UNHCR Seeks $50 Million as Nine Million Face Harsh Winter

Geneva (GNP): The United Nations refugee agency has warned that nine million people across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon need extra help to get through the coming winter.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a fundraising appeal on Friday seeking at least $50 million for emergency winter assistance. That is $3 million more than it raised last year.

The agency said people in all four countries are already struggling with soaring food and energy prices. Many also face shortages of fuel for heating and cooking, which leaves them exposed just as temperatures begin to fall.

Afghanistan stands out among them. According to UNHCR, close to four million Afghans returned from neighbouring countries between January 2025 and July 2026, many with little means to rebuild their lives or find adequate shelter. The agency warned that without more humanitarian support, many of these returnees could face severe difficulty this winter.

Ukraine faces a different kind of pressure. The coming season will be the fifth winter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and temperatures could drop as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. UNHCR said intensifying Russian strikes on civilians and humanitarian workers, along with power outages, could leave vulnerable communities struggling to keep warm.

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In Syria, millions of refugees have returned since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad. The agency said many of them still lack basics such as shelter, warm clothing and heating fuel.

Lebanon shows how the funding gap affects people on the ground. Around 300,000 people there are expected to need winter support, but UNHCR said constraints mean it can reach only half of them.

Those limits reflect a wider financial squeeze on the agency, which has cut its workforce and scaled back operations. UNHCR said 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced by the end of 2025, slightly down from the record 123.2 million in 2024.

Funding has not kept pace with those needs. The agency requested $8.5 billion for its programmes in 2026 but had received only $3 billion by 9 October. It warned that without urgent financial support, millions of displaced people and vulnerable families could face another winter without enough shelter, heating and essential supplies.

UNHCR director of external relations Dominique Hyde said, “We need to shield them immediately.”