Emergency Fund
Preparing for the unpredictable
© UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Emergencies are on the rise displacing more people than ever before.
We live in an increasingly volatile world. In recent years, successive crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan, to name only the most prominent, mean that there are now more displaced people worldwide than ever before – over 110 million.
In 2023, UNHCR responded to 43 emergencies in 29 countries – a record number of crises in one year alone. Global needs are escalating at an unprecedented pace, putting growing pressure on UNHCR’s resources.
The Emergency Fund – assuring your philanthropic impact
in an unpredictable world
In the last ten years the number of displaced people has more than doubled – placing
growing pressure on UNHCR’s resources. Without the flexible income that the Emergency
Fund can provide, UNHCR’s ability to respond quickly and effectively could be compromised. The cost could be counted in human lives.
By supporting the fund with an annual gift of £10,000 or more, you can give UNHCR’s emergency response teams the ability to continue to provide people driven from their homes with shelter, safety and protection, whatever the future brings.
Workers unload relief kits from the UNHCR truck for distribution to newly arrived Sudanese refugees at the Madjigilta site in Chad’s Ouaddaï region, on the border with Sudan. The kits include a plastic bucket, soap and a jerry can. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
Workers unload relief kits from the UNHCR truck for distribution to newly arrived Sudanese refugees at the Madjigilta site in Chad’s Ouaddaï region, on the border with Sudan. The kits include a plastic bucket, soap and a jerry can. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
You can play a leading role in UNHCR’s lifesaving humanitarian response
By joining the Emergency Fund, members maintain UNHCR’s impact in three critical areas.
Readiness:
Readiness:Donations ensure UNHCR’s early warning systems can identify potential humanitarian crises. They also make sure expert staff are fully trained to respond to local challenges, and that stocks of humanitarian supplies in UNHCR’s seven global warehouses are maintained and can be shipped anywhere in the world within 72 hours.
Response:
Response:When they flee in fear of their lives, people are often terrified, disoriented, hungry and exhausted. Many have to leave behind all their possessions and arrive under UNHCR’s protection with nothing but the clothes on their back. Support can ensure UNHCR provides displaced people with the lifesaving shelter and essentials they couldn’t bring with them, such as bedding, warm clothes and hygiene kits.
Recovery:
Recovery:Through the Emergency Fund, you can help UNHCR stay and deliver for refugees and displaced people, particularly those affected by under-reported crises in places like Iraq and Ethiopia, where a lack of media attention can lead to dangerous levels of underfunding for humanitarian assistance. Support could mean traumatised children have access to psychological support. It could mean specialist services for disabled people, or cash assistance so a widowed mother can feed and clothe her children.
Maximising your impact
Your contribution to the fund will be pooled together with those of your fellow supporters, to deliver a flexible funding boost which can significantly enhance UNHCR’s ability to respond quickly and effectively when an emergency strikes.
When you channel your support for UNHCR though the Emergency Fund, you will have the peace of mind of knowing that the next time the world faces a humanitarian crisis, your support will already be there. It will be felt in the relief and gratitude of mothers and fathers who, after long and perilous journeys, know their children are safe, protected and have the essentials they need to survive.
A father holds a young girl to cross the Tachira River, which forms the border between Venezuela and Colombia. Venezuela hosts more than 2.4 million of the 6.8 million Venezuelans who have sought refuge outside their country. © UNHCR/Vincent Tremeau
We’d love to hear from you
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss how the Emergency Fund can meet your philanthropic goals,
please get in touch with by calling 0203 761 8094 or emailing [email protected]