Women’s Organizations in the Arab States on the Brink as Humanitarian Funding Cuts Deepen, Warns Regional Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group

[Press release]

Cairo, Egypt – Women-led and women’s rights organizations across the Arab States are facing an unprecedented crisis of survival as humanitarian funding cuts threaten to dismantle life-saving services for millions of women and girls, according to a new advocacy note released by the Regional Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group for the Arab States and MENA.

The Arab region is home to 56.9 million people who require humanitarian assistance, with women and girls disproportionately affected by conflict, displacement, and disasters. Despite their lifesaving role, 80 per cent of women’s organizations report being severely impacted by funding cuts —a figure higher than the global average.

“Women’s organizations are not just service providers, they are the first responders in crises. When they are forced to shut down operations, women and girls lose safe spaces, vital services, and trusted advocates” said Dr. Moez Doraid, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States.

Amid ongoing conflict and funding suspensions, women’s and girls’ safe spaces have already been forced to close in Yemen, Lebanon and in Palestine, cutting off critical services for more than 300,000 vulnerable women and girls in Yemen, 90,000 in Gaza, and 30,000 in Lebanon in 2025 alone.

The advocacy note outlines four (4) urgent actions for governments, donors, the UN system, and humanitarian actors to safeguard women’s rights, and ensure their equitable access to humanitarian assistance and participation  crisis response:

1. Maintain and scale up funding – Provide flexible, multi-year financing directly to women’s organizations to sustain life-saving services and prevent closures.
2. Support women’s leadership – Guarantee women’s and women’s organizations meaningful participation in humanitarian coordination and decision-making at all levels.
3. Invest in capacity strengthening – Provide training, networking opportunities, and institutional support to enable women’s organizations to sustain their operations and strengthen accountability.
4. Guarantee safe access to deliver services – Remove logistical, financial, access and political barriers to ensure women’s organizations can reach affected communities safely and effectively.

Without urgent support, around 40% of women’s organizations in the Arab States warn they may be forced to close, and nearly one-third remain uncertain about their operational future. This would severely undermine the effectiveness of humanitarian response and reverse hard-won progress on women’s empowerment across the region.

The Regional GiHA Working Group calls on Member States, donors, and international actors to honor their commitments under the Grand Bargain to channel at least 25 per cent of humanitarian funding to local actors. In Palestine, for example, women’s organizations received just 0.2 per cent of total humanitarian financing in 2024—a stark indication of the gap between commitments and reality.

The note warns: “When women’s organizations are underfunded or forced to close, the entire humanitarian response becomes less effective, less inclusive, and less accountable to those most in need.”