GENEVA

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned Tuesday that its humanitarian response in Sudan is severely underfunded, saying essential services for women and girls cannot be sustained without an immediate increase in support.

"In 2025, only 42% of UNFPA’s humanitarian response was funded," Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA's country representative in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva virtually. "That means, safe spaces are shuttered, supplies are cut, and support to reproductive health care is stopped."

The agency is appealing for $116 million for 2026 to keep maternal health care, reproductive services and protection programs operational across the country. Falcione stressed that "full funding" is required to prevent further gaps in lifesaving assistance.

She warned that the civil war in Sudan, ongoing since April 2023, continues to endanger millions. "The war is an assault on the rights, health, and dignity of women and girls, with 12.1 million people at risk of gender-based violence."

The scale of need, she said, demands urgent action from international leaders "to prevent further atrocities."

UNFPA said it continues to provide maternal and obstetric services, as well as case management and psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence across Sudan.

Falcione emphasized that "these services are a lifeline – but only if they continue."