State of the World: Women, Climate, and Crisis
Июл 10.2025
Distinguished colleagues, sisters in the struggle for justice,
I bring you greetings from Kyrgyzstan — a small country in Central Asia with big challenges and even bigger dreams for justice, freedom, and equality.
Today, I stand before you on behalf of Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan to speak about an urgent crisis — one that sits at the intersection of climate change, gender injustice, and shrinking civic space.
Our message is simple, yet vital: climate justice must be gender justice. And this justice cannot be achieved without protecting the rights and voices of women — especially those most affected by poverty, migration, violence, and political repression.
Let’s be clear: climate change is not gender-neutral.
When the earth warms by just one degree Celsius, partner violence against women increases by nearly 5%. If current trends continue, by 2090, as many as 80 million more women and girls could be exposed to domestic violence worldwide.
In rural villages, mountain communities, and indigenous lands, it is women who gather water, care for families, and defend ecosystems. Yet, it is also women who are pushed into early marriage, trafficked, or killed by their partners — with impunity.
In Central Asia, this crisis is compounded by authoritarianism.
In Turkmenistan, civil society is nearly erased. Women face discrimination at home and exploitation when forced to migrate abroad.
In Kyrgyzstan — my home — civic space is shrinking rapidly. New laws criminalize NGOs, particularly those working on women’s rights and environmental justice. Last year was the most repressive we’ve ever seen: activists were arrested, protests silenced, media shut down.
And while we struggle at home, many women leave. Thousands migrate to Russia or Turkey out of economic desperation. What do they find? Wage theft. Sexual violence. Legal invisibility. At home or abroad, women’s lives remain unsafe.
Let me give you one painful truth: in Kyrgyzstan, 13 women are killed by their partners every month. Only 2% of domestic violence cases lead to conviction. Bride kidnapping and forced marriage persist. And our systems fail to protect us.
And now, another threat looms: the Qosh Tepa Canal project in Afghanistan, led by the Taliban, threatens water security for millions — and once again, it is women, the primary users of water and caregivers, who are excluded from all decision-making.
Yet, despite all this — we resist.
Our presentation ends with a call to action, and I share it with you today:
● Integrate gender perspectives into all climate policy and humanitarian planning.
● Fund women-led, grassroots initiatives that build climate resilience.
● Protect civic space and amplify youth voices.
● Demand legal transparency and cross-border solidarity — especially in authoritarian regimes.
We urge the international community: Stop treating climate, gender, and human rights as separate conversations. They are one and the same.
And to all of you — our global allies — we say: listen to local voices. Invest in our safety, our leadership, and our power.
Because the fight for climate justice is the fight for women’s freedom!
Thank you.
Tolekan Ismailova, WLP-Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan
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