UNHCR: Funding Crisis Threatens Refugee Aid

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday (29/9) that it may potentially halt aid for more than 8 million people due to a sharp decline in funding.

“Available funding has dropped from US$5.2 billion (approximately Rp92.9 trillion) to US$3.9 billion (approximately Rp69.7 trillion) between 2024 and 2025. Furthermore, as of the end of July, the UNHCR has only received 32 per cent of the US$8.5 billion (approximately Rp151 trillion) required for this year, while the number of people under the UNHCR’s protection mandate remains at historically high levels,” the UNHCR stated in a release.

As a result, nearly 8.3 million refugees, as well as internally displaced persons and other stateless individuals, are at risk of losing access to life-saving assistance, the agency added.

“Facing sharply declining resources, the UNHCR has undertaken major reforms and difficult priority measures to protect its most essential work. However, the scale and persistence of the funding shortfall mean that even the protection efforts and the search for solutions, which are the UNHCR’s highest priorities, are now being affected,” the statement read.

The potential aid cuts will impact support for obtaining documentation, reintegration, and achieving self-reliance from humanitarian aid in Syria, Afghanistan, Chad, Iraq, and other countries, the statement further noted.