By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Switzerland, July 11, 2026 - At least one million women and girls living in conflict and humanitarian crises have lost access to essential services this year as funding cuts force women-led organisations to scale back or shut down life-saving programmes, a new UN Women report has revealed.
The report warns that the global funding crisis is hitting at a time when humanitarian needs among women and girls have reached record levels, with an estimated 120 million women and girls worldwide now requiring protection and humanitarian assistance.
According to the report, Beyond the Breaking Point, released on Thursday, nearly two in five women-led and women's rights organisations operating in crisis-affected countries expect to close temporarily or permanently within the next 12 months if funding does not improve.
The findings are based on responses from 855 organisations across 52 conflict- and crisis-affected countries.
"The women's organisations at risk of being shut down are on the frontlines of the world's most severe humanitarian crises," said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women's Chief of Humanitarian Action.
"In countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, they operate where international actors cannot and stay long after global attention has moved on."
She warned that every funding cut directly affects vulnerable women and girls.
"Every dollar withdrawn from women's organisations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive."
The report shows that humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources.
Since January 2025, 84 per cent of organisations surveyed reported a rise in demand for their services, while nearly nine in ten said they could no longer meet the growing needs of women and girls in their communities.
To keep essential services running, many organisations have resorted to extraordinary measures. Nearly 65 per cent said staff were working without pay, while 48 per cent reported increasing burnout among employees trying to sustain programmes with limited resources.
The consequences are already being felt by those seeking help.
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Half of the organisations surveyed said they had introduced waiting lists or were turning away women and girls because they lacked the resources to support them.
The report also found that 92 per cent had witnessed rising poverty among the women they serve, while 82 per cent reported an increase in girls dropping out of school.
UN Women warned that protection services are also collapsing as violence against women increases.
According to the report, 86 per cent of organisations reported a rise in gender-based violence, while 62 per cent said safe spaces for survivors had either been significantly reduced or closed altogether.
Women and girls living in remote and conflict-affected communities are among the hardest hit, with nearly two-thirds of organisations reporting cuts to services in those areas.
Beyond humanitarian assistance, the report warns that shrinking financial support is also undermining progress towards gender equality and women's leadership.
One in five organisations said they had already suspended programmes promoting women's participation in leadership and decision-making, while more than half reported declining involvement of women in community leadership.
Calltorp urged governments and international donors to urgently restore funding, warning that the collapse of local women's organisations would have long-term consequences for communities affected by conflict.
"Without immediate action, the organisations that have kept women and girls alive through the world's worst crises risk becoming another casualty of war," she said.
UN Women is calling for sustained investment in women-led organisations, describing them as indispensable first responders whose work is critical to protecting vulnerable women and girls, advancing their rights and supporting recovery in some of the world's most fragile humanitarian settings.