UNHCR 91st STANDING COMMITTEE - Agenda Item 2: Programme budgets and funding

UNHCR 91^st STANDING COMMITTEE

12-13 September 2024

Agenda Item 2: Programme budgets and funding

Statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia^[*], Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Georgia, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

We take note of the 2025 proposed programme budget, and the worrying projected figure of 139.3 million forcibly displaced and stateless persons by the end of 2025. We are alarmed about the continuously increasing humanitarian and protection needs with the Sudan situation adding to the already outstretched humanitarian and development funds. Besides the solutions agenda, which is essential, we call on UNHCR to maintain a strong focus on emergency response and protection.

We acknowledge with concern UNHCR's growing funding gap, and the risk implied by reliance on only a limited number of donors. We encourage UNHCR to keep sharing details about efforts to increase efficiencies and effectiveness in the management of the resources currently at hand, together with insights on the process of selecting areas of prioritisation based on assessments of the severity of needs. The efficient and effective use of funds and clear prioritisation benefits refugees, host communities and donors alike, while creating the trust to incentivise new donors to step forward. We welcome regular updates by UNHCR on its funding situation and operational consequences, including the 2024 Underfunded Report that demonstrates the importance of UNHCR being able to deliver life-saving protection and assistance in key crises.

The EU and its Member States have remained steadfast in our commitment to provide support to all regions affected by forced displacement across the globe. We reiterate the need to mobilise additional humanitarian and development funding globally and call for other donors to contribute in achieving a more balanced funding structure.

To that end, we encourage UNHCR to further explore partnerships and solutions with private and emerging donors to enhance the scope of their funding. It is necessary to leverage financial mechanisms with the private sector, not only for funding but also for technical expertise and innovation, to achieve sustainable and scalable solutions. We recall the need for enhanced coordination with other UN agencies, particularly IOM, to ensure a more integrated and effective humanitarian response. A good example of the need for such a collective response is the engagement with the Office of the UN Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, as well as targeting through the UNHCR-WFP Joint Hub.

We also appreciate UNHCR's efforts to optimise processes, and underline the importance of a continued focus on cost-effectiveness and interoperability of systems and data.

In addition to efficient allocation of resources, we underline the importance of a robust triple nexus approach to reduce humanitarian needs and address underlying root causes. As conflict is the main cause of forced displacement worldwide, we are deeply committed to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and aim to addressing the root causes of conflict, including through conflict resolution and humanitarian diplomacy means.

We welcome UNHCR's sustainable programming approach and its efforts to promote durable solutions for displaced populations in the context of protracted crises, which also benefits host communities. We look forward to its implementation at field level, with the aim to minimise dependence on short-term humanitarian funding, increase self-reliance, and inclusion in national systems in close coordination with international development actors, host country authorities and the private sector. We encourage UNHCR to share regular updates on planned and ongoing initiatives.

Finally, we praise UNHCR's increasing use of new technologies and implementing the transformation process to enhance its overall effectiveness and efficiency. We continue supporting every effort to further improve transparency and auditing the expenditure of humanitarian aid, upholding accountability. We appreciate UNHCR's commitment to strengthen independent oversight and integrity activities, notably via the strategic oversight and investigative functions, and call on continued exchanges with the Inspector General's Office in a proactive manner.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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