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In August, the Trump administration moved to cut $5 billion in foreign aid that was allocated by the Congress earlier this year.
The agency in recent years had only received “approximately half of our budget requirements” – or around $5 billion. (AP Photo/File)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday said it has shed about 5,000 jobs this year after President Donald Trump, world’s top donor, slashed foreign aid.
AFP quoted agency’s chief Filippo Grandi as saying that the cuts constituted more than a quarter of the agency’s workforce, with more to come – and no country or sector left unscathed.
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“Critical programmes and lifesaving activities have to be stopped, gender-based violence prevention work, psychosocial support to survivors of torture, stopped,” he said
“Schools were closed, food assistance decreased, cash grants cut, resettlement ground to a halt. This is what happens when you slash funding by over $1 billion in a matter of weeks,” he further said.
He further said that the humanitarian system was facing “political choices with disastrous financial implications”.
Previously, the US was a donor of more than 40% of the UNHCR’s budget but since the pull back, the agency has been facing “bleak” numbers, Grandi said.
He pointed out that UNHCR had an approved budget of $10.6 billion for 2025. However, the agency in recent years had only received “approximately half of our budget requirements” – or around $5 billion, AFP quoted the agency chief.
“As things stand, we projected we will end 2025 with $3.9 billion in funds available – a decrease of $1.3 billion compared to 2024,” he said.
Washington’s UN representative informed the agency’s executive committee on Monday that the US has been paying a “disproportionate” share of UNHCR’s costs.
In August, the Trump administration moved to cut $5 billion in foreign aid that was allocated by the Congress earlier this year.
According to BBC, Trump slashed foreign aid, largely shuttering US Agency for International Development (USAID), the main foreign aid agency, because he found its spending “wasteful”.
New York, United States of America (USA)
October 07, 2025, 03:46 IST
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