KABUL: A new UN Women report says 82 percent of women-led and women’s rights organizations surveyed in Afghanistan are at risk of closure amid severe funding shortages and reductions in international aid.
The report, titled Afghanistan Beyond Breaking Point: The Impact of Aid Cuts on Women-Led and Women’s Rights Organizations, is based on a survey of 74 organizations conducted in April 2026. According to the report, 61 organizations said they were at risk of closing.
UN Women said 72 percent of the surveyed organizations experienced funding cuts during 2025, while 66 percent described their financial situation in 2026 as worse or critical compared with the previous year. One organization had already permanently closed, while 54 percent said they could be forced to suspend or end operations within the following 12 months.
The funding crisis has also affected services for women and girls. Seventy-seven percent of organizations said their capacity to meet needs was below the required level, while 83 percent reported that those needs had increased.
The report said 62 percent of organizations were reaching fewer women and girls than before January 2025. More than half said they had been forced to place beneficiaries on waiting lists or turn them away.
Services for survivors of violence have also been disrupted, with 76 percent reporting significant reductions or suspensions in case-management and referral services.
Staffing has been heavily affected as well. Ninety-two percent of organizations said they had lost employees, while 65 percent had relied on unpaid workers or volunteers to continue operating.
UN Women called for flexible, multi-year funding and greater direct support for women-led organizations to help sustain essential services in Afghanistan.