8.3m Refugees At Risk Due To Severe Funding cuts - UN
8.3m Refugees At Risk Due To Severe Funding Cuts - UN
Nearly 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people are at risk of losing vital assistance due to severe funding cuts, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned.
In a 26-page report titled âProtection Eroded: The Human Cost of Underfundingâ released Tuesday in Geneva, UNHCR said its ability to protect refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stateless people is being eroded by a sustained and worsening shortfall.
The agency is facing one of its worst-ever funding crises following aid cuts by the United States and other major donors. Available funding fell from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, a 24 percent drop. As of July 2026, UNHCR had received only 32 percent of the $8.505 billion it requires this year, leaving a $5.789 billion gap.
UNHCR expects the population under its mandate to reach 131.2 million by year-end, up from 129.4 million in 2024, even as resources shrink.
âBelow a certain threshold, the system doesnât shrink, it fails,â the report said, warning that cuts are hitting refugee registration, child protection and gender-based violence services.
The impact is already severe. In Chad, 319,000 Sudanese refugees face registration delays, while 200,000 women and girls could lose access to safe spaces. In Sudan, considered the worldâs worst displacement crisis, 140,000 refugees remained unregistered after activities were suspended for five months. In Ethiopia, child protection coverage has dropped by 85 percent in some areas, while in Afghanistan return grants have been cut from $375 to $170 per person.
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