UNHCR Sounds Alarm on Funding Crisis
The agency has secured only $3 billion of its $8.5 billion 2026 budget, forcing one of its largest restructurings and cuts to frontline services.
- On Monday, High Commissioner Barham Salih announced painful humanitarian operations cuts worldwide as deep funding shortfalls force the UN refugee agency to restructure its global response.
- The agency has secured only $3 billion, or 35 percent of the $8.5 billion required for 2026, following significant aid cuts by countries including the United States under President Donald Trump.
- To preserve frontline operations, UNHCR reduced its workforce from nearly 20,000 to under 12,000 since 2024, though Salih noted the loss of specialized expertise cannot be easily replaced.
- Insufficient funding disrupts specialized medical care for more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence in Chad, while refugee registration for tens of thousands from South Sudan and Eritrea was suspended in Ethiopia.
- The Americas face a 32 percent budget reduction in 2027 totaling about $485 million, while Salih warned the agency cannot be asked to do the impossible despite forecasting $2.68 billion in funding.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Africa: 'Efficiency Has Limits' - UNHCR Chief Warns Refugee Protection Is Buckling Under Cuts
The money is running out faster than needs are growing: with 117 million men, women and children now forced from their homes, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has received just $3 billion of the $8.5 billion it needs this year - and its chief, Barham Salih, warns that the global support system for asylum-seekers risks buckling.
Acnur's chief, Barham Salih, warns that financial cuts put the lives of millions of displaced people in the world at risk. What does it imply?
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Birham Saleh, warned on Monday that underfunding forced UNHCR to make reductions in its humanitarian operations around the world, noting that there were limits to the ability of restructuring to compensate for declining donor support.
Over 117M people forcibly displaced worldwide as UNHCR faces severe funding shortages, workforce cuts
UNHCR sounds alarm on funding crisis
Barham Salih, the United Nations' high commissioner for refugees, said the UNHCR had slashed its workforce due to budget cuts, while the number of forcibly displaced people remains near record highs. "We are asking more of the refugee response at precisely the moment when fewer resources are available to sustain it," he said. "As of October 9, we have funds available of $3 billion, representing 35 percent of the requirement of the $8.5 billion n…
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