Chronological coverage updated 11th September 2026 05:00.
Update 1 · 11th September 2026
Philanthropic $15.5m fund launched in bid to end female genital mutilation worldwide
Frontline activists and campaign leaders fighting female genital mutilation (FGM) have welcomed the launch of a new $15.5 million (£11.4 million) fund aimed at generating momentum to end the practice within a generation. The Her Horizon Fund, created by the US-based Wallace Global Fund, was seeded with an initial $14 million from the foundation alongside an additional $1.5 million from an anonymous contributor. Source: theguardian.com.
The fund seeks to pool a total of $100 million from international donors to reach a critical tipping point against FGM. The practice, which involves the partial or total removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons, has affected more than 230 million women and girls globally. This includes 144 million in Africa, 80 million in Asia, and 6 million across the Middle East. Source: theguardian.com.
Declining funding and rising legal challenges
The launch comes at a time when global donor funding for anti-FGM initiatives has fallen precipitously. Funding for the largest global campaign—a joint initiative across 18 countries run by UNFPA and Unicef—dropped significantly last year, cutting critical financial lifelines for frontline groups led by survivors in local communities. Source: theguardian.com.
Annual funding for the joint UNFPA and Unicef anti-FGM programme fell by 45% last year, dropping from $29.6 million to $16.3 million. — according to theguardian.com.
Although the United Nations established a global target to eliminate FGM by 2030, progress has been hindered by funding shortfalls and legal setbacks. In The Gambia, the supreme court is reviewing a constitutional challenge to its 2015 ban on female genital mutilation and cutting, following a parliamentary attempt to repeal the law in 2024. In Sierra Leone, the recently enacted Child Rights Act omitted a prohibition on FGM despite persistent advocacy from human rights groups. Source: theguardian.com.
According to theguardian.com, Susan Gibbs, senior adviser on women's rights and FGM at the Wallace Global Fund said: “Female genital mutilation is a global crisis, an extreme manifestation of gender-based violence and violence against children, and a public health emergency.”.
Impact on health and community-led solutions
FGM presents severe short- and long-term health risks, including extreme pain, excessive bleeding, infections, complications during childbirth, chronic pain, and lasting psychological trauma. A 2025 study examining 15 affected countries estimated that FGM causes tens of thousands of fatalities every year, ranking as a primary cause of death among women and girls in those nations. Source: theguardian.com.
Female genital mutilation causes approximately 44,000 deaths each year across 15 countries evaluated. — according to theguardian.com.
Advocates emphasize that direct funding to grassroots organizations is necessary because local leaders possess the context required to change cultural practices. In Somalia, where FGM is nearly universal, local campaigning has successfully pushed three of the country's seven federal member states to enact anti-FGM legislation, while cabinet members in two additional states have endorsed draft bills. Source: theguardian.com.
According to theguardian.com, Ifrah Ahmed, Somali-Irish activist and founder of the Ifrah Foundation said: “By giving $14m, the global fund will ensure activists can continue their work in this area.”.
According to theguardian.com, Susan Gibbs, senior adviser on women's rights and FGM at the Wallace Global Fund said: “Lasting change must be led by the frontline – it cannot be imposed from the outside. Frontline survivors, activists, they know their communities and they know what it will take. They must have the resources and power to lead.”.
- The $15.5 million Her Horizon Fund aims to raise $100 million to counteract sharp declines in global anti-FGM funding.
- UN funding for anti-FGM programs fell 45% last year, threatening frontline advocacy despite FGM affecting 230 million women and girls.
- Advocates stress that lasting elimination requires supporting local survivor-led organizations in communities where legal protections remain fragile.