UN refugee agency says 9 million need extra winter help

The UN refugee agency on Friday said nine million people would need extra help to get through the coming winter in Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Launching a fundraising appeal, the UNHCR said it hoped to raise at least US$50 million for winter support – US$3 million more than it raised last year.

“Resources are scarce and costs are spiralling just as winter looms in the northern hemisphere,” said Dominique Hyde, the agency’s external relations director.

“Millions in these fragile, war-affected countries risk facing the elements without enough protection from the cold.

“We need to shield them immediately,” Hyde said.

The Geneva-based agency said the winter needs were vast across all four countries, where millions were contending with surging energy and food prices, and fuel shortages for heating and cooking.

In the fifth winter of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, temperatures are likely to drop to minus 20℃ “amid accelerating Russian Federation strikes on civilians and humanitarians, with power outages heaping fresh misery on the war-ravaged population”, said the UNHCR.

“In Afghanistan, close to four million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran between January 2025 and July 2026, many with limited resources to rebuild,” the agency said.

In Syria, millions of refugees have returned following the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad, “but without more funding this winter for the basics – a roof, clothes, heating oil – the fate of the returnees may become increasingly precarious”, the UNHCR warned.

In Lebanon, around 300,000 people are expected to need winter assistance – though UNHCR can only reach half that number due to funding constraints.

Some 117.8 million people worldwide were forced to flee their homes at the end of 2025, according to the UNHCR – down slightly from 2024’s record 123.2 million.

Despite those elevated numbers, the agency has had to slash its workforce due to budget cuts.

It sought US$8.5 billion needed for its programmes in 2026, but as of Oct 9, it had US$3 billion in available funds.

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