Experts share report on floods and drought in Pakistan, call for data: 'Women and girls [impacted] first and hardest'

Experts in a new joint report are calling for a commitment from decision-makers to address increasing threats to well-being disproportionately faced by women and girls in the wake of intensifying floods and drought in Pakistan.

Produced in partnership by the United Nations Population Fund and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, the report "Drought and Deluge: The Silent Sufferings of Women and Girls in Climate Change" was launched at an event in Islamabad on October 30. 

"Given the nature of the topic, really, we wanted to listen to you, to have your thoughts. We just don't want this launch for the sake of launch," said Sajid Amin Javed of SDPI in his opening remarks. "It's not that one report is there, printed, published, and launched, and gone. We really want this to be the beginning of the discussion," he continued, indicating that vocal collaboration could be a solution to the "silent suffering" too many experience."We need to deepen the discussion on gender and disasters and ensure these issues reach decision-making tables."

The report identifies multiple gendered impacts of destructive floodwaters and prolonged dry periods in the country, with far-reaching implications. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the co-authors cited more than 8.2 million women as affected by the historic flooding of 2022. A survey indicated that 77 percent of respondents struggled to access sexual and reproductive health care and family planning services during that time, while 71 percent required assistance to address gender-based violence. 

The United Nations has previously underscored the connection between extreme weather events and GBV, noting in an April 2025 report that "every 1°C rise in global temperature is associated with a 4.7 percent increase in intimate partner violence" and that 1 in 10 cases of IPV are projected to be linked to rising temperatures in the next 75 years.

With higher temperatures driving increasingly destructive floods, the report identified 1.6 million women as requiring GBV support during the 2022 disaster.

“Every disaster shock impacts women and girls first and hardest," said Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Minister of State for Climate Change, in a video address at the launch event. "The climate agenda cannot succeed without securing community rights and safety."

The joint report comes as Pakistan has been facing the effects of record-breaking monsoon floods for the second time in two years. The Yale School of Environment has estimated that 1,000 people were killed and 2.5 million were displaced in August and September alone. The monsoons have combined with record-breaking glacier melt to drive the devastating floods. Pakistan has been described by some as the country most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.  

“Drought and Deluge” co-authors explained that women and girls not only struggle to access critical care as floodwaters rage but also face the enduring health hazards that they can bring. Reporting from Multan, Pakistan, published by The Guardian in early October, noted that recent flooding has left in its wake food insecurity, sewage-contaminated water supplies, and waterborne disease, all of which can pose particular risks for menstruating and pregnant people.

Tahir Ghaznavi, UNFPA Humanitarian Resilience Coordinator, said at the report launch that floods and drought can make childbirth a “fatal gamble.” According to the APP, Ghaznavi "urged that SRH and GBV be made core pillars of national data collection and emphasized the importance of integrating gender-segregated data for evidence-based policy-making."

“Drought and Deluge” was launched on the same day that midwife Neha Mankani, founder of the Mama Baby Fund, was named to 2025's TIME100, a list of some of the world's most influential people. The Mama Baby Fund is a maternal and neonatal health care nonprofit in Pakistan, where it runs a solar-powered clinic. 

Mankani underscores the efficacy of the midwife care model to provide community-based support resilient to extreme weather events, noting that it's a project deserving of meaningful investments. "What gives me hope is the creativity and resilience of frontline communities, especially women, who continue to innovate despite being excluded from climate decision-making," she told Time. "Whether it’s powering clinics with solar or navigating floods with boat ambulances, they show us what’s possible."