International Due to lack of money: UN programs for refugees discontinued
According to the UN, the loss of humanitarian funding from the USA and other countries is plunging the most vulnerable people into additional misery. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) believes that 17.4 million underage refugees are at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse, as reported in Geneva.
02.05.2025, 16:01
SDA
It also warns that more people may be forced to use dangerous escape routes in order to find safety and a livelihood.
Numerous countries have recently cut their budgets for humanitarian spending, partly due to high defense spending. The USA, which has funded many UN organizations up to 20 percent, has drastically cut its funding under President Donald Trump.
The UNHCR provides examples of the impact of the cut in aid funding: In South Sudan, three quarters of the UNHCR safe contact points for women and children would have had to be closed. Up to 80,000 victims of violence would no longer receive medical care or support. In Jordan, 63 programs that supported 200,000 women and children had to be discontinued.
Appeal to the international community
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, hardly any births in refugee families could be registered. As a result, more than 10,000 children are threatened with statelessness. In Bangladesh, programs that support women so that they can stand on their own two feet financially can only be continued to a limited extent. Even returnees from Turkey to Syria could not be supported in the first few months as planned.
"We need to come together at the international level and recognize our shared responsibility to support those in need and ensure that no one is left behind," said Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR Director of International Protection.
