The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced that nearly 8.3 million refugees and displaced persons are at risk of losing vital assistance due to severe budget cuts. This situation is especially critical as refugee support services have been severely impacted.
Budget Cuts and Their Impacts
UNHCR reported that the agency's ability to support and protect refugees and displaced persons is declining due to budget shortfalls. The agency's available budget has decreased from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, while the number of people the agency is responsible for protecting is at historically high levels.
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This agency needs $8.5 billion this year to support refugees, but by the end of July, only 32 percent of this amount ($2.7 billion) has been secured. This reduction means that nearly 8.3 million displaced individuals are at risk of losing access to UNHCR assistance.
Dangerous Consequences of Service Reductions
UNHCR also warned that continued severe budget cuts are bringing refugee support and protection structures to a breaking point. Dominik Hyde, UNHCR's Head of External Relations, stated that "protection cannot be indefinitely reduced without systems ultimately collapsing."
In Chad, 319,000 refugees are facing delays in registration, which deprives them of access to services. In Ethiopia, child protection service coverage has decreased by up to 85 percent in some areas. In Sudan, tens of thousands of survivors of sexual violence and at-risk children may be deprived of access to vital protection services.
UNHCR also noted that 117.8 million people globally were forcibly displaced from their homes by the end of 2025, of which 35.6 million are refugees under the agency's protection. With severe budget cuts and a reduction in workforce, the agency faces greater challenges in providing services to those in need of assistance.
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