Women Environmental Defenders and Covid-19: Lessons for Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of women environmental defenders in Nepal and the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic. It argues that these actors are critical for transformative disaster risk reduction (DRR) because they address the root causes of vulnerability and provide essential resources to marginalized groups who are often overlooked by official disaster responses.

• The Covid-19 pandemic intensified existing challenges for marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous peoples, and Dalits, due to inadequate disaster management and pre-existing barriers to education, formal employment, and political power.
• Women faced increased domestic and care burdens during the pandemic, which increased their 'time poverty' and limited their ability to participate in public activities and environmental activism.
• Women environmental defenders' networks served as vital DRR actors by delivering food, masks, sanitizers, and livelihood support to remote and marginalized communities that were otherwise left behind during the pandemic.
• Organizations in Nepal and the Philippines adapted to mobility restrictions by shifting to digital tools, including providing smartphones and data to communities, using radio programs for prevention information, and implementing chain text messages for Indigenous women without cellular signals.
• The pandemic strengthened the capacity of women environmental defenders by increasing collaboration between networks, expanding their reach through social media to sensitize youth, and creating synergies between organizations.
• Women environmental defenders contribute to transformative DRR by lobbying governments to address the structural root causes of vulnerability, such as the 'Charter of Demands' developed by the Women-Friendly Disaster Management group in Nepal.

APA

Pross, C., Kim, D., & Vigil, S. (2022). Women Environmental Defenders and Covid-19: Lessons for Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/brief-wed-and-covid-19-v2-15.09.2022.pdf

Chicago

Pross, Camille, Dayoon Kim, and Sara Vigil. Women Environmental Defenders and Covid-19: Lessons for Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/brief-wed-and-covid-19-v2-15.09.2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pross |first1=Camille |last2=Kim |first2=Dayoon |last3=Vigil |first3=Sara |title=Women Environmental Defenders and Covid-19: Lessons for Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/brief-wed-and-covid-19-v2-15.09.2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pross2022women, author = {Pross, Camille and Kim, Dayoon and Vigil, Sara}, title = {{Women Environmental Defenders and Covid-19: Lessons for Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/brief-wed-and-covid-19-v2-15.09.2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }