Nepal, Oct. 7 -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced that about 5,000 employees have lost their jobs at the agency since the beginning of 2025, more than a quarter of its total workforce, due to a significant decline in international funding.

During the 76th plenary session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner Programme, Grandi said that the financial crisis facing the agency is worsening as displacement increases around the world. He warned that the number of staff who may lose their jobs in the future could increase.

Grandi said the 2025 approved budget amounted to $10.6 billion, but UNHCR only received about half of that amount. He added that as it stands, UNHCR will end the year with $3.9 billio...