The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG
Funding cuts impact on aid access - UNHCR Dominique Hyde - 18 July 2025
Over 11.6 million refugees risk losing aid access due to funding cuts, says UNHCR
Approximately one in three refugees and other vulnerable individuals normally supported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are expected to lose out from funding cuts, it said on Friday.
Out of UNHCR’s $10.6 billion funding requirement this year, only 23 per cent has been fulfilled so far, said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations.
“Behind these numbers lie families, lie lives that are hanging on a very, very thin balance. Families are seeing their support that they have relied on just vanish," she said.
The funding crisis stems from large foreign aid cuts by donor countries such as Sweden, France and Japan, compounded by slashed United States humanitarian assistance.
More refugees and less aid
Forced displacement is increasing worldwide while humanitarian aid is declining sharply, creating a "deadly cocktail" that puts displaced populations at grave risk, a new UNHCR report notes.
The UN agency reported that it has been forced to halt or suspend approximately $1.4 billion in assistance programmes, including a 60 per cent cut in emergency relief supplies in many countries, such as Sudan, Chad and Afghanistan.
Critical support such as medical aid, education, shelter, nutrition and protection are among the services lost.
Women and girls are disproportionately impacted. The agency has to drop one quarter of its support to programmes that provide protection and response to gender-based violence, including to survivors.
Ends
Speaker: Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations
TRT: 01’47”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 18 June 2025 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot of the press conference room at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
2. Soundbite (English) Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations: "We fear that up to 11.6 million refugees and people forced to flee are losing access to humanitarian assistance provided by HCR, and this means that 1/3 of the people that we usually assist will not be getting the services that we are usually able to provide.And behind these numbers lie families, lie lives that are hanging on a very, very thin balance. Families are seeing their support that they have relied on just vanish."
3. Cutaway: wide shot of the press conference room.
4. Soundbite (English) Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations: "If I just hone in on a few examples, I'd like to speak about South Sudan, where 75% of safe spaces for women and girls supported by UNHCR have closed, leaving up to 80,000 refugees, women and girls, including survivors of sexual violence without access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, material support or income generating activities. Without this support, they will simply not be able to move on with their lives and it will take that much more time on their path to recovery."
5. Cutaways: Close shot of journalists listening and wide lateral shot of the press conference room.
6. Soundbite (English) Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations: "We're being hit. These women-led organizations are being hit. Governments that are hosting refugees are being hit. I said it at the beginning. That's a deadly cocktail. That is not good news for the world."
7. Wide shot of the press conference room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following remarks at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, on the latest report on sexual violence in the Sudanese conflict.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , IOM , IFRC
Ebola in DRC: first month of outbreak sees record number of cases – UN humanitarians
Ebola has been spreading at unprecedented speed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bringing risk and fear into people’s daily lives, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Afghanistan in Crisis: Drought, Malnutrition, and a Worsening Humanitarian Situation
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
After another deadly night of clashes in Lebanon, aid agencies issued a new alert for Gaza, where 265 Palestinian children have been killed since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | IAEA
The head of the UN’s atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures including verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a critical sticking point.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , IFRC
‘Some people question whether Ebola is real’: trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak, humanitarians say
In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday 15 June delivered his Global Update to the 62nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
2
1
1
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
As representatives of Iran and the United States reportedly prepared to sign a new peace agreement at the end of the week, the UN on Monday stressed the urgent need to open an aid corridor to transit the choked-off Strait of Hormuz and prevent a global hunger crisis.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child infections
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Community trust and lab testing at the heart of DRC Ebola response – WHO
In Ebola-stricken eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a massive push for early testing and contact tracing is underway to contain the virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNFPA
The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months after deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.