Geneva – At least one million women and girls have lost access to essential support services since January 2025 as funding cuts force women's organizations working in humanitarian crises to scale back or suspend operations, according to a new report released by UN Women.

The report, Beyond the Breaking Point, surveyed 855 women-led and women's rights organizations across 52 conflict- and crisis-affected countries. It found that 84% of organizations have seen demand for their services increase since January 2025, while nearly nine in 10 say they can no longer meet existing needs due to the sharp decline in international aid.

UN Women warned that organizations providing life-saving assistance are under unprecedented pressure at a time when humanitarian needs are at record levels. An estimated 120 million women and girls worldwide currently require humanitarian assistance and protection.

"The women's organizations at risk of being shut down are on the frontlines of the world's most severe humanitarian crises," said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action. She stressed that these organizations often operate in places where international actors cannot, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Haiti.

According to the report, two in five organizations expect to close temporarily or permanently within the next year if funding shortages continue.

The impact of the funding cuts is already being felt on the ground. Half of the surveyed organizations have introduced waiting lists or are turning away women and girls seeking assistance because they no longer have the resources to meet demand. In addition, 92% reported rising poverty among the women they serve, while 82% said they are seeing more girls forced to drop out of school.

The report also highlights the worsening protection crisis facing women and girls. As conflict-related sexual violence doubled in 2025, 86% of organizations reported an increase in gender-based violence in the communities they support. At the same time, 62% said safe spaces for survivors have either closed or been significantly reduced due to funding shortages.

UN Women warned that these figures represent real human consequences. Women fleeing violence may find shelters closed, pregnant women may have to travel long distances to access healthcare, and mothers may be unable to obtain food assistance for their children. The report notes that women and girls in remote and conflict-affected communities are among the hardest hit, with 63% of organizations already reducing or ending services in hard-to-reach areas.

The funding crisis is also taking a heavy toll on humanitarian workers. Around 65% of women-led organizations reported that staff are working without pay to maintain essential services, while nearly half cited increasing burnout among employees. Additionally, 88% said the mental health of the women and girls they support has deteriorated.

Beyond the immediate humanitarian impact, UN Women warned that the collapse of women's organizations is undermining long-term progress on women's rights and gender equality. One in five organizations has already suspended programmes promoting women's leadership and gender equality, while more than half reported declining participation of women in community leadership and local decision-making.

UN Women called for urgent and sustained investment in women's organizations, describing them as indispensable first responders, defenders of women's rights, and key actors in peacebuilding and recovery. "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 said.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to supporting women-led organizations through funding, technical assistance, and advocacy to strengthen their leadership, expand access to life-saving services, and promote locally led humanitarian responses that address the needs of women and girls.