UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Reducing the humanitarian budget "Big strategic mistake"
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that reducing the humanitarian budget is a “major strategic mistake,” as it will lead to an increase in the flow of refugees to Europe.
Grandi – in an interview with the German news agency (DPA) today, Saturday – called on the German parliament to increase funding allocated to humanitarian aid, pointing out that reducing humanitarian support for Syrian refugees by countries neighboring Syria was one of the main reasons behind the influx of refugees to Germany during the 2015 crisis. (2016).
He said, “The situation is similar now in Sudan after funding was reduced by the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and other countries, which exposes refugees trying to reach Chad to the risk of falling into the hands of smugglers who demand that they pay money to reach Europe… Do not expect that humanitarian agencies will be able to contain these crises if this path is not changed.”
It is noteworthy that the German government had announced a reduction in its budget allocated for humanitarian aid for the year 2025 by more than 50% compared to the previous year, as it was reduced from 2.3 billion euros ($2.66 billion) to 1.05 billion euros. The budget planned for 2026 will remain at the same level, and is scheduled to be approved by the Budget Committee of the German Parliament next week.
These reductions in humanitarian aid raise great concern in light of the increasing humanitarian challenges in regions, such as Sudan, which may lead to increased refugee flows to Europe, if these crises are not addressed effectively.
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