GENEVA, Switzerland – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced Monday the completion of a review of its activities, expenditure, staffing and structures, following a significant decline in humanitarian funding compared to 2024.
The agency warned earlier this year that global aid cuts are putting millions of lives at risk.
“In light of difficult financial realities, UNHCR is compelled to reduce the overall scale of its operations. We will focus our efforts on activities that have the greatest impact for refugees, supported by streamlined headquarters and regional bureau structures,” said Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
As part of the agency’s broader cost-cutting measures, UNHCR has had to close or downsize offices worldwide and implement a nearly 50 percent reduction in senior positions at its Geneva headquarters and regional bureaux. In total, approximately 3,500 staff positions will be discontinued. Additionally, hundreds of colleagues supporting UNHCR on a temporary basis have had to leave the organization due to the funding shortfall. Overall, UNHCR estimates a global reduction in staffing costs of around 30 per cent.
Throughout the review exercise, decisions were driven by the overarching priority to maintain operations in regions with the most urgent refugee needs.
Nonetheless, critical programmes ranging from financial aid to vulnerable families, health, education, and water and sanitation have been affected. UNHCR is working closely with UN partners, humanitarian organizations and host countries to mitigate, to the extent possible, the impact on refugees and others relying on its help. It is centralizing support functions, exploring new operational models – including locating staff within other UN offices – and accelerating the use of technology for greater efficiency.
“We are very grateful to the donors who have stepped up or made early contributions this year, and we continue to advocate for sustained support and to deploy all efforts to mobilize new resources. Aid brings a degree of stability in deeply volatile situations. Investing in aid not only saves lives; it also avoids higher costs down the line when desperate people are forced to move on in search of safety,” said Grandi.
UNHCR anticipates it will end this year with available funding at about the same level as a decade ago, despite the number of people forced to flee having nearly doubled over the same period, now standing at over 122 million.
“Even as we face painful cuts and lose so many dedicated colleagues, our commitment to refugees remains unshakeable,” Grandi added. “Although resources are scarcer and our capacity to deliver is reduced, we will continue to work hard to respond to emergencies, protect the rights of refugees, and pursue solutions – including returning home, as nearly two million Syrians have done since December.”
UNHCR is fully engaged in UN80, the initiative led by the secretary-general to revamp the UN system, and the Humanitarian Reset, led by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, exploring every opportunity for cooperation with partner agencies.
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