UN reports significant decline in women’s aid access due to funding cuts
At least 1 million women have lost access to humanitarian and other critical support as a result of budget cuts over the last 18 months, the U.N. agency focusing on women said Friday, reports BritPanorama.
UN Women indicates that 84% of women’s organizations surveyed have reported increased needs since January 2025, a period marked by significant cutbacks in foreign aid initiated by the Trump administration in the United States, the largest donor to the U.N.
“Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school and communities struggling to survive,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN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’s chief of humanitarian action.
Nearly 90% of the women’s groups surveyed stated they can no longer meet current levels of demand, with one in five predicting a temporary or permanent shutdown within the next year. Calltorp noted that UN Women has engaged with 855 organizations across 52 countries, revealing that many women and girls have been turned away due to the funding cuts dismantling their aid networks.
“We know that this number, at least 1 million women and girls, is just the tip of the iceberg,” she added.
UN Women reported that conflict-related sexual violence doubled last year. The agency referenced a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which found that development assistance fell by nearly a quarter last year to $174 billion—the largest yearly contraction on record.
“Without immediate action, the organizations that have kept women and girls alive through the world’s worst crises risk becoming another casualty of war,” Calltorp warned.
In a broader context, many U.N. entities have cut thousands of jobs and reduced aid programs globally over the past 18 months as a result of reductions in funding from the United States and other major donors. The world body is also considering reforms known as UN80, which may involve merging UN Women with UNFPA, the agency focusing on sexual and reproductive health.
As the landscape of international aid shifts, the implications for vulnerable women and girls remain deeply concerning. The urgency for action is more pressing than ever.
