UN Refugee Agency Faces Existential Crisis as US Funding Collapse and Internal Reforms Clash
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is in a state of unprecedented weakness, facing a potential existential crisis due to drastic funding cuts and political friction with the US government. High Commissioner Barham Salih has warned that the agency is being asked to do the impossible, with only 32% of its 2026 budget secured. While Salih proposes a new '50/35 initiative' to reduce long-term refugee dependency by 2035, the agency is simultaneously losing staff, closing offices, and facing diplomatic standoffs with Washington over leadership appointments and the dismantling of the 1951 Refugee Convention.