UN warns aid cuts have cut off support for one million women and girls

The United Nations has warned that at least one million women and girls have lost access to critical support because of sharp cuts to foreign aid spending since January 2025. In a new report, UN Women said the reduction in funding is accelerating the collapse of women-led organisations in crisis settings. The agency said the cuts are coming as humanitarian needs continue to rise across multiple conflict-affected countries.

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UN Women said its findings were based on responses from 855 women-led and women's rights organisations operating in 52 crisis-affected countries. It said 84% of the groups surveyed reported higher demand for their services since January 2025, while nearly nine in 10 said they can no longer meet current levels of need. The report also said two in five organisations expect to shut down, temporarily or permanently, within the next year.

UN Women humanitarian action head Sofia Calltorp said the organisations at risk of closure are on the front lines of some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. The report said the impact is already being felt in practical terms, with women and girls losing access to shelters, health care and protection services. It said 65% of women-led organisations reported staff working without pay to keep services running, and nearly half reported rising burnout among employees.

UN Women also said 86% of the organisations surveyed reported an increase in gender-based violence in the communities they serve, while conflict-related sexual violence doubled in 2025 as protection systems weakened. The warning comes at a time when UN Women says around 120 million women and girls need humanitarian assistance and protection. The agency linked the funding squeeze to broader donor retrenchment, including cuts by the United States after Donald Trump took office last year, as well as tighter budgets from other major donor countries.

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The report suggests the funding gap is not only reducing services now, but also threatening the survival of local organisations that often provide the first and sometimes only support available in emergencies. The findings also point to a wider strain on the humanitarian system, where women-led groups are often central to reaching survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers and girls forced out of school. UN Women said the organisations are increasingly being forced to rely on unpaid labour and personal sacrifice to keep operating.

That, in turn, raises questions about how long they can continue to function if current funding conditions persist. What remains unclear is how many of the threatened organisations will be able to stay open over the coming year, and whether donor governments will reverse or soften the cuts. UN Women said the situation is worsening as needs rise, but the report does not give a country-by-country breakdown of closures or service losses.

The next developments to watch are whether additional funding is pledged and whether more women-led groups are forced to suspend services.

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