Reviewed and updated 7 October 2026 against the latest official UK Government and parliamentary material located for this article.
By Aneeta Prem MBE
The UK’s flagship international programme dedicated to ending female genital mutilation is due to conclude this month.
The Girl Generation: Africa-Led Movement to End FGM has supported locally led prevention work across several African countries. In its formal response to the Women and Equalities Committee, the Government said the programme would conclude in October 2026 and that there were then no plans for future funding for that programme.
As of 7 October 2026, I have not found a later official announcement of a dedicated successor to the Girl Generation programme.
That does not mean all UK-funded work connected with FGM is ending. Wider gender-based-violence programmes continue, and in June 2026 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office separately invited proposals for a small grant to support British nationals affected by forced marriage and FGM, covering 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Those are different forms of funding. A short consular-support grant for British nationals is not a replacement for a large Africa-led prevention programme.
What is ending?
The Girl Generation programme is funded through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and works with African-led organisations and movements seeking to end FGM.
The Government’s response to Parliament said the programme would conclude in October 2026. A later ministerial letter said the UK was exploring options for future programming while integrating FGM into a wider portfolio of work on women and girls, but it did not announce a like-for-like successor programme.
The Chairs of the Women and Equalities Committee and International Development Committee warned that losing dedicated funding could put women and girls at greater risk and called for continued bilateral funding.
That is a parliamentary committee position. It should not be reported as proof that harm will inevitably rise. The policy question is whether the specialist work, relationships and local capacity built through the programme will continue in another form.
What continues?
The Government has said that FGM remains part of wider gender-based-violence programming, including support for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.
There is also a separate FCDO grant arrangement for organisations supporting British nationals affected by forced marriage and FGM. The 2026 call offered up to £25,000 for work running from October 2026 to March 2027.
That funding is useful to know about, but the scale and purpose are different. It should not be presented as evidence that the international prevention programme has simply been replaced.
Why dedicated prevention funding can matter
FGM prevention is rarely the work of one institution. Community organisations, survivor advocates, teachers, health professionals, religious and traditional leaders, men and boys, and local campaigners can all influence whether attitudes and practices change.
Dedicated programmes can sustain specialist knowledge and long-term relationships. More general funding streams can also achieve important work, but they may not preserve the same focus or infrastructure.
That does not mean every programme should continue unchanged. Governments are entitled to review priorities and test whether public money is achieving results. But if a dedicated programme ends, the public should be able to see what is being retained, what is being lost and how progress will be measured afterwards.
The UK interest is not only overseas
FGM is illegal in the UK, but safeguarding can cross borders. British girls and girls resident in the UK may have family connections overseas, and risk can arise around travel.
This is why international prevention and domestic safeguarding sometimes intersect. The connection should not be exaggerated, but nor should it be ignored.
Prevention and survivor care are both part of the picture
Funding debates often focus on preventing future cases. Prevention is essential. So is care for women and girls already living with the consequences of FGM.
In the UK, that includes specialist health services, deinfibulation where clinically appropriate, psychological and psychosexual support, professional training and the unresolved evidence question around clitoral reconstruction.
A credible FGM policy has to be capable of doing both things at once: reducing future harm and improving care for survivors now.
What should be clear before the programme closes?
Before the Girl Generation programme ends, the Government should make it easy to understand:
- which projects and partnerships stop with the programme;
- which activities continue through other funding streams;
- whether dedicated successor funding will be created;
- how local organisations are being supported through the transition;
- what UK support for multilateral FGM work will continue; and
- how the effect of the funding change will be monitored.
Those are accountability questions, not party-political ones.
Why I am watching this
Through Freedom Charity, my work has included FGM prevention, safeguarding education and helping professionals recognise risk. I also wrote Cut Flowers to help young people approach FGM through a safeguarding story rather than through a frightening list of facts.
The PSHE Association Quality Mark applies to Freedom Charity’s lesson resources, not to the novel itself. That distinction is worth keeping clear.
Final word
The position on 7 October 2026 is more precise than the headline “UK funding for FGM is ending”.
A major dedicated prevention programme is due to close this month. Wider UK-funded work connected with FGM continues. A separate consular-support grant also runs beyond October. What I have not found is an announced dedicated successor to the Girl Generation programme itself.
The question is not whether some money still exists. It is whether the specialist prevention work built over years survives the end of the programme.
Sources and further reading
- UK Parliament: Government response on female genital mutilation
- UK Parliament: committee chairs on FGM programme funding
- FCDO: support for British nationals affected by forced marriage and FGM — 2026 grant call
- UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM