Local women-led organizations providing essential humanitarian aid are facing a critical funding shortfall, forcing them to reduce or suspend services for millions of women and girls. According to a report by UN Women, approximately 120 million women and girls globally currently require humanitarian assistance, yet the organizations best positioned to reach them are struggling to maintain operations as international aid levels decline.
Funding Shortfalls and Service Disruptions
The report, titled Beyond the Breaking Point, draws on data from 855 women-led organizations operating across 52 countries affected by conflict and crisis. Findings indicate that at least one million women and girls have lost access to critical support since January 2025. This decline in aid is described by the organization as the steepest annual drop on record.
Nearly nine in ten surveyed organizations report they can no longer meet the current level of need, while 84 per cent noted a surge in demand for their services. The impact is most severe in remote and hard-to-reach areas, where 63 per cent of these organizations have been forced to scale back their presence.
Escalating Gender-Based Violence and Humanitarian Need
The withdrawal of funding has direct consequences for the safety and health of women in crisis zones. Data from the report reveals that 86 per cent of the organizations documented rising levels of gender-based violence. Simultaneously, 62 per cent of these groups reported that safe spaces for survivors have either closed or seen significant reductions in capacity.
Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, stated that the financial strain undermines the survival of those in conflict-affected regions. "Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive," Calltorp said.
Operational Strain on Local Responders
The crisis is not limited to service delivery; it is also affecting the humanitarian workers themselves. Many of these women are living in the same conflict or displacement zones as the people they serve.
- Unpaid Labor: Nearly two-thirds of the organizations reported that their staff are working without pay to keep essential programs running.
- Mental Health Crisis: 88 per cent of organizations observed worsening mental health among the women and girls they support, while almost half reported an increase in staff burnout.
- Reduced Capacity: Half of the organizations have implemented waiting lists or are turning away individuals due to a lack of resources.
Long-Term Impact on Women’s Leadership
Beyond immediate survival needs, the funding crisis threatens to erode progress in women’s participation in community decision-making. One in five organizations has already suspended programs dedicated to women’s leadership and gender equality. More than half of the respondents reported a decline in women’s involvement in local leadership roles, suggesting that the current humanitarian funding gap may have long-term consequences for gender equality and peacebuilding efforts in affected regions.
UN Women is calling for sustained investment in these organizations, characterizing them as indispensable partners in recovery and essential first responders in the world’s most severe emergencies.