Aid Cuts Push Women's Groups to Breaking Point

Women access emergency relief in Afghanistan.

At least one million women and girls have lost access to essential humanitarian assistance since January 2025 as unprecedented cuts in international aid push women's organisations in crisis-affected countries to the brink of collapse, UN Women warned on Friday.

The warning came in a new report, Beyond the Breaking Point, which says organisations providing life-saving services to women and girls are being forced to scale back or suspend programmes at a time when global humanitarian needs have reached record levels.

According to the report, around 120 million women and girls worldwide now require humanitarian assistance and protection. However, local women's organisations—often the first and only providers of support in conflict-affected communities—are facing severe funding shortages despite operating in places where international agencies frequently have limited access.

Lifeline for women at risk

Women's organisations continue to play a critical role in some of the world's worst humanitarian crises, including those in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti.

These organisations often remain on the ground long after international attention fades, providing support to survivors of gender-based violence, displaced families and other vulnerable communities.

"Every dollar withdrawn from women's organisations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced out of school and communities struggling to survive," said Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action at UN Women.

She warned that many organisations are being forced to reduce or discontinue services precisely when demand is rising sharply.

Key findings

The report is based on responses from 855 women-led organisations operating in 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries.

Its key findings include:

At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical humanitarian support since January 2025 as a direct result of the sharpest annual decline in aid funding on record.
Nearly nine in 10 organisations said they can no longer meet current humanitarian needs, while 84 per cent reported a growing demand for their services.
Around 63 per cent have reduced services in remote and hard-to-reach communities, leaving some of the most vulnerable women and girls without assistance.
Gender-based violence is increasing, with 86 per cent of organisations reporting a rise in such cases. Meanwhile, 62 per cent said safe spaces for women and girls have closed or been significantly reduced.
One in five organisations has suspended programmes promoting women's leadership and gender equality as funding shortages deepen a broader global backlash against women's rights.
Staff working without pay

Many women leading humanitarian organisations are themselves living through armed conflict or displacement but continue serving their communities despite severe resource constraints.

Nearly two-thirds of organisations reported that staff are working without pay to maintain essential services.

At the same time, almost half reported increasing staff burnout, while 88 per cent said the mental health of the women and girls they support has deteriorated.

Humanitarian needs continue to grow

The impact of shrinking aid budgets is already being felt across crisis-affected communities.

Half of the organisations surveyed said they have introduced waiting lists or are turning women and girls away because they no longer have the resources to meet demand.

Meanwhile, 92 per cent reported rising poverty among the women they serve, while 82 per cent observed increasing numbers of girls dropping out of school.

The report noted that behind these statistics are women arriving at shelters that have closed, pregnant women travelling long distances to receive healthcare, and mothers unable to secure enough food for their children.

Call for sustained investment

UN Women warned that the consequences extend far beyond the immediate humanitarian response.

The weakening or closure of women's organisations also undermines efforts to promote women's leadership, participation in community decision-making and long-term peacebuilding. More than half of the organisations surveyed reported declining participation of women in local leadership roles.

The agency called for sustained and predictable funding for women's organisations, describing them as indispensable first responders, defenders of women's rights and key partners in humanitarian response and recovery.

"Without immediate action, the organisations that have kept women and girls alive through the world's worst crises risk becoming another casualty of war," Calltorp said.