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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.
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