Despite funding cuts, UNHCR responded to multiple complex emergencies last year

GENEVA – Even as severe funding cuts put further pressure on humanitarian resources, UNHCR responded last year to a range of highly complex new emergencies as well as intensifying protracted crises that forced millions of people from their homes, according to UNHCR’s 2025 Impact Report: Response to New Emergencies and Protracted Crises, released today.

The report notes that continued attention to solutions will be important, as ongoing conflicts and instability may contribute to additional displacement and affect the conditions faced by people already displaced.

Throughout 2025, UNHCR teams delivered life-saving protection and assistance across some of the world’s most challenging crises. From supporting people fleeing renewed violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo into neighbouring Burundi and Uganda, to assisting those escaping fresh hostilities within and beyond South Sudan; from protecting millions of Afghans who have returned or been forced to return from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, UNHCR remained present where needs were most acute.

At the same time, long-running crises deepened. Ongoing conflict in Sudan, intensified attacks on Ukraine, and escalating armed confrontations in Colombia continued to drive repeated and secondary displacement, compounding vulnerabilities for millions of already displaced people.

“In 2025, displacement occurred amid protracted conflict, recurrent disasters, and new outbreaks of violence and other emerging crises,” said Ayaki Ito, UNHCR’s Director of Emergency and Programme Support. “In this environment, UNHCR teams continued to respond to the needs of people forced to flee, even as severe resource constraints limited our capacity.”

UNHCR’s emergency assistance included supplying clean water to half a million people in Sudan, financial assistance to half a million Afghan returnees and 120,000 Syrian returnees, and over a million services for those displaced inside Ukraine and in refugee-hosting countries.

During the year, UNHCR managed or responded to 24 active emergency declarations across 16 countries, including 10 new emergencies. Of the new declarations, seven were among the most severe, complex and large-scale emergencies UNHCR addressed last year, requiring extensive responses in highly challenging environments, such as Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan and Chad.

Emergency preparedness and response rely heavily on adequate funding, and reduced resources significantly constrained the speed, scale and reach of life-saving assistance in 2025.

Turning to 2026, ongoing conflict and instability in countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela are expected to drive new displacement or further strain already vulnerable populations. These situations together affect nearly 52 million forcibly displaced people and represent one third of UNHCR’s global funding requirements for 2026. Humanitarian needs are expected to grow significantly this year.

“The risks ahead are clear,” Ito said. “Conflicts are intensifying, driving new displacement and deepening the suffering of millions of people who are already displaced and have lost everything. The international community must remain engaged and address the root causes of displacement, and in the meantime, UNHCR will continue offering its expertise, networks and tools to prepare for crises, respond with life-saving interventions and build pathways to self-reliance and solutions.”

Through its Emergency Response Mechanism (ERM), UNHCR leverages flexible funding to strengthen global preparedness and act immediately in the first critical hours of an emergency.

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