Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Women’s Rights Groups Face Mass Shutdowns

The international humanitarian landscape is facing a critical shortfall, and at its most fragile edge lie women-led and women’s rights organizations. A stark new report by UN Women paints a grim picture: half of such organizations operating in crisis-affected areas may be forced to shut their doors within the next six months. The cause? A cascade of foreign aid reductions and a humanitarian system stretched to its breaking point.

The consequences could be catastrophic for the millions of women and families who rely on these grassroots organizations for essential, life-saving support in the world’s most volatile regions.

Unmet Needs and the Shrinking Aid Pie

The global demand for humanitarian aid in 2024 reached an all-time high of USD 44.79 billion, fueled by intensifying conflicts, climate disasters, and displacement crises. Yet, only 7 per cent of this target has been funded — a staggering gap that leaves critical humanitarian missions under-resourced and under threat.

Donor fatigue, shifting geopolitical priorities, and domestic pressures have led major governments to announce sweeping cuts to foreign aid. While the entire humanitarian architecture is under pressure, the damage is most acute for local and national women-led organizations — groups that, despite being first responders, are often last in line for funding.

The Numbers Behind the Crisis

A global survey by UN Women of 411 women’s organizations in 44 countries reveals an alarming reality:

• 90% reported direct impacts from reductions in foreign aid.

• 62% have already curtailed their services.

• 67% have reduced or suspended programs addressing gender-based violence.

• Health care and livelihoods support are also being scaled back — with life-threatening implications.

These reductions are not mere budgetary adjustments — they are life-altering disruptions that remove lifelines for the most vulnerable. Every day, over 500 women and girls in crisis settings die from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Without the interventions of these community-based organizations, such figures are likely to rise.

Country-Level Devastation: Afghanistan and Ukraine in Focus

The crisis is not uniform; it is unevenly felt across different geographies. But the trends are universal: programs are shrinking, services are disappearing, and hope is fading.

Afghanistan:

• 50% of women’s rights organizations report that their programs have been directly affected.

• The rollback of women-centered services comes amidst deepening socio-political constraints on women’s freedoms and public participation.

Ukraine:

• 72% of surveyed organizations face severe disruptions.

• Over 60% have had to suspend or reduce services addressing gender-based violence — erasing access to shelters, legal assistance, and trauma counseling.

• One-third fear total closure within six months without new funding.

These examples underscore the fragility of progress in gender equality under humanitarian duress.

Why the Cuts Hit Women and Girls Hardest

In crisis zones, women and girls are among the first to suffer and the last to be heard. The erosion of women-led services deepens their vulnerability:

• Fewer safe havens for survivors of gender-based violence.

• Limited access to reproductive and maternal health care.

• Loss of economic opportunities and livelihoods, often provided through local women’s groups.

This burden is heavier for marginalized populations: migrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ individuals, older women, and women with disabilities. Their needs are often invisible to mainstream agencies but central to the missions of local feminist organizations.

The Cost of Ignoring Women’s Leadership in Humanitarian Aid

Women’s organizations do more than deliver aid — they lead, advocate, and build resilience. They are:

• Trusted community figures who provide culturally sensitive and accessible services.

• Architects of safe spaces and legal pathways for justice.

• Voices that ensure inclusive humanitarian planning.

• Catalysts for economic and social empowerment, particularly in rebuilding post-crisis resilience.

When these organizations vanish, the humanitarian system becomes not only weaker but also less representative and less responsive to those in need.

Despite this, only 1.3 per cent of humanitarian funding in 2024 went toward addressing gender-based violence. This is not just a moral failure but an economic one. Evidence shows that gender-responsive aid programs yield an eightfold return on investment.

A Call to Action: Fund Feminist Frontlines

The current funding model is unsustainable. To avert the closure of vital organizations and prevent further erosion of women’s rights in crisis zones, urgent action is needed:

• Donors must ring-fence funding for local women’s organizations.

• Long-term, flexible funding mechanisms should replace short-term project-based grants.

• Humanitarian responses must embed gender equality as a core principle, not a side agenda.

The clock is ticking. Without immediate and sustained investment, the world risks not only a rollback of decades of gender equality progress, but the collapse of a vital humanitarian safety net that millions of women and girls depend on.