Over 640,000 Ukrainian women will feel the negative impacts of US authorities halting funding to the UN Reproductive and Sexual Health Agency

Approximately 640,000 women and girls in Ukraine will be affected by the cessation of US financial support for the United Nations Reproductive and Sexual Health Agency (UNFPA), which provides support to vulnerable women, according to a statement released by the UN.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

According to the organisation, Ukrainian women risk losing access to psychosocial support programs, services for survivors of gender-based violence, safe spaces, and economic empowerment initiatives.

Furthermore, assistance to refugees and support for war-affected communities will significantly deteriorate.

The UN emphasised that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, cases of domestic, sexual, and other forms of gender-based violence in Ukraine have increased more than threefold. The organisation estimates that 2.4 million people, predominantly women and girls, urgently require measures to prevent and respond to such violence.

A specialist with UNFPA mobile psychosocial support teams, named Tetiana, explained that even after physical rescue in Dnipro, many individuals suffer from panic attacks, nightmares, and depression.

Concurrently, nearly two-thirds of Ukrainian families report significant levels of anxiety, depression, or severe stress, which complicates job searching and caring for loved ones.

In the absence of adequate psychological assistance, this cycle of trauma could be passed down to future generations, causing long-term harm to society as a whole.

The statement also noted that many people mistakenly believe that surviving the initial threat signifies the end of their ordeal. However, the true healing process only begins when a person reaches safety. Without psychosocial support, overcoming trauma or avoiding further consequences is extremely difficult.

Ukrainians have previously expressed mixed reactions to the suspension of USAID funding. Specifically, over two-thirds of respondents – 69% – believe that the cessation of USAID funding will lead to certain or significant negative consequences for the country. At the same time, 59% view this as a partially justified step, as they believe some projects spent funds ineffectively or conducted little benefit (little benefit/use) activity.

Read also: Seventy-five percent of CSOs are actively looking for alternative resources to finance their activities – survey

NBC News reported previously that, according to two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission, the State Department terminated a US Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine’s energy grid from attacks by the Russian military.