recent attention from global health, international development, women’s empowerment, and humanitarian organizations has increased awareness for the impact of menstruation on women’s participation in societies and economies.

The 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda offered participants an opportunity to think deeply about gender equality, and the urgency of this moment in making progress was evident – even at a pre-conference event hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): Scaling Up Actions to End Preventable Maternal Deaths: Linkages with Family Planning, Bodily Autonomy and the Health Workforce.

Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population experiences some level of water scarcity—and an estimated one billion urban residents face unreliable drinking water supplies. This global water crisis not only has been recognized by the United Nations, but also prioritized for action as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: “Access to Water and Sanitation for All”.

Advances in reducing maternal mortality were seen all over the world in recent decades. Unfortunately, that progress now has stagnated, and immediate and decisive action is necessary to change the current trajectory.

A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Extreme Heat’s Toll on Pregnancy and Reproductive Health

Preliminary data collected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the first week of July 2023 was the hottest week on record. Recent global heatwaves also prompted a public health alert from the WMO concerning rising health risks.

Imagine trying to perform a C-section, or conduct a delivery, in a hospital with no light.

For hundreds of thousands of health workers, this is the reality they face each night. Close to 300,000 women and one million newborns (primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia) die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth each year. Hemorrhage, infection, eclampsia, obstructed labor, and unsafe abortion cause the majority of obstetric deaths— many of which could be prevented with access to timely emergency obstetric care.

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted an El Niño event between late 2023 and early 2024. El Niño is a complex climate phenomenon characterized by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator that typically happens every two to seven years. This phenomenon amplifies the likelihood of severe weather events in specific regions due to changes it creates in atmospheric circulation patterns, which escalate and initiate consequences for the environment, economy, and human health.