On January 20, 2026, a year from the day when President Trump ordered a 90-day pause on US foreign aid—more than $40 billion of which was ultimately cut—WRC issued a new report, “A Year of Harms.” It offers the first comprehensive evidence review of the devastating consequences for women and girls across humanitarian crises. If you haven’t yet read the report, you can find it here.
On February 10, we invite you to join us for a virtual panel discussion that will delve deeper into this urgent issue. Drawing on research by UN Women, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and WRC, as well as direct testimonials from local women leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Ukraine, the webinar will explore how global funding cuts have harmed women and girls in humanitarian crises—and what needs to happen now.
In an op-ed in Devex this week, our executive director, Sarah Costa, shares how aid cuts for women and girls in foreign settings destabilize us all: “The US, down both sides of the aisle, has long recognized that investing in women and girls advances global stability, economic growth, and sustainable peace. These investments were not just a moral imperative; they were a strategy. Pulling them away abruptly does not reduce risk; it multiplies it.” (paywalled)
On a related note, director of migrant rights and justice, Zain Lakhani, offered powerful commentary in a Washington Post article this week about ICE’s increasing detention of children. (paywalled)
Across all our program areas, WRC’s research and advocacy aims to monitor and mitigate harms that often happen in the dark. By bringing these abuses to light, we hope not only to inform you, but also to energize you to join our call for urgent action to remediate these harms.