UN Report Warns of Funding Crisis for Women’s Rights

A new UN Women report titled At Risk and Underfunded has raised alarm over the global funding crisis facing women’s rights organisations. Based on a survey of 428 groups worldwide, the report found that one in three has been forced to suspend or shut down programmes aimed at ending gender-based violence, while many others are struggling to survive.

The report reveals that over 40 percent of these organisations have scaled back or closed essential services such as shelters, legal aid, psychosocial support, and healthcare. These cuts have left countless women and girls without access to the safety and care they desperately need. Nearly 80 percent of respondents reported reduced access to services for survivors, and 59 percent said they observed rising impunity and the normalisation of violence against women.

Kalliopi Mingeirou, head of UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls section, expressed deep concern about the findings. She stated that women’s rights organisations are the backbone of progress in combating violence against women but are now being pushed to the brink. Mingeirou urged governments and donors to secure, expand, and make funding more flexible to ensure these organisations can continue their vital work. She warned that without sustained investment, the world risks losing decades of hard-won progress toward gender equality.

Violence against women remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations globally. According to UN Women data, nearly 736 million women—about one in three—have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often by an intimate partner. The report reinforces earlier warnings from the agency that many women-led organisations in crisis and conflict zones are on the verge of closure.

The situation appears increasingly grim. Only five percent of surveyed organisations said they could sustain operations for more than two years under current conditions. Around 85 percent predicted severe setbacks to laws and protections for women and girls if funding shortfalls continue. More than half also voiced serious concern about escalating threats to women human rights defenders who are already working in challenging and often dangerous environments.

UN Women’s report also highlights that this crisis is unfolding amid a broader global backlash against women’s rights. One in four countries is now experiencing growing resistance to gender equality progress. As funding dries up, many groups have been forced to prioritise emergency services—such as immediate support for survivors—over long-term advocacy and reform efforts that drive lasting change.

The release of At Risk and Underfunded comes as the world marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark framework for gender equality that identified ending violence against women as a global priority. However, the current funding challenges threaten to undermine the progress achieved since that milestone.

The report’s message is clear: without immediate and sustained financial support, the global fight against gender-based violence will face devastating setbacks. UN Women calls on governments, donors, and international partners to take urgent action to protect and empower the organisations that have long stood at the front lines of defending women’s rights and safety.