In September 2000, the largest-ever gathering of world leaders came together to build a vision. The Millennium Declaration envisioned a shared future of an inclusive and equitable world; a world where the human rights and human dignity of all are respected, and where governments, civil society, and donors share a common goal of protecting the vulnerable and advancing gender, racial, and economic equality.
It was from the Millennium Declaration that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were born, an ambitious set of eight global goals that sought to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, and promote gender equality and empower women. The MDGs were a powerful tool for advancing gender equality—resulting in greater numbers of girls and women in school, workplaces, and government, as well as critical reductions in maternal and child mortality—but fell far short of reaching its goals.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, built on the ambition of this vision. The SDGs doubled down on gender equality and outlined an ambitious agenda for women and girls: the world sought to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, secure women’s equal participation and leadership in public life, and ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The SDGs centered SRHR, aiming to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including family planning, and end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths. Some progress has been made, with meaningful impacts in the lives of millions: rates of child marriage and female genital mutilation have declined, and efforts to ensure access to life-saving care has reduced AIDS-related deaths by 52 percent since 2010.
Yet the vision for a gender-equal world is under threat. Progress on gender equality had already stagnated or declined in 40 percent of countries—home to over 1 billion women and girls—between 2019 and 2022. No country in the world has achieved gender equality, and the backlash on gender equality and women’s rights has seen countries such as Afghanistan place extreme restrictions on women’s access to health, education, and participation in public life. The situation is just as dire, if not more so, in settings affected by conflict and crises. In 2023, the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled from 2022, and the number of UN-verified conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) cases increased by 50 percent. Sexual and gender-based violence continues to be used as a weapon of war against women and girls, often with impunity.
The recent actions by the Trump administration—its freeze on foreign assistance, its efforts to dismantle USAID, and its attacks on and withdrawals from United Nations institutions—is sending global efforts to protect women and girls, advance SDGs, and achieve gender equality into freefall. Thousands of programs around the world, many led by local organizations, have been forced to shutter. Many of these programs—which combatted malnutrition, supported the education of girls, advanced the rights and health of women, and supported more just and sustainable societies—may never be able to re-open. While the Trump administration’s recent actions have been unparalleled in their rapid and far-reaching impact, the US is not the first government to cut its humanitarian aid in recent years. Sweden halved its aid budget in 2023, and Germany will halve its aid budget for 2025; France and the Netherlands have similarly planned significant cuts to their aid budgets; Switzerland will cut US$123 million from its aid budget this year; the EU is cutting its €2 billion in development aid to the poorest countries over the next few years; and while the UK closed down its Department for International Development five years ago, just this week it announced further cuts to its aid budget in order to boost defence spending. Like the US, many governments are shifting their budgets towards advancing national foreign policy interests over protecting lives.
This all takes place against a backdrop of skyrocketing humanitarian needs, with at least 305 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025. In conflict and crisis, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by violence, displacement, malnutrition, poverty, and the loss of healthcare. Fully funding UN humanitarian appeals in 2025 would require $47.4 billion, yet even this would only meet the needs of 190 million people out of the 305 million who require assistance—meaning 4 in 10 people in need would not receive assistance.
The sudden, extreme cuts to humanitarian funding are not an unfortunate inevitability, but a choice. Global military expenditure in 2023 reached $2,443 billion, an increase on previous years; billionaire wealth grew by $5.7 billion dollars a day in 2024; and it was projected that in 2024, developing countries would actually pay $50 billion more in debt repayments than they receive in official development assistance. We have the resources required to protect and invest in women and girls globally. What we are missing is the resolve.
The choice to cut humanitarian aid leaves millions of the most vulnerable people exposed and unprotected by the wealthiest economies on earth. The risks of famine, conflict, crop failures, and global pandemics will increase. Millions more women and girls will be at risk of violence, sexual exploitation, maternal mortality, human trafficking, famine, and loss of livelihood and educational opportunities. Decades of hard-fought progress on poverty reduction, global health, and gender equality will be reversed.
The Women’s Refugee Commission, like many civil society organizations around the world, remains committed to a building a just, inclusive world, where women enjoy equal rights, are protected from violence, and enjoy the freedom to make decisions about their bodies, communities, and countries. We will continue to advocate for gender equality in nationality laws, for safe and sexual and reproductive health services for crisis-affected communities, for more inclusive gender-based violence prevention and response interventions, and for the economic empowerment and resilience of displaced women.
The promise and the vision of the Millennium Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals are at risk—but the fight is not over. Now more than ever, it is critical that governments, donors, and civil society members stand together and fight to protect this vision.