Sudanese refugees on the border with Chad. The international community has pledged a record amount to support refugees in 2025 Refugees and migrants
Donor governments have pledged a record $1.143 billion to fund the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) programmes in 2025. Together with $355 million pledged by private sector partners, the total will reach $1.5 billion, covering 15 percent of expected needs for 2025. The announcement was made Tuesday at a UNHCR fundraising conference in Geneva.
These resources will enable UNHCR to continue its work in 2025 to protect the millions of people forced to flee their homes around the world, provide them with humanitarian assistance and find durable solutions to mass displacement.
Secured funding
The United States led the list of donors with $200 million, followed by Denmark and Sweden. The Netherlands and Germany also announced significant increases in funding.
Several countries, including Armenia, Bulgaria and Lithuania, have pledged their support for UNHCR or increased their contributions to the Office’s programmes this year. The governments of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and Ireland have renewed their commitments to provide flexible funding that will help UNHCR respond quickly to new emergencies and reallocate funds where they are needed.
UNHCR’s pledging conference also secured funding of $283 million for 2026 and beyond. This is critical for planning programmes to promote durable solutions.
Forced displacement on an unprecedented scale
“The strong support provided today to refugees and other internally displaced people represents a much-needed show of solidarity and humanity. These pledges are a commitment to save lives, restore dignity and give hope to millions of people forced to flee,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
Overall, UNHCR has requested more than $10 billion for 2025 to support internally displaced and stateless people, most of whom live close to their countries of origin. With forced displacement reaching unprecedented levels – some 123 million people have been forced to flee worldwide – the funds will be critical to responding to both new conflicts and protracted crises.
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In the past few months alone, conflict, persecution and violence have forced millions of people to flee their homes, including in Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon. Millions more people have been displaced for decades, fleeing bloodshed and instability in countries such as Myanmar, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Live, not survive”
“No matter how generous humanitarian funding is, it cannot keep pace with growing needs,” Grandi said.
“Humanitarian aid must aim to reduce dependency, helping displaced communities to live full lives, not just survive. To achieve this, we need more and better funding and bold decisions,” he added.
UNHCR’s funding in 2024 helped millions of people access legal support and more than two million access cash assistance. The agency provided water and sanitation assistance to 5.6 million people and sheltered another 630,000. With UNHCR’s support, 9.5 million individual health consultations were conducted.
Durable Solutions
In 2025, escalating conflicts, more severe natural disasters and ongoing crises are expected to lead to further displacement. Durable solutions are often elusive, with refugees remaining in refugee status for an average of 20 years and internally displaced persons for over a decade.
UNHCR will explore more effective and innovative ways to protect and find solutions from the outset of crises. This includes facilitating the inclusion of refugees in national and local programmes to provide essential services to the population, as well as developing durable initiatives such as integration, resettlement and voluntary return.