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UNHCR warns funding shortfalls could cut operations by about one-third
Summary
At a U.N. Security Council briefing, a UNHCR representative said steep donor reductions — including a shortfall from the United States — are forcing cuts that could reduce the agency’s capacity by roughly 30%, with impacts on protection and humanitarian assistance across multiple crises.
A UNHCR representative told the U.N. Security Council that steep and widening funding shortfalls are forcing the agency to cut operations and could reduce its capacity by as much as one-third.
The representative said UNHCR’s overall budget is “about $10,000,000,000,” historically with roughly $2,000,000,000 coming from the United States, and that U.S. funding this year so far totals “a little more than $350,000,000” for 2025. The speaker said discussions are ongoing with the U.S. administration about an additional roughly $700,000,000 that were previously frozen and subject to a U.S. “180-day review of foreign assistance.”
The representative warned that, because UNHCR’s rules prohibit spending more than the money that is firmly pledged, the agency has “now started cutting, cutting, unfortunately,” and that the reductions could mean fewer staff, fewer offices and closures in some countries. “We may be cutting up to a third of the capacity of our organization,” the UNHCR…
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