The UN has issued a warning that at least one million women and girls have lost access to vital support services due to significant reductions in foreign aid funding since January 2025. In their latest report, UN Women expressed concern over the collapse of women’s organizations at a time when needs are rapidly increasing.
Following his inauguration last year, U.S. President Donald Trump drastically cut foreign aid, along with other major donor nations tightening their budgets. Sofia Calltorp, head of humanitarian action at UN Women, stated, “Organizations supporting women on the front lines of the world’s most severe crises are at risk of shutting down. Every dollar pulled from these organizations is a dollar taken away from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced out of school, and communities fighting to survive.”
With global armed conflicts at the highest levels since World War II, approximately 120 million women and girls are in urgent need of humanitarian aid and protection, UN Women reported. The new data, gathered from 855 women-led and women’s rights groups across 52 countries affected by crises, revealed that 84% of these organizations have seen increased demand for their services since January 2025. Yet, nearly nine out of ten say they can no longer meet the growing needs, and two in five expect to shut down, either temporarily or permanently, within the next year.
Organizations are now relying heavily on the dedication of their staff, many of whom are working without pay to maintain services. About 65% of women-led groups reported that their employees are working unpaid, and nearly half have experienced rising burnout among their members.
The report highlighted that sexual violence related to conflicts doubled in 2025, even as the systems meant to support survivors are collapsing. A vast majority—86%—of women’s organizations report an escalation in gender-based violence within their communities.
The cuts are having serious, far-reaching consequences. Women fleeing violence may find their shelters shut down; pregnant women could face hours-long walks to reach medical services; and mothers might be left without access to food for their children. The UN emphasized that these impacts extend beyond immediate humanitarian concerns and are compounded by a broader backlash against women’s and girls’ rights worldwide. Already, one-fifth of these organizations have paused work on promoting women’s leadership and gender equality, and over half have observed a decline in women’s participation in community leadership and decision-making roles.
