UNHCR cuts thousands of jobs amid severe funding shortfall
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The UNHCR has shed nearly 5,000 jobs as funding collapsed due to US aid cuts under Donald Trump, leaving refugee support programs in crisis.
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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi speaks to The Associated Press in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Feb. 5, 2024 (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has shed nearly 5,000 jobs this year as global humanitarian funding collapses, the agency’s chief Filippo Grandi announced Monday.
The layoffs, amounting to more than a quarter of the organization’s workforce, come amid a worsening refugee crisis and dwindling international support.
“Almost 5,000 UNHCR colleagues have already lost their jobs this year,” Grandi said, warning that “the number is expected to grow.”
An agency spokesperson confirmed to AFP that both permanent and temporary staff were affected by the cuts.
Read more: 'Brutal funding cuts' for aid threaten millions of lives: UN
Trump’s aid cuts deepen global refugee crisis
The UNHCR’s financial crisis has been fueled by sweeping US foreign aid cuts implemented after Donald Trump returned to office in January. The United States, historically the agency’s largest donor, once contributed more than 40 percent of its budget.
However, Washington’s withdrawal of funds, combined with austerity from other major donors, has left the agency unable to sustain critical operations.
“Traditionally, the United States has been our top donor,” Grandi said. “But the recent cuts have had a devastating effect on our ability to respond to emergencies.”
Grandi revealed that the UNHCR’s approved 2025 budget stood at $10.6 billion, but actual funding has reached only half that amount in recent years.
“As things stand, we expect to end 2025 with just $3.9 billion in available funds, a decrease of $1.3 billion compared to 2024, or roughly 25 percent less,” he said.
He described the figures as “bleak” and warned that “no country, no sector, no partner has been spared.”
Read more: US aid cuts leave food for millions moldering in storage: Reuters
Essential humanitarian programs halted
According to the UNHCR, the funding shortfall has forced the agency to suspend numerous life-saving programs, including gender-based violence prevention, psychosocial support for torture survivors, and food and cash assistance for refugees.
“Schools have been closed, resettlement has ground to a halt, and food aid has been drastically reduced,” Grandi said. “This is what happens when you slash over $1 billion in humanitarian funding in a matter of weeks.”
The UNHCR’s crisis comes amid record levels of global displacement, with tens of millions of people forced to flee war, persecution, and climate-driven disasters.
Analysts warn that the agency’s shrinking capacity threatens to deepen humanitarian suffering and destabilize already fragile regions.
