$15m fund launched to create ‘unstoppable momentum’ to end FGM worldwide

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Gambian activists celebrate the overturning of a bill to end a ban on female genital mutilation in 2024. But progress remains fragile, advocates say. Photograph: Malick Njie/Reuters View image in fullscreen Gambian activists celebrate the overturning of a bill to end a ban on female genital mutilation in 2024. But progress remains fragile, advocates say. Photograph: Malick Njie/Reuters Women's rights and gender equality $15m fund launched to create ‘unstoppable momentum’ to end FGM worldwide Her Horizon Fund seeks $100m to stop practice harming 230m women and girls globally

About this content Karen McVeigh Fri 11 Sep 2026 05.00 BST Last modified on Fri 11 Sep 2026 05.01 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Frontline activists and leaders in the fight against female genital mutilation, which has affected more than 230 million women and girls worldwide , have welcomed an unprecedented $15.5m (£11.4m) fund aimed at creating “unstoppable momentum” to finally end the practice.

The launch of the fund comes as women’s rights are increasingly under attack and donor funding is in sharp decline, particularly for work led by FGM survivors in local communities. It is thought to be the largest single philanthropic contribution to ending the practice of FGM.

The United Nations has set a goal of elimination by by 2030 , but progress is not on track as funding declines and legal protections are challenged.

Funding received by the largest initiative to end the practice – a joint programme operated in 18 countries by the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, and the UN humanitarian organisation for children, Unicef – fell by 45% last year, from $29.6m to $16.3m.