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Grandi warns of donor cuts and polarizing rhetoric as threats to refugee protection

United Nations / UNHCR podcast · December 19, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Filippo Grandi told the UN podcast that sudden donor funding drops forced UNHCR to cut programs and staff, and he warned that rising anti‑refugee rhetoric is fueling dangerous politics despite strong civil‑society solidarity in many places.

Filippo Grandi said two developments keep him "awake at night": the growing use of dehumanizing rhetoric about refugees and sharp, sudden cuts in donor funding that have already reduced UNHCR's capacity.

Grandi told Melissa Fleming that negative political messaging about refugees has intensified since the 2015 influx and is often rooted in racism. "They are immoral," he said of those…

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