UN agency warns funding crisis could leave 8.3 million people without aid
UNHCR said aid cuts and a $5.789 billion shortfall could force protection systems toward collapse and leave 8.3 million people without assistance.
- On Tuesday, the United Nations refugee agency warned that a deepening funding crisis could leave nearly 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people without access to assistance this year, threatening to collapse protection systems in some countries.
- Funding shortfalls stem from global aid cuts, particularly reduced contributions from the United States, while tightly earmarked donor funding rose to 51% in 2026 from 19% five years earlier, limiting the agency's flexibility to shift resources to urgent priorities.
- UNHCR required $8.505 billion in 2026 but received only 32% by July, leaving a $5.789 billion gap as the population under its mandate is expected to reach 131.2 million by year-end.
- Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's external relations chief, warned that services face total failure in critical regions, with child protection coverage in Ethiopia diminished by up to 85 percent and 319,000 refugees in Chad facing registration delays.
- When support systems fail, "the very risks that people fled-- violence, exploitation and abuse-- reappear in displacement," warned Hyde, as the agency has already closed offices in 140 locations and shed nearly 5,000 jobs in 2025.
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In its report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) explains that its mission is "eroded by an increase in the funding gap." Funds available have increased from $5.2 billion to $3.9 billion between 2024 and 2025Budget cuts push refugee support organisations to the "point of break" in several crucial areas, where nearly 8.3 million people are at risk of being deprived of aid this year, warned the Office of the U…
8.3 mn refugees at risk due to 'severe' funding cuts: UN
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees states that the decline in contributions obliges it to reduce key programmes in countries such as Chad, Syria and Afghanistan.
Acnur warns that the reduction of funds puts at risk 8.3 million refugees. Know the consequences of the cuts according to the UN.
Budget cuts are bringing refugee support organisations to the break-up point in a number of crucial areas, where almost 8.3 million people are at risk this year of being helpless. (ANSA)
Budget cuts push refugee support organisations to the "breakpoint" in a number of crucial areas, where nearly 8.3 million people are at risk of being deprived of aid this year, warned the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday.
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