Protecting progress: The global impact of funding cuts on ending child marriage
Advocacy brief
About
Serving as an urgent call to action jointly authored by the UNFPA–UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, Girls Not Brides, and Girls First Fund, this advocacy brief highlights how unprecedented reductions in development and humanitarian aid are dismantling decades of progress toward ending child marriage and advancing gender equality. It documents the ripple effects of donor cuts: shuttering community programs, weakening protection systems, and leaving millions of girls at risk of early marriage, violence, and exclusion.
Drawing on evidence from multiple countries, the brief underscores the human cost of these funding gaps and sets out key asks for donors, governments, and philanthropic actors to protect investments in adolescent girls and rebuild strategic partnerships.
Published on 10 November 2025
