Aid cuts leave at least a million women and girls without vital support

The warning comes in a new report, Beyond the breaking pointwhich concludes that those providing essential services to women and girls are being forced to reduce or suspend programs just as global humanitarian needs reach historic levels.

According to the latest figuresAround 120 million women and girls around the world now need humanitarian assistance and protection. However, the local women’s organizations best placed to reach them face severe funding shortages, even though they often operate in places where international agencies cannot.

Fighting to survive

Playing a key role in some of the world’s most serious humanitarian emergencies, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, they remain on the ground long after international attention has shifted elsewhere, supporting survivors of violence, displaced families and vulnerable communities.

“Every dollar taken from women’s organizations is a dollar taken from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced to drop out of school, and communities struggling to survive.”said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Head of Humanitarian Action.

UN Women warned that agencies and partners are being forced to cut programs precisely at a time when they are needed most.

Key findings

The report, based on responses from 855 women-led organizations in 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries, found that:

• At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical support since January 2025 as a direct result of the steepest annual drop in aid on record.
• Almost nine out of 10 organizations They can no longer meet current levels of need, while 84 percent report increased demand for their services.
• Women and girls with fewer alternatives are the first to be affected – 63 percent of organizations have reduced services in remote and hard-to-reach communities.
• Gender violence is increasing. Eighty-six percent of organizations report increasing levels of gender-based violence, while 62 percent say safe spaces have been closed or significantly reduced.
• One in five organizations has already suspended its work on women’s leadership and gender equality as funding cuts deepen a broader global backlash against women’s rights.

work without pay

Many women who lead humanitarian organizations are experiencing conflict or displacement, but continue to work despite a lack of resources. Nearly two-thirds report staff working without pay to maintain essential services.

At the same time, almost half say Staff burnout is increasing.while 88 per cent report worsening mental health among the women and girls they support.

Services that evaporate

The impact of the funding crisis is already being felt across communities affected by the crisis.

Half of the organizations surveyed have introduced waiting lists or are turning away women and girls because they can no longer meet demand.

Meanwhile, 92 percent report that poverty is increasing among the women they serve, and 82 percent are seeing more girls drop out of school.

Behind the statistics are women arriving at shelters that have closed, pregnant women forced to travel for hours to access medical care, and mothers who cannot get food for their children.

Beyond humanitarian response

UN Women warns that the consequences extend beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis.

The loss of women’s organizations also weakens efforts to promote women’s leadership and participation in community decision-making. More than half of respondents report lower participation of women in local leadership roles.

UN Women calls for sustained investment in women’s organizations, describing them as indispensable first responders, defenders of women’s rights and essential partners in recovery and peacebuilding.

“Without immediate action, the organizations that have kept women and girls alive during the world’s worst crises They risk becoming another victim of war”concluded Ms. Calltorp.