ISLAMABAD: Up to 11.6 million refugees and others forced to flee risk losing access to direct humanitarian assistance from the UN Refugee Agency following major cuts to humanitarian budgets, according to a report published by UNHCR.

The report, “On the Brink: The devastating toll of aid cuts on people forced to flee” says these cuts coincide with rising forced returns of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran, with 1.9 million people returning or forced to return to Afghanistan from the two countries so far this year.

Financial aid for refugee returnees has also been cut, now just $156 per household and $40 per person for transport — barely enough for food, let alone rent. This limits opportunities for UNHCR to access, engage with and advocate for the rights of returnees. IDPs face similar gaps, heightening risks of harmful coping mechanisms such as child marriage, child labour, and exploitation.

Without additional resources, UNHCR will not be able to provide Afghan returnee families and their host communities with the support they need. However, if donors step in, families will be able to rebuild in Afghanistan, helping to stabilise themselves and their communities in a very fragile situation.

Compared to 2024, when UNHCR supported 36.4 million people, around 11.6 m people forced to flee are at risk of losing direct assistance this year. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet: they are refugees stranded in border areas awaiting relocation to safety, families unable to afford food, medicine or shelter, and pupils deprived of education and their opportunity for a better future.

The report highlights a deadly confluence of factors pummelling millions of refugees and displaced people: rising displacement, shrinking funding and political apathy. And women and children are, as ever, the hardest hit.

Altogether, $1.4 billion of essential programmes are being cut or put on hold, according to the analysis of UNHCR programmes and funds received this year. Millions now face deteriorating living conditions, heightened risks of exploitation and abuse, and may be pushed into further displacement.

In several operations, severe funding gaps have curtailed investments in digitising and strengthening asylum systems and promoting regularisation efforts.

In countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico, a lack of legal status means prolonged insecurity, deepening poverty as refugees are excluded from formal employment, and greater exposure to exploitation and abuse. These cuts are undermining efforts made to find long-term solutions. Incentives for refugee volunteers have also been severely impacted, threatening vital services and cutting a regular source of income for those refugees.

UNHCR funding requirements for 2025 are $10.6 billion. At the midpoint of the year, only 23 per cent had been met. Against this backdrop, our teams are focusing efforts on saving lives and protecting those forced to flee. Should additional funding become available, UNHCR has the systems, partnerships and expertise to rapidly resume and scale up assistance.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025