The funding landscape for civil society organizations is currently facing significant challenges, particularly for women-led groups working amidst humanitarian crises. A recent study by UN Women indicates a dire situation: approximately 47% of women’s organizations could face closure within six months if the trend of international funding cuts continues. This scenario poses a severe risk to women and their families, highlighting the urgent necessity for increased, consistent support for women-led and women’s rights organizations in vulnerable regions.
As outlined in the UN Trust Fund’s 2024 Annual Report, the initiative supported a total of 180 women-led organizations across 74 nations last year, positively impacting over 14.7 million individuals—more than 7.7 million of whom were women and girls from the most marginalized communities. Despite their critical contributions, over 70% of the organizations reported experiencing backlash, including funding reductions, digital surveillance, and various threats. This information is detailed in the report “Beyond Backlash: Advancing Movements to End Violence Against Women.”
Significantly, more than 98% of the grantees were women-led organizations, with over half successfully using their UN Trust Fund grants to secure additional, often flexible, funding. Such funding is crucial in unstable environments characterized by conflict, disaster recovery, and political unrest. Abigail Erikson, Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, remarked, “In the face of rising anti-rights movements, women-led organizations are not retreating—they are rising. This year’s results show that when we invest in civil society and women’s rights organizations, we are investing in systemic, lasting change.”
In 2024, the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) provided urgent assistance to 579 local women-led and women’s rights civil society organizations, as well as to 344 women human rights defenders across 34 countries affected by conflict and crises. Notably, nearly half of these organizations were first-time recipients of UN funding, demonstrating the accessibility of WPHF support for local and grassroots entities.
WPHF’s flexible funding has proved to be essential for women’s organizations, enabling them to swiftly adapt to changing circumstances through institutional and programmatic financial support. Tonni Ann Brodber, Head of the WPHF Secretariat, emphasized the need for sustainable and community-driven support: “Now more than ever, we must ensure community-based organizations have the resources to adapt, to innovate, and to lead their own solutions in increasingly challenging contexts.”
