Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most widespread and unacknowledged forms of human rights violations in the world (UN Women, 2025). According to UN Women, in 2023, a woman or girl was intentionally killed by a partner or family member every 10 minutes. The urgent need for dedicated and global action is clear.  

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its partners recognize that gender inequality and GBV are issues that cannot be extricated from sustainable conservation. IUCN, together with The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and Global Affairs Canada, have positioned the Union’s portfolio and programming priorities at the forefront of global efforts to identify and address GBV in environmental contexts.   

IUCN is highlighting some of this work for the 16 Days of Activism against GBV, including the Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation (NAbSA) initiative and the Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) Challenge. Please join us for a a webinar discussion highlighting these efforts to prevent and respond to GBV in environment sectors.  

The discussion panel will include representatives from Global Affairs Canada, IUCN, and partners, including:  

• Mennonite Central Committee Canada’s project “Locally led Indigenous Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation in Zimbabwe” (LINCZ) under NAbSA;
• UPA International Development’s project “‘Women for Forests” in Guinea under NAbSA;
• Muleide, an implementing partner of the “Regenerative Seascapes for people climate and nature” (ReSea) project in the Western Indian Ocean Region under NAbSA; and
• The Global Trauma Project‘s project in Kenya “Safety and Wellbeing for Women in Fisheries” (SWWF) under RISE. 

Register now to be part of the conversation so we can learn from each other’s experiences confronting and addressing this important topic: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wqfj8OZBQBipXX_HMGjnOQ#/registration.  

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation: Monitoring & Impact Evaluation (NAbSA), a Global Affairs Canada’s Partnering for Climate (P4C) initiative, supports 19 projects in 30 countries and across 12 different ecosystems, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, to advance gender-responsive nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. Coordinated by IUCN, NAbSA convenes a global network of 150+ organizations to share tools and best practices, while rigorous monitoring builds evidence of NbS impacts. Ultimately, NAbSA strengthens biodiversity and resilience, empowering women and local communities to scale inclusive, sustainable responses to climate challenges in vulnerable regions worldwide and beyond.  

The Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) grants challenge is a first-of-its-kind granting mechanism that supports activities designed to address gender-based violence and environmental linkages in environmental and climate-related programmes. Led by IUCN, with funding and support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), through its past, current and future rounds of implementation, RISE contributes to tangible ground-level impact on gender-based violence dynamics across various environmental sectors and generates learning and evidence on promising interventions.