Consultant for National Climate Impact Analysis on Reproductive Health

Background:

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is the United Nations’ population and development agency that expands the possibilities for women and young people to fulfill their potential. The climate crisis is impacting all dimensions of demography and public health. The United Nations Population Fund emphasizes the linkage between population dynamics and climate change is essential for working on policies that address this issue through reproductive health and gender equality, including reproductive rights, while safeguarding the environment. As a result, UNFPA aims to support the governments and other partners in the design of people-centered climate change solutions and enabling communities to adapt by placing women and girls at the center of these efforts. 

Rising global temperatures directly correlate with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, such as increased risks of preterm births, stillbirths and miscarriages. According to some research, a 1°C increase during the week preceding delivery was associated with a 6% increase in stillbirth risk during the warm season (May–September). This incidence translates to almost 4 additional stillbirths per 10,000 births for each 1°C increase[1]. Additional analysis shows a high correlation between climate change and male and female infertility increase [2][3][4]. Indirectly, climate-induced disasters disrupt access to essential health services, menstrual hygiene, and clean water. 

Like the global pattern, Türkiye is increasingly vulnerable to the multi-faceted impacts of the climate crisis. As a Mediterranean basin country, it faces increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, prolonged droughts, wildfires, and shifting agricultural patterns etc. According to the Turkish State Meteorological Services (TSMS), 2025 was one of the hottest years on record in Türkiye. With an average temperature of 15.1°C, it was 1.2°C above the 1991–2020 average, making it the fifth-hottest year in the past 55 years. Heat extremes were particularly pronounced in summer, with July 2025 becoming the hottest July on record and the summer season ranking as the second hottest over the same period. In 2025, Türkiye’s average temperature was higher than the global average.

UNFPA aims to provide robust evidence to decision makers on how climate change affects women’s health and fertility dynamics in Türkiye. The findings should inform policy and strategic planning, providing actionable insights to guide effective and impactful interventions. 

The objectives of the study are to reveal the impacts of extreme heat and climate stressors on reproductive health and fertility outcomes and/or evaluate the vulnerability of health service delivery systems and supply chains during climate-related changes or shocks.

 

Job Purpose:

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct National Climate Impact Analysis on Reproductive Health, an analysis of the direct effects of climate change on key reproductive health indicators, including fertility and maternal health includes policy recommendations in Turkiye.

To be considered a valid application, candidates must submit a CV together with a short proposal outlining the proposed research objectives and methodological framework, including a description of the intended data sources.

 

You would be responsible for:

During the consultancy period, the consultant is expected to conduct National Climate Impact Analysis on Reproductive Health, an analysis of the direct effects of climate change on key reproductive health indicators, including fertility and maternal health includes policy recommendations in Turkiye. 

The study will employ a quantitative approach, using advanced statistical modeling of secondary data obtained from TURKSTAT and the Ministry of Health. The analysis will examine the relationship between adverse climate ev