Cuts threaten health of 13 million refugees, says UN
Reduced funding is threatening the health of almost 13 million displaced people, the United Nations warned on Friday, adding that financial uncertainty was already having an impact on vulnerable refugees.
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For the Geneva-based UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, the situation is deeply worrying and could have serious consequences this year for refugees and the countries that shelter them.
Humanitarian organisations around the world have been reeling since US President Donald Trump took office in January, pushing an anti-refugee and anti-migrant agenda and immediately freezing most US foreign aid funding.
The United States is the UNHCR’s largest donor, accounting for more than 40% of total contributions received.
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UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said that other major traditional donors were also reducing their funding.
“The reality is that this funding uncertainty will have, and is already having, an impact on some of the most vulnerable people on the planet: refugees,” he told reporters.
“Without adequate resources, an estimated 12.8 million displaced people, including 6.3 million children, could be deprived of life-saving health interventions by 2025,” said Allen Maina, UNHCR’s head of public health.
Malnutrition
Around one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing a serious health crisis, with the freezing of funding threatening access to medical services, he pointed out.
In Burundi, the suspension of nutrition programmes in several camps means that thousands of refugee children under the age of five are at risk of not receiving adequate treatment for malnutrition, added Maina.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UNHCR’s 2025 health budget has been cut by 87% compared to 2024. “The health consequences of the funding cuts are expected to be devastating, exposing more than 520,000 refugees to an increased risk of infectious diseases and death”, said Maina.
In Egypt, all UNHCR medical treatment for refugees has been suspended, with the exception of vital emergency procedures.
The estimate of 12.8 million displaced people without health support is based on a survey carried out by the UNHCR health team in all operations where the agency has health programmes.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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