UNHCR warns 11.6 million refugees at risk due to funding cuts

Geneva: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned Friday that approximately 11.6 million refugees are at risk of losing access...

Geneva: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned Friday that approximately 11.6 million refugees are at risk of losing access to humanitarian aid due to significant reductions in foreign assistance from donor countries.

Director of External Relations at UNHCR Dominique Hyde stated in a press briefing that this figure represents nearly one-third of the refugees they support and the funding situation is critical, and they fear that up to 11.6 million refugees and forcibly displaced persons may lose access to the humanitarian assistance they provide.

Hyde explained that UNHCR has only been able to meet 23 percent of its $10.6 billion funding requirements since the beginning of this year. The crisis stems from major cuts in foreign aid from donor countries such as Sweden, France, and Japan, as well as substantial reductions in US assistance.

UNHCR noted that it has been forced to halt or suspend aid programs worth approximately $1.4 billion, including a 60 percent reduction in emergency relief supplies in several countries such as Sudan, Chad, and Afghanistan.

Vital services now facing suspension include medical aid, education, shelter, nutrition, and protection programs.