The Asia-Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change induced disasters, which pose a serious threat to maternal and infant health. Such was the case in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, where women in the Ayeyarwady Delta women were affected by the destruction of homes and roads, as well as the death of midwives, which increased the risks associated with childbirth. In 2004 in post-tsunami Indonesia, the interruption of access to reproductive health services, particularly contraceptives, impacted women on Aceh and Nias Islands. These examples and others emphasise the importance of a gendered approach to disaster management, and responses that recognize the two-way relationship between reproductive health and women’s empowerment.
