Source: UN News: Friday, July 17, 2026 00:00 AM
UN Women, the UN’s gender equality agency, said on Friday that women’s organizations working in crisis areas are on the verge of closure due to unprecedented cuts in aid. Due to this, at least 1 million women and girls have been deprived of vital humanitarian assistance between January 2025 and now. This warning has been given in the new report, ‘Beyond the Breaking Point’. According to the report, organizations providing essential services to women and girls are having to cut or suspend their programs at a time when the global need for humanitarian assistance has reached record levels.latest statistics According to WHO, approximately 120 million women and girls around the world are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. But the local women’s organizations best able to reach them are facing serious financial difficulties. These organizations often work in areas where international agencies cannot reach. The struggle to save lives These organizations are playing a vital role in some of the world’s most serious humanitarian crises, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. Even as international attention shifts, they continue to work on the ground, providing support to survivors of violence, displaced families and vulnerable communities.UN Women “Every dollar cut in aid to women’s organizations has a direct impact on survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced to drop out of school, and communities struggling to survive,” said Sophia Caltorp, head of humanitarian action at the International Women’s Health Organization (WHO).UN Women warned that agencies and partners are having to cut their programs at a time when they are needed most. Key findings The report is based on responses from 855 women-led organizations in 52 crisis and violent conflict-affected countries. Its main findings are: At least 1 million women and girls have been deprived of vital assistance by January 2025. This is the largest annual decline in humanitarian aid ever recorded. Nearly 9 in 10 organizations are unable to meet current needs, while 84 percent of organizations have reported an increase in demand for their services. Women and girls, who have the fewest other options for assistance, are the first to be affected. 63 percent of organizations have reduced their services in remote and inaccessible communities. Gender violence is on the rise. 86 percent of organizations have reported an increase in such violence, while 62 percent say that safe spaces for women and girls have either closed or been drastically cut. The funding cuts are deepening the growing global opposition to women’s rights. One in five organizations has already suspended events related to women’s leadership and gender equality. Many women leading humanitarian organizations, forced to work without pay, are themselves facing violent conflict or displacement. Despite severe shortage of resources, they are continuing their work. Almost two-thirds of the organizations reported that their employees are working without pay to maintain essential services. At the same time, according to almost half of the organizations, extreme fatigue and mental pressure is increasing among the employees. 88 percent of the organizations also reported that the mental health of the women and girls they supported was deteriorating. © UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal Amina, a displaced midwife from Al Fashar, cares for mothers at a UNICEF-supported health center in Tawila, North Darfur. Shrinking servicesThe impact of the financial crisis is already visible in crisis-affected communities. Half of the organizations surveyed have started maintaining waiting lists or are forced to turn away women and girls without assistance due to inability to meet the increasing demand. Meanwhile, 92 percent of the organizations reported that poverty is increasing among the women they support, while 82 percent say more girls are forced to drop out of school. Behind these figures are women like, Those who are forced to return from closed shelters, pregnant women who must travel hours to seek treatment, and mothers who are unable to provide food for their children. Impact beyond humanitarian assistance UN Women warns that the impact of this crisis is not limited to immediate humanitarian assistance. The weakening of women’s organizations is also hampering efforts to increase women’s leadership and participation in decision-making processes in communities. More than half of the organizations surveyed said that women’s participation in local leadership is declining. UN Women has called for continuous financial assistance to these organizations. The organization said that women’s organizations are the first to provide assistance during crises, protect women’s rights and play an important role in recovery and peacebuilding. Sophia Caltorp said, “If immediate action is not taken, these organizations that save the lives of women and girls in the world’s worst crises could themselves become victims of war.”
