Half of women’s organizations in crisis zones risk closure within six months

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Arun Kumar

Across 73 countries, 308 million people now rely on humanitarian aid – a number that continues to rise. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by these crises, facing preventable pregnancy-related deaths, malnutrition, and alarming levels of sexual violence.

Despite the growing need, the humanitarian system is facing severe funding shortfalls, threatening life-saving services for women and girls.

Programmes suspended

According to a UN survey conducted among 411 women-led and women’s rights organizations providing services in crisis areas, 90 per cent have already been hit by funding cuts.

A staggering 51 per cent have been forced to suspend programmes, including those that support survivors of gender-based violence.

Pushed to the brink, almost three-quarters of the organizations surveyed also reported having to lay off staff – many at significant levels.

Already underfunded even before the recent wave of cuts, women’s organizations serve as a “lifeline” for women and girls, particularly in crisis settings.

With these organizations serving as cornerstones of humanitarian response, Sofia Calltorp, Chief of UN Women Humanitarian Action, called the situation “critical”, as funding cuts threaten essential, life-saving services.

Local women’s leadership

Despite the growing challenges, women’s organizations remain unwavering – “leading with courage, advocating for their communities, and rebuilding lives with resilience and determination,” said the UN gender equality agency.

In light of the findings, UN Women recommends prioritising and tracking direct, flexible, and multi-year funding to local women-led and women’s rights organizations whose work is under threat.

Placing local women’s leadership and meaningful participation at the centre is a core pillar of a humanitarian reset. “Supporting and resourcing them is not only a matter of equality and rights, but also a strategic imperative,” said Ms Calltorp.

Afghanistan’s socioeconomic crisis deepens amid crackdown on women’s rights

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Pallavi Guha

As the Afghan economy faces stalled local production and weak job creation, Afghanistan continues to heavily rely on imports and international assistance.

“UNDP’s current analysis and new data indicate the continuation of a deeply troubling trajectory for the Afghan people, who have been grappling with extreme vulnerability over the past decade,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and head of UNDP for the Asia-Pacific region.

Systemic challenges

In the past year, political uncertainty, an ongoing economic crisis, shrinking international aid and climate disruptions have compounded existing vulnerabilities, limiting the economy’s ability to regain momentum.

As Afghanistan heavily relies on foreign assistance, the current reduction in international aid is likely to have a significant impact on humanitarian operations and the delivery of basic services.

“UNDP stresses the need for targeted interventions to address these challenges, recognising that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough, and sustainable longer-term economic and social solutions are needed,” said Stephane Rodriques, UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan.

Restriction on women’s rights

As repressive laws continue to erode women’s rights, safety and access to basic services such as education and employment, Afghanistan’s socioeconomic crisis has seen the gender gap widen further, pushing women deeper into social exclusion and poverty.

With only seven per cent of Afghan women working outside of the household in 2024, restrictions on women and girls are projected to cost the Afghan economy nearly $920 million between 2024 and 2026, according to UNDP.

UNDP called for Afghanistan to lift restrictions on women and girls and for comprehensive support to women-led businesses to be provided.

Returnees

In 2024, Afghanistan also faced a major influx of returnees from Pakistan and Iran, as these neighbouring countries hardened their stance on Afghan refugees and migrants.

The UN expects the rate of returnees to increase in 2025, with an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million people expected to return to Afghanistan.

“With the anticipated arrival of hundreds of thousands of returnees this year and a marked reduction in international support, Afghan communities will have to navigate substantial challenges that will increase pressure on an already highly tenuous daily subsistence,” said Ms. Wignaraja.

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Afghanistan: Taliban restrictions on women’s rights intensify

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Pallavi Guha

The mission continued to receive reports that Afghan women are being denied the opportunity to join the workforce, are unable to access services without a male relative while girls are still deprived of their right to education.

Since the Taliban took over the country from the democratically-elected Government in August 2021, women and girls have been systemically excluded from equal participation in society, the report confirms.

UNAMA, whose mandate includes monitoring human rights, also reported public floggings, shrinking civic space, and brutal attacks on former government officials.

Beauty salons shuttered

Officials have reportedly shut down beauty salons run by women in their homes and women’s radio stations in various provinces, UNAMA said.

In the province of Kandahar, de facto inspectors asked shopkeepers in a market to report women unaccompanied by a guardian (mahram) and deny them entry into their shops.

At one hospital, authorities ordered staff not to provide care to unaccompanied female patients.

Forced conversions

Taliban authorities have also increased enforcement of repressive restrictions on media outlets, ramped up corporal punishment, and the clampdown on religious freedom and re-education.

Between 17 January and 3 February, in Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan, at least 50 Ismaili men were taken from their homes at night and forced to convert to Sunni Islam under the threat of violence, the report details.

More than 180 people, including women and girls, have been flogged for the offences of adultery and practicing homosexuality during the reporting period, in public venues attended by Taliban officials.

Taliban claim support for women’s rights

Despite documented evidence from the report that de facto authorities are continuing to violate international norms and rights protections, Taliban officials disagree.

“Ensuring the dignity, honor, and Sharia-based entitlements of women remains a paramount priority for the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a social media post on March 8, International Women’s Day.

“All fundamental rights afforded to Afghan women have been safeguarded in strict accordance with Islamic Sharia law, as well as the cultural and traditional frameworks of Afghan society,” he added.

International legal action

UNAMA has called for action to restore women’s and girls’ rights at the international level.

In January, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqan over persecution on gender grounds, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

The Taliban rejected the ruling, citing national sovereignty and religious traditions.