One million women lost access to humanitarian support in past 18 months, UN report says

UN Women says at least 1 million women and girls have lost access to humanitarian and other critical support over the past 18 months as funding cuts squeeze women-led organizations in crisis settings.

The finding comes from a survey of 855 women-led and women's rights organizations in 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries. UN Women said demand has risen sharply since January 2025, while many groups are no longer able to keep up with the need.

The agency said the impact is being felt most directly by survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers and girls forced out of school. It warned that some organizations are already turning people away and that a large share could shut down within the next year.

Aid cuts and rising demand

UN Women said 84% of the organizations it surveyed reported increased demand since January 2025. Nearly 9 in 10 said they can no longer meet current levels of need.

About 2 in 5 organizations expect to shut down temporarily or permanently within the next year. The agency said the result is fewer services for women and girls at the exact moment demand is rising.

UN Women chief of humanitarian action Sofia Calltorp said organizations at risk of closure are on the front lines of major crises. She said every dollar withdrawn is a dollar withdrawn from survivors, displaced mothers, girls forced from school and communities already struggling to cope.

Where the pressure is showing

The report says funding cuts are reducing support in places where women-led groups often act as first responders and where larger international actors may have limited access.

UN Women highlighted crisis settings including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Gaza as examples of places where these organizations remain active even as broader attention shifts elsewhere.

The agency said the loss of flexible local funding is especially damaging because these groups provide protection services, emergency help and trusted community support that can be difficult to replace quickly.

What the report says about the wider trend

UN Women said the cuts are part of the steepest annual decline in foreign aid on record. It also said the decline in access began after January 2025, when aid reductions intensified under the Trump administration.

The report said the United States drove most of the global decline in aid, with additional cuts from the UK, France and Germany.

UN Women also said conflict-related sexual violence doubled in 2025, underscoring the stakes for organizations that support survivors and other vulnerable groups.

What to watch next

The next questions are how many organizations have already closed, which countries have seen the biggest losses in access, and whether the full UN Women report adds sector-by-sector detail on services such as protection, health or education.

Donor responses will also matter, especially from the United States and other governments named in the report. UN agencies and partner NGOs may yet provide a clearer tally of program closures, layoffs and service suspensions tied to the funding cuts.