The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian needs globally, particularly in low and middle-income countries, which currently host more than 85% of the world’s refugees. The pandemic is destabilizing entire sectors of the economy, with millions depending on fragile incomes that are now at risk. More generally, violence, persecution and civil strife continue to uproot millions. Few conflicts have abated in recent months, while some, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, the Sahel and the Syrian Arab Republic, have gotten worse. Driven in part by the effects of the pandemic on livelihoods, gender inequality and gender-based violence have increased, internal displacement has been exacerbated, and freedom of movement and access to asylum reduced.
All these trends are likely to continue through 2020, with the virus acting as a ‘force multiplier’, making the needs of people of concern to the Office more acute and more complicated to address. UNHCR has already take steps to invest more in key areas in response to the protection, public health and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on people of concern. This includes ramping up cash assistance, which is fast, safe and can help cover rent, food, and other basic needs that arise for refugees and displaced persons. Water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter capacity, and health services are all being reassessed to take into account COVID-19 prevention and response. It includes partnerships, especially at the national level, in which UNHCR has already invested considerably in the context of the Grand Bargain and the Global Compact on Refugees, and which are even more indispensable in the midst of a pandemic a knowledge, access and trust at the community level is essential. And it includes ways of working, harvesting lessons about how UNHCR performs and delivers protection and aid, remotely and in-situ, to inform our transformation and engage with partners on the future of work.
While some instances of underfunding are due to new needs or reprioritization resulting from COVID-19, many examples pre-date the pandemic and demonstrate the impact that chronic underfunding can have on the lives of people of concern and UNHCR’s ability to respond. The 10 situations described in this article also highlight the importance of flexible funding: all of them have benefited from allocations of flexible funds by the organization, which has gone some way to making up the shortfall. UNHCR wishes to extend its sincere thanks to all donors who have provided unearmarked and softly earmarked funding in 2020.