The UN’s top refugee official has warned that severe funding cuts to the agency tasked with protecting displaced people are already fuelling a rise in migration to Europe — and urged EU governments to rethink their approach before the situation worsens.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), described the slashed budgets as “catastrophic,” and said they were pushing vulnerable populations — especially Sudanese refugees — to move northward through Chad and Libya, en route to Europe.
“There is no doubt in my mind that people are already moving from Chad to Libya — Sudanese refugees,” said Grandi. “You solve a lot of your problems by giving more assistance to states where people are ready to stay before going back home.”
The UNHCR has been hit hard by a collapse in donor funding, most significantly from the U.S., where President Donald Trump slashed support from $2 billion to just $390 million. European countries such as France, Germany, and Italy have also cut their contributions, forcing the agency to suspend $1.4 billion worth of programs and lay off a third of its global staff.
Grandi said the effects are already visible on migration patterns and warned that ignoring refugee needs in frontline states like Chad, Kenya, or Iran is a “strategic mistake.” He called on the EU to stop spending billions on building new offshore asylum systems and instead fund existing, overstretched facilities in Africa.
Many EU countries have pursued policies to externalize asylum processing — screening migrants in non-EU states, including in North Africa. Countries like Denmark and Italy have pushed for asylum centers abroad, while the UK’s controversial Rwanda plan collapsed amid human rights concerns.
Grandi did not rule out UNHCR involvement in certain external processing systems, but only under strict legal safeguards. “If it is dumping the responsibilities of people that are seeking asylum in Europe entirely on the country selected, then I think it would be a bit more problematic,” he said. “If it is helping out with a system that offers sufficient guarantees and respect of international law, maybe yes.”
However, he was blunt about the practical limits: “Let’s be realistic. You have to find a country that is willing to do it. I’m not very optimistic that you have countries queueing up.”
Libya — one of the key transit countries to Europe — is not a viable partner for such arrangements, Grandi said, citing instability and the influence of armed groups. Tunisia, another country with which the EU has signed a migration agreement, has also become problematic. Grandi revealed that UNHCR is no longer permitted to screen asylum claims there and expressed concern about the government’s migrant crackdown and alleged pushbacks to Libya and Algeria.
With migration flows once again rising through the central Mediterranean and political pressure building in European capitals, Grandi urged governments to coordinate more closely with UNHCR before launching new initiatives.
“Consult with us when you are elaborating,” he said. “There are windows of opportunity to do some of these innovative things — but only if they’re grounded in international law.”
Grandi’s remarks come as the EU grapples with how to reconcile rising anti-immigrant sentiment at home with its obligations under refugee law — all while its primary partner in refugee protection is being financially gutted.
