Peer-reviewed article
Advancing and scaling up sexual and reproductive health services for climate adaptation and resilience in Uganda.
Nakuya Kasekende N, Kabiswa C, Zake J, Kansiime MK ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for women and girls are addressed in Uganda's climate change policies. Researchers reviewed policy documents and interviewed 40 key informants and 321 community members in Buikwe District. While Uganda's climate policies acknowledge gender impacts, they lack concrete actions to protect SRH services during climate extremes. Climate change disrupts health infrastructure and increases gender-based violence, particularly affecting vulnerable women and girls.
Key points
- Uganda's climate policy frameworks acknowledge gender-differentiated climate impacts but fail to outline specific actions for SRH within adaptation and mitigation strategies
- Limited stakeholder awareness and weak institutional coordination are major barriers to integrating SRH into climate action
- Climate extremes damage critical infrastructure, disrupt SRH service access, and heighten risks of gender-based violence against women and girls
- Community respondents directly linked climate shocks to increased vulnerabilities in accessing sexual and reproductive health services
- Recommendations include prioritizing SRH in climate adaptation through resilient health systems, climate-resilient agricultural training, and vocational programs for women and girls
Limitations
This study focuses on policy integration and stakeholder perceptions rather than measuring health outcomes for children or adolescents. The qualitative research was limited to one district (Buikwe), so findings may not represent all of Uganda's regions.
Abstract
Background Climate change significantly affects Uganda's economy and human well-being, with disproportionate impacts on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services of women and girls. However, SRH remains largely absent from climate change policy frameworks. This study examines the extent to which SRH is integrated into Uganda's climate policy frameworks and explores stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of climate change on SRH to provide insights for more inclusive and integrated policies. Methods The study used a mixed-methods approach, combining policy document analysis with primary qualitative data. Key documents reviewed included climate change and health policies, strategies, plans, and national medium- and long-term development frameworks. Forty purposively selected key informants and 24 focus group discussions with 321 participants in Buikwe District were conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to identify key themes and gaps. Results Uganda's climate policy frameworks acknowledge the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change and highlight the importance of SRH services but fall short of outlining concrete actions to address SRH within climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Key informants highlighted limited stakeholder awareness and weak institutional coordination as major barriers to integrating SRH into climate action. Community respondents noted that climate extremes degrade critical infrastructure, disrupt access to SRH services and increase vulnerabilities, including a heightened risk of gender-based violence. Conclusions The impact of the climate crisis on SRH is increasingly evident, particularly for women and girls, yet Uganda's key climate policies still exhibit lack of concrete actions to address SRH vulnerabilities. Prioritizing SRH within climate adaptation efforts, especially through resilient health systems and livelihood support such as climate resilient agricultural training and vocational programs for women and girls is key to advancing both gender and health equity, and climate resilience in Uganda. This should be supported by robust gender disaggregated data, stronger institutional coordination, and inclusive, community-led planning.