Climate Vulnerability, Gender and Transitional Justice in Bangladesh

Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB), in collaboration with RLS South Asia, is conducting a field-based study on the intersection of gender justice and climate justice in Bangladesh, using transitional justice as an analytical framework.

Bangladesh faces compounding crises. Climate change — through cyclones, flooding, salinity intrusion and river erosion — disproportionately affects women in coastal and rural communities, whose livelihoods, caregiving responsibilities and access to resources are most exposed to ecological disruption. At the same time, the country is navigating a fragile political transition following the mass uprising of July 2024, creating significant uncertainty in governance, law enforcement and institutional accountability. In this context, existing gender justice mechanisms and women's organisations are under pressure, while climate adaptation policies remain top-down and poorly linked to the realities of marginalised communities.

Building on a policy paper produced in 2025 that developed a theoretical framework linking climate, gender and transitional justice, the 2026 project will ground this framework in field evidence from Satkhira, a coastal district with strong experience of salinity intrusion and cyclone impacts. The project will organise community engagement meetings with women, youth and local leaders to document lived experiences of climate-induced disruption, shifting gender roles and barriers to participation in climate decision-making. Community narratives will be documented and disseminated through national and international platforms.The project aims to integrate gender justice perspectives into climate adaptation policy and strengthening the capacity of women's organisations to engage with climate justice as a core issue.