UNHCR in need: 3,500 job route threatens - refugee aid endangered!

UNHCR in need: 3,500 job route threatens - refugee aid endangered!

Verden, Deutschland - The situation for refugees worldwide is dramatically pies up. On Monday, Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR high commissioner, announced in a press release that around 3,500 employees have to be released due to acute financial bottlenecks. This measure could subsequently have catastrophic effects for many regions and aid projects. Like other UN agencies, the UNHCR faces enormous financial difficulties, which are mainly caused by massive cuts in aid, especially from the USA, Germany and other countries. According to Grandi, it is the "worst humanitarian financing crisis for decades". The [Tagesschau.de] (https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/unhcr-grandi 102.html)

The reaction to these challenges also includes the cancellation of hundreds of temporary employees. An increase in efficiency in Geneva and the regional offices worldwide is also being planned. It is planned to reduce around 30 percent of personnel costs. With the current workforce of around 20,000 employees in 137 countries, this means that almost every second management position could be dismantled. The support seems to be in danger in crisis situations, such as in Syria, Sudan or Ukraine.

Financing gaps and rising refugee numbers

The financial problems of the UNHCR are not an isolated case, but part of a larger picture. Grandi emphasizes that the financing could drop to the level of a decade ago by the end of 2025. This is in stark contrast to doubling the number of people who are on the run - currently over 122 million people are affected. The reason for this increased escape movement lies in the continuing conflicts in various regions of the world, such as the brutal war in Sudan, which has been raging for two years, and turbulence in Syria.

A region that suffers greatly from this crisis is the Chad. 800,000 refugees have already been recorded here, while another 200,000 are in great danger at the border. Grandi warns that increased cuts of humanitarian aid not only exacerbate the current situation, but also lead to an increase in migration, which is partly reminiscent of the events related to the 2015 refugee crisis.

The dependence on the USA as the largest donor (over $ 2 billion annually) and Germany as a second largest (shortly before $ 333 million) is clear. In this context, Grandi expresses concern about the development aid policy of the new German government coalition, which provides for a “reasonable lowering” of development aid in the coalition agreement. He urged that Germany should not neglect its responsibility for humanitarian aid; Europe faces the challenge of meeting humanitarian crises in neighboring regions such as the Middle East, Yemen and Ukraine.

The UNHCR comes to the point: The need for support increases while the funds are falling. The coming months will decide how the international community reacts to the situation of millions of refugees. Grandi once again emphasized the unshakable commitment of the UNHCR towards the people in need and thus addressed an appeal to the states to intensify their help in order to relieve humanitarian emergencies.