Global cuts to humanitarian funding have left at least one million women and girls without access to life-saving assistance over the past year, according to a new report by UN Women, which warns that the crisis is placing unprecedented pressure on organizations supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
The report, released on Friday, found that nearly nine in 10 women’s organizations can no longer meet growing humanitarian needs following what it describes as the steepest decline in aid funding on record. Demand for support has risen sharply since January 2025, while financial resources have continued to shrink.
Millions in Need as Aid Declines
According to UN Women, around 120 million women and girls worldwide currently require humanitarian assistance and protection. However, many of the organizations providing frontline support are struggling to survive.
The report surveyed 855 women’s organizations operating in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. It found that 40% are at risk of shutting down temporarily or permanently within the next year because of funding shortages.
The reductions come after the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in U.S. foreign assistance this year. Other major international donors have also reduced aid budgets amid fiscal pressures and increased defense spending. The United States had previously been the world’s largest aid donor.
Organizations Forced to Scale Back Services
The funding shortfall is already affecting humanitarian operations on the ground.
Sixty percent of surveyed organizations said they are now reaching fewer women and girls than they did before January 2025, despite demand for assistance continuing to rise. UN Women warned that these organizations are often the only providers capable of reaching women and girls in crisis-affected communities, creating significant gaps in humanitarian coverage.
The report also found that:
- 65% of women-led organizations said staff are working without pay to keep services operating.
- More than three-quarters have reduced staffing.
- Half have introduced waiting lists or are turning women and girls away because they lack the resources to help everyone seeking support.
Impact on Protection Services
UN Women warned that funding cuts are also undermining protection services for survivors of violence.
With cases of conflict-related sexual violence having doubled last year, 62% of organizations reported that safe spaces for women and girls have either been reduced or are no longer available. The report also found that gender-based violence case management services have been scaled back.
“Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action.
Gender Equality Efforts Also Affected
Beyond emergency humanitarian assistance, the report said the funding crisis is affecting long-term efforts to promote women’s rights.
UN Women said one in five organizations has suspended programs focused on advancing women’s leadership and gender equality, describing the financial pressures as part of a broader backlash against gender equality initiatives.
