Sofia Kaltorp, Head of Humanitarian Action at UN Women described These organizations are considered “the muscle and lifeline of the humanitarian response” in some of the world’s most vulnerable war zones and disaster zones, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen.
But according to the report, since January 2025, 90% of these groups say they cannot meet current needs, and 60% say they are reaching fewer women and girls than in the past.
Three-quarters of groups say they have been forced, as a result of the cuts, to reduce staff, and four in ten expect to close within the next 12 months.
At the beginning of his second term, President Donald Trump conducted Sweeping and sudden cleansing of US humanitarian aid, which fell from $14.1 billion in 2024 to just $3.4 billion in 2025.
Immediately after taking office, he froze all foreign aid. Under the leadership of the world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his administration suddenly eliminated most funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), cutting development aid by more than $40 billion, including more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid.
The United States had previously provided 40% of all global humanitarian aid, and its stripping of funds was the most devastating ever. It got worse when other countries, including France, Germany and the UK, also cut billions as part of what is expected to be a collective 28% reduction in G7 aid by the end of 2026, according to Women’s Refugee Commission.
your a report Refugees International found that the Trump administration’s cuts specifically targeted programs serving women and girls around the world. They eliminated 88% of funding for maternal and child health, 94% of funding for sexual and reproductive health, and 80% of funding for gender-based violence prevention.
“Every dollar taken away from women’s organizations is a dollar taken away from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced out of school, and communities struggling to survive,” Kaltorp said.
The effects on women who benefited from these programs were rapid and brutal, especially as global conflicts spread and became more deadly.
While cases of conflict-related sexual violence will double in 2025, nearly two-thirds of women’s groups surveyed said that the number of safe spaces and gender-based violence services had significantly decreased or been completely eliminated in their communities.
The United Nations said in a report: “Behind these numbers are devastating consequences.” statement. “A woman seeking refuge from violence may show up at the door of a closed shelter; a pregnant woman may have to walk for hours to reach a health clinic; or a mother may be deprived of food for her children.”
“If I had the funds, I would have supported her…and helped her heal and rebuild her life.”
The report contains testimonies from leaders of some organizations that bear the burden of the cuts. To protect them from harm, the report did not include their names or the organizations they work for.
A representative of a women-led organization in Sudan told UN Women that the cuts forced them to reduce their services and resources.
As a result, a 17-year-old survivor of sexual violence remained without treatment for four days. She became pregnant before later attempting suicide and died six months later.
A representative of the organization said: “If I had the funding, I would have supported her… and helped her heal and rebuild her life.”
Nine in 10 organizations said they had seen increases in poverty among the women they serve, 8 in 10 had seen increases in girls dropping out of school, and 7 in 10 had seen an increase in forced marriage.
“Due to the lack of outreach workers in one neighbourhood, within a few months we noticed a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies,” said a representative of one organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Another group in the Democratic Republic of Congo said it had to put more than 1,500 female-headed families on waiting lists for aid.
“The most affected groups are single mothers and their children, as the postponement of support has exacerbated food insecurity and malnutrition for them,” the group said.
“The cuts in women’s organizations are happening at the same time as we’re seeing the erosion of women’s rights — and these two things are closely linked,” Kaltorp said.
Nearly two-thirds of organizations also said their staff are working without pay so they can continue to provide support to women and girls who need them despite the cuts.
“These sacrifices are a testament to their commitment, but women cannot be expected to bear these costs,” Kaltorp said.
She called for “immediate action by donors and the humanitarian community to prioritize funding women’s organizations,” adding, “We will not and will not allow them to become another victim of war.”
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