Millions of lives at risk from ‘brutal’ funding cuts, says UN refugee chief

GENEVA – Millions of lives are at risk from “brutal funding cuts” from donors, the UN refugee chief said on March 20, warning that women refugees are already at greater risk of rape and that children are being pushed into trafficking or early marriage.

“Brutal funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk. The consequences for people fleeing danger will be immediate and devastating,” Mr Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in a statement.

Mr Grandi’s comments were his most forthright to date on the impact of President Donald Trump’s aid budget cuts, although the statement did not mention the US or any other donors by name.

UNHCR helps millions of people worldwide fleeing conflict and persecution. Forced displacement is currently at record levels, with the figure of 123 million people set to rise.

Mr Grandi said refugee women and girls at extreme risk of rape were losing access to services that keep them safe and that children were being left without teachers or schools, pushing them into child labour or trafficking.

“This is not just a funding shortfall – it is a crisis of responsibility. The cost of inaction will be measured in suffering, instability and lost futures,” he said.

UNHCR received more than US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) in donations from the US in 2024, or 40 per cent of its total donations. The agency has previously said it faces a cash flow crisis and has clamped down on spending.

A UNHCR spokesman confirmed on March 20 that the agency has frozen more than US$300 million of planned activities as part of cost-saving efforts. REUTERS