Impact of Funding Challenges on Women’s Organizations in Humanitarian Crises

Amid severe funding challenges faced by civil society groups globally, UN Women’s latest research highlights a critical situation. Nearly 47% of women’s organizations affected by humanitarian crises risk closure within six months if international funding reductions continue. This scenario threatens catastrophic impacts on women and families, emphasizing the urgent need to scale up sustained and flexible support to women-led and women’s rights organizations in fragile settings. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

UN Trust Fund’s Support and Challenges Faced by Women-Led Organizations

2024 Annual Report Highlights

According to the 2024 Annual Report, the UN Trust Fund supported:

1. 180 women-led organizations across 74 countries
2. Reached more than 14.7 million people, including over 7.7 million women and girls from marginalized communities

Despite their critical work, over 70% of grantee partners reported facing backlash such as funding cuts, digital surveillance, and threats, as detailed in the report Beyond Backlash: Advancing Movements to End Violence Against Women. This situation poses a significant barrier to achieving SDG 5 and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Women-Led Organizations and Funding Leverage

• More than 98% of grantees were women-led organizations.
• Over half used their UN Trust Fund grants to secure additional, often flexible, funding.
• Flexible funding is essential in contexts of conflict, disaster recovery, and political instability.

Abigail Erikson, Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, emphasized that women-led organizations are rising in the face of anti-rights movements, demonstrating that investment in civil society and women’s rights organizations fosters systemic and lasting change, directly contributing to SDG 5 and SDG 16.

Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) Support in 2024

Annual Report Findings

The WPHF 2024 Annual Report: Financing Women on the Frontlines Advancing Peace reveals that in 2024, WPHF provided urgent support to:

• 579 local women-led and women’s rights civil society organizations
• 344 women human rights defenders
• Across 34 conflict and crisis-affected countries worldwide

Nearly half of these organizations were first-time recipients of UN funding, highlighting WPHF’s accessibility for emerging, local, and grassroots organizations. This support is crucial for advancing SDG 5, SDG 16, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Importance of Flexible and Sustainable Funding

Flexible funding from WPHF has been a lifeline, enabling women’s organizations to adapt and respond swiftly in rapidly changing contexts through both institutional and programmatic funding. Tonni Ann Brodber, Head of the WPHF Secretariat, stressed the necessity of sustainable, civil society organization (CSO)-driven support, reflecting the urgent calls from local partners. Ensuring community-based organizations have resources to innovate and lead their own solutions is vital in increasingly challenging contexts, supporting the achievement of SDG 5 and SDG 16.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article focuses on women-led organizations, women’s rights, and ending violence against women, directly relating to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • The support to women human rights defenders and civil society organizations in conflict and crisis-affected countries connects to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and building effective institutions.
3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights international funding, partnerships, and flexible support mechanisms to civil society organizations, emphasizing the importance of global partnerships to achieve the SDGs.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Identified

1. SDG 5 Targets:
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres.
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.
2. SDG 16 Targets:
   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • Target 16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
3. SDG 17 Targets:
   • Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. Indicators related to SDG 5:
   • Proportion of women’s organizations supported and sustained in humanitarian crises (implied by the data on women’s organizations at risk of closure due to funding cuts).
   • Number of women and girls reached by women-led organizations (e.g., 7.7 million women and girls reached).
   • Incidence of violence against women and girls, as implied by the focus on ending violence and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.
2. Indicators related to SDG 16:
   • Number of women human rights defenders supported (344 defenders across 34 countries).
   • Number of civil society organizations supported in conflict and crisis-affected areas (579 organizations).
3. Indicators related to SDG 17:
   • Amount and flexibility of international funding channeled to women-led organizations.
   • Percentage of grantees leveraging UN Trust Fund grants to secure additional funding (over half).
   • Number of partnerships and grantee organizations supported (180 organizations across 74 countries).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: unwomen.org