A new UN Women report titled At Risk and Underfunded reveals a concerning decline in global support for women’s rights organizations. Based on a survey of 428 women’s rights and civil society groups, the report shows that one in three organizations have suspended or shut down programmes focused on ending gender-based violence. More than 40 percent have reduced or closed critical services such as shelters, legal assistance, and psychosocial and healthcare support due to severe funding shortages.
The funding crisis has had a devastating impact on survivors of gender-based violence. Nearly 80 percent of surveyed groups reported that survivors now face reduced access to essential services, while 59 percent observed rising impunity and normalization of violence. UN Women’s head of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls section, Kalliopi Mingeirou, emphasized that women’s rights organizations are “the backbone of progress” and warned that without sustained funding, decades of progress could be undone.
Gender-based violence continues to be one of the most widespread human rights violations globally. UN Women estimates that around 736 million women—nearly one in three—have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner. Earlier warnings that many women-led organizations in crisis zones were on the verge of closure have now been confirmed by the findings of this latest report.
The report paints a grim picture for the future of women’s rights work. Only five percent of surveyed organizations said they could continue operating for more than two years, while 85 percent anticipate major setbacks in legal protections and rights for women and girls. Over half also expressed deep concern about increasing threats faced by women human rights defenders.
These funding challenges are unfolding against the backdrop of a global backlash against women’s rights, evident in one in four countries. As resources dwindle, many organizations are being forced to divert focus from long-term advocacy to immediate crisis response. At Risk and Underfunded is being released as the world commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—a landmark global framework for gender equality that made ending violence against women a central priority.
