Deep funding cuts are removing critical support for the world’s most vulnerable refugees, who now face even greater risks of abuse, poverty, being forced to return home to danger or the prospect of new perilous journeys, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned today.
Two thirds of refugees find safety in countries neighbouring their own, most of which are resource-poor. Reduced funding is hitting hardest these refugees and their host communities, which are already stretched to the limits. UNHCR can already see the impact as efforts to stabilize and support populations in fragile host countries are scaled back or terminated. The prospect of long-term solutions is also receding, complicating border management, adding to risks of trafficking and abuse, and encouraging onward movement; more may drown at sea.
Chronic underfunding was already an issue – responses for refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were struggling even before the current cuts. Programmes to prevent gender-based violence were only 38 per cent funded in 2024 under the six Regional Refugee Response Plans. That has left refugees more vulnerable to harm, exploitation and abuse without access to legal assistance, health care and economic support.
There are over 17.4 million refugee children at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking or separation from their families. Without timely and quality child protection responses, this will have long-term consequences for their well-being and development. Children are also left at heightened risk of abuse, child marriage and recruitment by armed groups.
Some examples:
- In South Sudan, 75 per cent of UNHCR spaces for women and girls no longer offer services, leaving up to 80,000 victims of rape or violence without medical care, legal assistance and economic support.
- In the Eastern Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region, 1 million vulnerable children, some unaccompanied, face increased risk of abuse and exploitation.
- 200,000 vulnerable women and children are without help in Jordan as 63 humanitarian programmes providing specialist support have closed.
- Programmes to prevent violence against women have closed in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria affecting survivors of violence and rape.
- In Angola, Mozambique and Zambia, programmes for survivors of gender-based violence have been reduced or halted, leaving vulnerable women and children without psychosocial support, legal assistance or safe spaces. Cuts to services in Malawi have limited the ability to identify and assist unaccompanied children.
- In Mali, biometric registration for 19,800 asylum-seekers has been suspended, denying them legal recognition and access to work or public services.
Reduced investment in community-based programmes and local partners will affect UNHCR’s local networks, impacting our capacity to conduct protection work, particularly in emergencies. In Bangladesh, programmes focusing on women’s leadership and security have been partially suspended; 10 women-led community centres have halted activities affecting 109,000 refugees and 32,000 nationals.
UNHCR’s support for birth registration in remote refugee-hosting areas in the DRC has been sharply reduced, leaving over 85 per cent of 14,000 Central African and South Sudanese refugee children under the age of four at risk of statelessness. Across Southern Africa, UNHCR’s ability to maintain access to asylum, ensure documentation and deliver protection is being compromised.
In the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region, 850,000 displaced people will no longer receive crucial legal assistance. In Colombia, the documentation of over 500,000 Venezuelans is at risk. Without identification, they face challenges settling down, accessing health care, education and employment, increasing their vulnerability.
Meanwhile, some refugees may be forced to return home to dangerous conditions, while others who are ready to return voluntarily may be denied the opportunity. For example, 12,000 Central African refugees in Chad and Cameroon who are keen to head home have been left without support to do so. In Syria, over half a million refugees have returned despite ongoing instability, but their sustainable reintegration depends on better funding. Support for 20,000 Syrians a month to return home from Türkiye has been affected by cuts.
For 75 years, UNHCR has been a vital actor in enabling refugee protection and finding solutions, fostering stability and hope. UNHCR’s expertise has helped navigate complex political, security and socio-economic challenges, helping to save the lives of millions of refugees and protecting rights. Rights protection helps reduce displacement, address its root causes and enable solutions.
We must come together internationally and recognize our shared responsibility to support those in need and ensure that no one is left behind. Your support can make a difference. It can save lives, restore dignity, and offer hope to those who have lost everything. Let us unite in our commitment to protect and assist refugees. Together, we can ensure that UNHCR continues its vital work and that every refugee receives the care and support they deserve. Millions of lives depend on it.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
