New funding for the protection of refugees: 120 million euro for 2022

Germany has committed to making available 120 million euros next year to the UN Refugee Agency. Currently, there are more refugees than ever before. The UNHCR does vital work throughout the world. It protects people who have lost their homes and ensures that basic needs are met.

82.4 million people have fled their homes

Never before have there been so many displaced people. According to UNHCR figures, already at the end of last year, the total number of refugees worldwide reached 82.4 million. That is roughly equivalent to Germany’s total number of inhabitants.

The larger share of those who have been forced to flee their homes, 48 million, are internally displaced persons. These people have lost their homes but are seeking refuge within their own country.

A smaller share, 34.4 million people, are asylum seekers and persons who have fled to another country to escape persecution, war, and armed conflict. Most of them live in the vicinity of their own countries. A mere five countries, which include Germany, are providing refuge to the largest share of this group. They have taken in nearly 40% of displaced persons across the globe.

Germany is the second-largest supporter of UNHCR

Germany is working to ease humanitarian suffering, both as a host country and through its efforts worldwide. As the second-largest donor country for humanitarian assistance, it is assuming a great deal of responsibility. This also applies to protecting and caring for refugees. That is why, in 2021, Germany provided some 400 million euros in support of UNHCR. With Germany’s financial contribution, UNHCR was, for example, able to react swiftly to new developments when in August 2021 the humanitarian crisis in and around Afghanistan suddenly escalated.

The full amount that will be made available for 2022 will most likely be many times the 120 million euros that have already been committed. The currently earmarked funds are primarily intended to provide UNHCR with planning certainty. In the last two years, the UNHCR’s annual financial requirements have amounted to between 8 and 9 billion US dollars.