A senior United Nations official has issued an urgent appeal for funding to address the worsening humanitarian crisis faced by displaced people worldwide. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is seeking $10.248 billion from donors to support refugees and forcibly displaced individuals in 2025.
Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor to the High Commissioner and UNHCR Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “With forced displacement reaching unprecedented levels—123 million people worldwide—securing these funds is crucial to responding to both emerging conflicts and prolonged crises.”
So far, donor governments have pledged $1.143 billion, with an additional $355 million from private sector partners. This brings the total to $1.5 billion—just 15% of the required funding for 2025.
UNHCR is coordinating with governments, host countries, international organizations, and local partners to meet the immense needs of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Khalifa emphasized the agency’s efforts to secure resources for essential services, including shelter, food, water, healthcare, and education. “We rely on inter-agency response plans to support host governments in providing protection and assistance to both refugees and their host communities,” he added.
By mid-2024, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide had surpassed 122.6 million, marking a 5% increase (5.3 million people) compared to the end of 2023. Among them are 43.7 million refugees and 72.1 million internally displaced persons.
Khalifa pointed to Sudan as one of the most pressing crises, where ongoing conflict has displaced over 8.9 million people internally and forced 3.4 million to flee to neighboring countries. “For over 12 years, the number of forcibly displaced people has continued to rise. By June 2024, one in every 67 people worldwide was forcibly displaced—nearly double the rate from a decade ago, when it was one in 114.”
The UN official attributed the growing number of displaced individuals to escalating wars and conflicts, such as those in Ukraine and Sudan, with no clear political solutions in sight. Additionally, long-standing displacement crises—such as those involving Rohingya refugees, Afghan refugees, and the Syrian conflict—continue to force millions from their homes.
He highlighted the ongoing war between Sudan’s armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), describing it as a “bloody conflict” that has driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. UNHCR is calling on all parties to reach a political resolution to prevent further humanitarian suffering.
Khalifa stressed that continued fighting is worsening the humanitarian crisis, pushing more people into desperate conditions. He reiterated UNHCR’s call for safe passage for civilians fleeing conflict zones, ensuring they can seek refuge either within their own countries or abroad. “It is essential to guarantee protection from all forms of violence,” he said.
