UNHCR faces severe budget gap, forcing staff cuts and program cuts worldwide

UNHCR announced it has received only $3 billion for its 2026 operations, far short of the $8.5 billion required, representing just 35% of the target. High Commissioner Barham Salih warned that the funding gap forces the agency into its largest restructuring ever, shrinking staff from 20,000 to just under 12,000, while keeping most protection workers in the field. He emphasized that protection services cannot simply be scaled down without risking failure.

Critical programmes are under threat, including specialised medical care for over 50,000 sexual-violence survivors in Chad and refugee registration for tens of thousands in Ethiopia. The Americas region will see the biggest budget cut - a 32% reduction in 2027 - even as displaced populations there are expected to rise by 4% to about 24.5 million. A donor pledging conference in December may improve the outlook, but the agency stresses that restructuring cannot indefinitely replace lost funding.