Funding Cuts May Leave 11 Million Without Aid, UN Agency Warns

Author: Vera Rousseff

July 22, 2025

HRRC opposes the decision made by several countries to reduce their foreign aid contributions. As the world faces increasing rates of forced displacement, it is critical that humanitarian aid is expanded.

[Image credit: Awargula/Dreamstime.com]

A report released on Friday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, warns that 11.6 million people are at risk of losing humanitarian aid due to funding cuts.

The number of people who could lose access to aid amounts to roughly one third of the total number of people UNHCR supported last year, which was 36.4 million. These are among the world’s most vulnerable populations–families fleeing violence, persecution, and climate disasters and who rely on the agency for food, medicine, education, and shelter. Women and children are expected to be hit the hardest.

As of June 2025, only 23% of UNHCR’s global funding requirements for the year have been met, amounting to a shortfall of $8.1 billion USD. According to Friday’s report, the agency expects to have only $3.5 billion in available funding at the end of the year. This is roughly equivalent to what UNHCR received a decade ago, despite the fact that the number of displaced people around the world has nearly doubled since then.

The effects of these cuts are being felt across the globe. In Chad and South Sudan, where UNHCR typically helps relocate refugees to safety, thousands have been left stranded in dangerous border areas. In Uganda, malnutrition rates are skyrocketing as the agency struggles to meet food and water needs. In Bangladesh, approximately 230,000 children in Rohingya refugee camps may lose access to education. In Lebanon, UNHCR’s entire health program could be shut down by the end of the year. Women and girls in numerous countries will suffer from a 23% cut to gender-based violence prevention and response programs.

All in all, approximately $1.4 billion of essential programs are being paused or slashed, roughly amounting to a one-third reduction in the overall scale of the agency’s activities and workforce. The funding shortfall is largely a result of several major donor countries–such as France, Japan, Sweden, and especially the United States–reducing their foreign aid contributions. At the same time, forced displacement around the world is increasing, further widening the gap between supply and demand.

There are several possible explanations for the widespread reduction of foreign aid. Following the example of President Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), some governments may be cutting aid because they see it as an easy way to gain favor among voters. Others may question the efficacy of foreign assistance and, rather than work to improve it, are instead choosing to allocate those funds towards domestic issues. More broadly, some experts have pointed to the reduction of foreign aid as a symptom of an international shift towards “realism”–the idea that countries will prioritize their own interests and security in the pursuit of power.

The current model of foreign assistance is not perfect. Much can be done to improve the effectiveness of foreign aid and ensure that countries receiving assistance can eventually transition off of it. However, simply cutting foreign assistance programs, rather than making efforts to improve them, puts millions of lives at risk. As forced displacement reaches record levels, countries must ensure that the world’s most vulnerable populations are not left stranded.

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Glossary

• Advocates: publicly supports or argues in favor of something.

• Allocate: to set aside or distribute resources or funds for a specific purpose.

• Dismantling: the act of taking apart or abolishing an organization, system, or structure.

• Donor countries: countries that provide financial aid to other nations or international organizations.

• Efficacy: the ability to produce a desired or intended result; effectiveness.

• Forced displacement: the forced movement of people from their homes due to conflict, persecution, or disasters.

• Gender-based violence: harmful acts directed at individuals based on their gender, often referring to violence against women and girls.

• Humanitarian aid: assistance given to people in need, typically during crises, including food, shelter, medical care, and education.

• Malnutrition: a condition caused by not getting enough or the right kind of food.

• Persecution: harsh treatment or oppression, especially because of race, religion, or political beliefs.

• Refugees: people forced to leave their country to escape danger such as war or persecution.

• Rohingya: a persecuted ethnic minority group from Myanmar, many of whom have fled to other countries as refugees.

• Shortfall: a deficit or amount by which something is less than expected or needed.

• Skyrocketing: increasing very quickly or suddenly.

• Symptom (used figuratively): a sign of something, especially an underlying condition or trend.

• UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees): the UN agency responsible for protecting refugees and displaced people worldwide.

• Vulnerable Populations: groups of people at greater risk of harm or hardship due to their situation or lack of resources.

• Widespread: happening over a large area or among many people; extensive.