At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical humanitarian support since January 2025 due to unprecedented aid cuts, the UN’s gender equality agency, UN Women, announced on July 10, 2026. These funding reductions have pushed women's organizations operating in crisis zones to the brink of collapse just as global humanitarian needs reach historic highs.

The findings come from the report Beyond the Breaking Point, based on responses from 855 women-led organizations across 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries. According to the report, around 120 million women and girls worldwide now require humanitarian assistance and protection.

Local women's organizations, often the most capable of reaching vulnerable populations in places where international agencies cannot operate, are facing severe funding shortages. These organizations play a crucial role in some of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, including in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Haiti. They continue supporting survivors of violence, displaced families, and vulnerable communities long after international attention has shifted elsewhere.

"Every dollar withdrawn from women's organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive," said Sofia Calltorp,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.

UN Women warned that agencies and partners are being forced to cut programmes at precisely the moment they are needed most. The report also found that half of the organizations surveyed have introduced waiting lists or are turning women and girls away because they can no longer meet demand.

These developments underscore the urgent need to restore and increase funding to women-led humanitarian organizations to address the escalating global crisis.

Sources