UN Report: 1M Women Lost Aid Access in 18 Months

At least one million women and girls have lost access to humanitarian support over the past 18 months due to significant cuts in foreign aid, according to a report by UN Women. The decline is attributed to sweeping reductions by major donors, including the United States under President Donald Trump's administration.

The report highlights that 84% of women’s organizations surveyed reported increased demand for their services since January 2025. Nearly nine in ten organizations said they can no longer meet current levels of need, and two in five expect to shut down within the next year. The data is based on responses from 855 women-led and women’s rights organizations across 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries.

Sofia Calltorp, chief of humanitarian action at UN Women, emphasized that these organizations are crucial in addressing severe humanitarian crises. “Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive,” she said.

The report comes amid deep funding reductions for humanitarian agencies worldwide. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cited in the report found a historic decline in foreign aid between 2024 and 2025, with the US driving three-quarters of this decline. Since returning to office, the Trump administration has cut billions in US foreign aid and dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The consequences of these cuts are already visible, with half of women’s organizations introducing waiting lists or turning away those in need. The report also found that 92% of organizations have seen rising levels of poverty among the women they serve, while 82% reported more girls dropping out of school. Conflict-related sexual violence doubled in 2025, further exacerbating the crisis.