Yet the funding outlook for 2025 is anything but promising. Global cooperation is increasingly under threat, and the gap between humanitarian needs and funding to meet them is growing. In particular, the specific needs of women and girls are often overlooked with humanitarian response, such as gender-based violence, which is one of the most underfunded sectors. The costs of inaction will be stark. We already know that a majority of maternal deaths take place in fragile contexts. Women in crisis settings also experience twice the rate of gender-based violence – 70 per cent – and adolescent girls are 90 per cent more likely to be out of school compared to those not in crisis settings. But these outcomes are not inevitable. They are choices made by governments, donors, civil society and more. In 2025, UNFPA and its partners are raising the alarm that women and girls are most at risk when their reproductive rights, safety and humanity are kept in the shadows.
Below we shine a spotlight on some of the most underfunded crises for women in the world....... Cameroon – Multiple threats for women and girls.....Cameroon is battling mass internal displacement from repeated climate emergencies and violence by armed groups, as well as a significant refugee influx from neighbouring countries. UNFPA is working to meet the rising needs of some 3.4 million people and investing in climate-resilient health infrastructure. This helps support women like Aicha*, who after fleeing massive floods while pregnant and already displaced by violence told UNFPA, “I was so scared for the baby in my womb and for myself.” In numbers: For 2025, UNFPA is asking for US$9 million for Cameroon. Last year’s appeal was less than one third funded, meaning UNFPA was unable to reach more than half of the people in need of its services, and could no longer support 36 primary healthcare centres and 20 safe spaces.
Chad – Multiple crises and a neighbour at war.....Conflict, climate emergencies and displacement are driving the crisis in Chad. And since the war in Sudan broke out, Chad has seen the largest arrival of refugees in its history, with conditions in numerous displacement camps cramped, unsanitary and dangerous. As millions of women and girls lack adequate access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and protection services, the current deep lack of funding for humanitarian response is only making the situation more tenuous. In numbers: UNFPA requirements for 2025 are $27.8 million. Last year, just one third of the appeal was funded. This meant the organization could not reach more than 77,000 people with the sexual and reproductive health services they required, 50,000 women and girls could not access gender-based violence support, and some 111 primary health facilities were no longer supported.