Global aid cuts trigger human rights crisis for persons with disabilities, new survey warns

Press Release | London, 14th July, 16:00 GMT

2025 saw the largest annual reduction in Official Development Assistance ever recorded, with global aid falling by 23.1% in real terms.
UK aid spending fell by 10% in 2025, with the government planning to reduce its aid target further to 0.3% of Gross National Income by 2027.
Global disability charity, Humanity & Inclusion, has released the results of a survey conducted with 177 Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs) across 35 countries.82% of OPDs surveyed reported a high or very high negative impact on the wellbeing of persons with disabilities in their communities directly linked to aid budget reductions.
79% of OPDs have experienced severe or very severe funding reductions over the past 18 months
72% of organisations have cancelled or suspended at least one programme or activity.
Women, children, refugees and people in rural areas are among the hardest hit with 85% of children with disabilities particularly affected and 84% of women and girls with disabilities.
Humanity & Inclusion, is calling on the UK Government to protect disability-inclusive funding and ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind at a time when the need has never been greater

A new global survey by Humanity & Inclusion of 177 Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) across more than 35 countries has revealed the devastating consequences of international aid cuts on persons with disabilities and the organisations that support them, with respondents warning of worsening exclusion, shrinking access to essential services and growing threats to their survival. The report describes it as "the sharpest aid contraction in modern history."

The findings come as the United Kingdom reduces Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to its lowest level in nearly two decades. UK aid spending fell by 10% in 2025, with the government planning to reduce its aid target further to 0.3% of Gross National Income by 2027.

The UK has historically been recognised as a leading supporter of disability-inclusive development. Yet the report warns that reductions by the UK and other major donors are contributing to what respondents describe as a severe crisis for persons with disabilities and the organisations that represent and support them.

“These findings are stark. Behind every percentage is a person losing access to food, education, healthcare or rehabilitation - the support they rely on to live with dignity. For many people with disabilities, these aren't optional services; they're the difference between independence and exclusion. People with disabilities are being overlooked. They are the invisible victims of the aid cuts." says Tom Shelton, Executive Director of Humanity & Inclusion UK.

Aid cuts are having a terrible impact on persons with disabilities

The report identifies 2025 as the year of the largest annual reduction in Official Development Assistance ever recorded, with global aid falling by 23.1% in real terms. For the first time on record, all five of the world's largest aid donors reduced their aid budgets in the same year.

The report warns that the current aid cuts risk pushing disability inclusion further to the margins of international cooperation, while approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide are persons with disabilities, almost 80% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.

"The UK built its reputation as a leader on disability-inclusive development. That reputation is now at risk. Disabled people’s organisations are telling us they're suspending programmes, cutting services and, in some cases, facing closure - and the consequences are falling hardest on disabled children, women and girls, refugees and people in rural communities. These are political choices - and the most vulnerable people should not be the ones paying for them. The Government still has the chance to rethink its approach, and it should take it." says Tom Shelton.

According to respondents, aid cuts are contributing to worsening inequalities, increased exclusion, and declining access to essential services and rights. More than eight in ten surveyed OPDs (82%) reported a high or very high negative impact on the wellbeing of persons with disabilities in their communities directly linked to aid budget reductions.

The report highlights significant disruptions in:

Economic inclusion and employment programmes
Assistive technology and rehabilitation services
Healthcare
Accessibility and adaptation support
Humanitarian assistance
Food assistance
Education
Care services and support for independent living
Services for women and girls with disabilities

The report warns that these reductions are increasing the risk of long-term dependency, poverty and social exclusion for persons with disabilities.

As one national self-advocacy organisation in the Dominican Republic stated:

"Cuts in international aid deepen the exclusion of persons with disabilities by paralysing essential autonomy programs and technical services that the State does not cover. This lack of financing makes us socially invisible and condemns us to greater dependence, violating our fundamental right to a dignified and productive life."

Organisations of Persons with Disabilities face an unprecedented funding crisis

The survey found that 79% of OPDs have experienced severe or very severe funding reductions over the past 18 months, affecting organisations across all regions and all organisational levels.
The consequences have been immediate:

72% of organisations have cancelled or suspended at least one programme or activity.
43% report weak or very weak capacity to sustain their mission.
14% say they risk permanent closure if current trends continue.

Funding reductions have affected all major funding channels, including bilateral and multilateral donors, international NGOs and foundations. 61% of surveyed organisations reported a decrease in funding from international NGOs, suggesting what the report describes as a "cascade effect" as aid reductions are passed down through the system.

A national OPD from Sierra Leone warned: "Funding for OPDs and disability intervention in general was already a very serious challenge. This cut is killing our organisations. We call on international community to save our organisations and save our community."

Women, children, refugees and people in rural areas are among the hardest hit

The report finds that aid cuts are disproportionately affecting persons with disabilities who already face multiple forms of exclusion.

Among surveyed organisations:

85% identified children with disabilities as particularly affected.
84% identified women and girls with disabilities as particularly affected.
83% identified older persons with disabilities as particularly affected.

Respondents reported increased risks for women and girls with disabilities, including reduced access to specialised support services and increased exposure to gender-based violence.

Children and young people with disabilities are reported to be experiencing disruptions to rehabilitation, nutrition, education and early intervention services, with some organisations documenting school dropouts, worsening malnutrition and irreversible developmental setbacks.

“One of our project beneficiaries is 9 years old and lives in a refugee camp. She has a hearing impairment and used to attend a small learning center supported by an aid organisation. There, she had a teacher trained in sign language and received a hearing device. Then the funding stopped. The teacher left. The center closed. Now Amina sits at home while other children go to school. Her mother tries to teach her, but without training or tools, lessons turn into silence. Amina begins to forget the signs she once knew. Her world shrinks − not because of her disability, but because the support disappeared.” Explains a regional umbrella organisation in Ethiopia

Refugees, internally displaced persons and persons with disabilities living in rural and remote areas were also identified as particularly vulnerable as services are scaled back or withdrawn.

“In Imvepi, Rhino Settlement, Kyaka II, Kyangwali and Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, reduced food rations disproportionately impacted children with disabilities, leading to increased cases of malnutrition. This directly affected their rehabilitation progress, as adequate nutrition is essential for physical recovery and functional improvement.” says a local organisation including family members and/or relatives of persons with disabilities in Uganda.

Call for urgent action

Humanity & Inclusion is urging the UK Government and other international donors to protect disability-inclusive funding, strengthen direct support to Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, and ensure that aid reductions do not disproportionately affect people who already face significant barriers to healthcare, education, livelihoods and social participation.

A local association of parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Tunisia issued a stark warning: "The inclusion of persons with disabilities should never be a budgetary adjustment variable. Don't let these children become the invisible victims of your accounting decisions."