Geneva: Major cuts to aid budgets have already left people fleeing wars in Sudan and beyond without the assistance and protection they need, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. Globally, $1.4 billion of the agency’s programs are being shuttered or put on hold, UNHCR said in a new report.
According to African Press Organization, UNHCR Director of External Relations Dominique Hyde emphasized that critical decisions are being made regarding the allocation of resources, with unavoidable impacts on basic services such as refugee registration, child protection, legal counseling, and responses to gender-based violence. The funding cuts have critically affected these activities, leaving vulnerable populations without necessary support.
In South Sudan, 75 per cent of safe spaces for women and girls supported by UNHCR have closed, impacting up to 80,000 refugee women and girls who now lack access to essential services such as medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, and income-generating activities. This includes survivors of sexual violence.
The report highlights that families are facing dire choices, such as whether to feed their children, buy medicines, or pay rent, while hopes for a better future diminish. Every sector has been affected, and critical support is being suspended to prioritize life-saving aid.
The situation is exacerbated by the movement of those impacted by the Sudanese conflict, who have decided to move from Chad and Egypt to Libya, risking dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The influx of Sudanese refugees arriving in Europe has increased by about 170 per cent since the start of the year.
In other regions, including Bangladesh, Lebanon, Niger, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, the cuts have similarly detrimental effects. Education for Rohingya refugee children is at risk, health programs in Lebanon may be discontinued, and financial aid for shelter and reintegration efforts in Niger, Ukraine, and Afghanistan is insufficient.
Legal aid programs in Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico have also been curtailed, leaving refugees in prolonged insecurity and vulnerability to exploitation due to lack of legal status and exclusion from formal employment.
Overall, approximately one in three of UNHCR’s 550 offices worldwide has been impacted by the funding cuts. For 2025, UNHCR requires $10.6 billion, of which only 23 per cent has been secured. UNHCR is focusing on saving lives and protecting displaced individuals, with plans to rapidly resume and scale up assistance if additional funding becomes available.