Amman, Oct. 6 (Petra) – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Monday urged the international community to act swiftly to secure $300 million in flexible funding before the end of the year to avert a severe financial crisis facing the agency.

In a statement published on the UNHCR’s official website, Grandi said in his opening remarks to the 76th session of the Executive Committee of the UN Refugee Agency, which convened in Geneva on Monday, that the $300 million in flexible funding would help prevent the suspension of vital programs affecting millions of refugees and host communities worldwide.

Grandi added that about 5,000 UNHCR staff members more than a quarter of its workforce had lost their jobs this year, calling it "a painful loss." He stressed that what the agency is facing "is not merely a financial crisis but rather political choices with catastrophic financial consequences imposed on the entire international humanitarian system." He said the cuts "have affected all sectors and countries without exception," noting that "programs preventing gender-based violence and providing psychosocial support to survivors of torture have stopped, while many schools have closed, food assistance and cash grants have declined, and resettlement programs have been frozen." Grandi urged member states and donors to "accelerate their pledges for 2026 funding as soon as possible," warning that continued declines in funding could force the suspension of many field programs next year.

He pointed out that "the simultaneous pressure on refugees, host countries, and the humanitarian system as a whole threatens a trajectory of instability and renewed displacement." //Petra// AF