Policy Updates

On September 15, 2025, a UN Women report revealed that progress on women's rights is stagnating and regressing due to conflict, aid cuts, and a backlash against gender equality, and called on governments at the UN General Assembly in New York to commit to renewed action, highlighting that the US$420 billion needed annually to advance gender equality is a fraction of the US$2.7 trillion spent on the military.

The report, a gender snapshot monitoring progress on the SDGs, found that 676 million women and girls lived near deadly conflict in 2024, the highest number since the 1990s. Women are also more likely to be affected by rising food insecurity. The report projects that climate change could push an additional 158.3 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.

Director of UN Women’s policy division, Sarah Hendriks, contrasted the US$2.7 trillion in annual military spending with the estimated US$420 billion needed to advance gender equality. The report also noted a digital gender divide, which if addressed, could lift 30 million women and girls out of poverty by 2050 and generate a US$1.5 trillion increase in global GDP by 2030. UN Women is calling for renewed commitments at the UN General Assembly, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration.

On January 29, 2025, the Swiss government announced that it will reduce its foreign assistance budget by CHF110 million (US$124 million).

This decision affects multiple UN agencies:

• UNICEF's funding will drop from CHF18 million (US$20 million) to CHF14 million (US$16 million);
• The UNDP will receive CHF34 million (US$39 million), a 20% cut from 2024;
• UNAIDS and UNESCO will lose CHF3 million (US$3 million) and CHF4 million (US$5 million) respectively;
• GPE will be cut by CHF7 million (US$8 million); and
• UN Women will be cut by CHF3 million (US$3 million).

Swiss NGOs will face a CHF8 million (US$9 million) loss in core contributions, reflecting a 10% reduction. In 2024, core funded organizations included Caritas, Médecins Sans Frontières, Helvetas, Hirondelle, Terre des Hommes, Medair, and Solidar Switzerland.

Funding for peace promotion, humanitarian assistance, and assistance for Ukraine will remain unaffected. Budget reductions will also impact bilateral cooperation projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.