UN agency warns severe funding cuts put millions of refugees at risk

The UN refugee agency has warned that nearly 8.3 million refugees and other forcibly displaced people are at risk of losing vital assistance due to severe funding cuts. The agency, UNHCR, said protection services are crumbling because of a sustained funding shortfall.

A report from UNHCR detailed the human cost of the budget cuts. The agency's available funding fell from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, while the number of people it must protect remains near historic highs.

UNHCR said it needed $8.5 billion this year but had received only 32 percent of that amount by the end of July. It stated that continued severe cuts are pushing refugee support structures towards breaking point in major displacement situations worldwide.