São Paulo – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Unhcr) has reported this Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, that donor countries have pledged to provide US$ 500.8 million to the agency in 2015. The Unhcr calculates that there are 43 million forcibly displaced and stateless people worldwide. The amount pledged is down from US$ 671.6 million donated a year ago.
The Unhcr has reported that it will need US$ 6.23 billion to cater to these refugees next year. The agency added that the UN only covers a small portion of its budget, and that it relies on public and private donations for its programmes.
The commitments announced this Tuesday, at the organization’s annual conference, are considered preliminary and serve merely as indicators based on which for operations to be planned. To date in 2014, US$ 3.19 billion have been donated to the Unhcr – less than half the agency’s actual needs.
According to the UN agency, the sum is enough to cover basic refugee needs such as water, sanitation, health and temporary shelter, but falls short of funding long-term actions such as professional training, promotion of subsistence and secondary schooling.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
