‘Ignoring the global humanitarian crisis is a huge mistake,’ UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi tells Arab News

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Updated 29 April 2025
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‘Ignoring the global humanitarian crisis is a huge mistake,’ UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi tells Arab News

‘Ignoring the global humanitarian crisis is a huge mistake,’ UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi tells Arab News
  • Top aid official describes ‘a perfect storm of wars, crises, violations of international law, and a system that is more fragmented’
  • UNHCR chief Grandi says the Gulf states could fill the void left in the multilateral system by inward-turning US and Europe

NEW YORK CITY: In his four decades in the humanitarian field, Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, says he has never seen the situation so dire for displaced people owing to the current environment of aid cuts and political neglect.

Speaking to Arab News in New York City, Grandi painted a grim picture of the state of the global displacement response in the middle of a rash of conflicts and the failure of the very systems designed to protect the world’s most vulnerable.

“You have a perfect storm between more wars, more crises, violations of international law, an international system that is more and more fragmented,” Grandi said. “Institutions are not really functioning anymore. And at the same time, you have cuts in the aid system.

“Something has got to give. Either we diminish the number of crises or we must be consistent in putting in adequate resources. Otherwise this crisis will become even bigger.”

His comments follow the US government’s decision to scrap USAID — once the world’s largest humanitarian donor — which was soon followed by similar moves by other major donors including the UK and Germany.

This at a time when simultaneous conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere have stretched existing aid provisions to the very limit, depriving millions of displaced people of essential assistance, and in some cases fueling onward migration.




A woman receives a package of non-food items after arriving at the Dougui refugee settlement. (UNHCR)

Grandi said world leaders generally understand the scale of the crisis, but many, especially in the Global North, remain focused on domestic issues.

“The response I get is always: ‘We understand, but we need to deal with our own problems first,’” he said. “But the global humanitarian pot that is boiling is going to become a domestic issue unless leaders pay attention to that in the most urgent manner.”

As a result of these aid budget cuts, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, could be forced to reduce up to a third of its operations, even as crises multiply.

Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, Grandi said funding cuts “may conclude with the retrenchment of my organization to up to one-third of its capacity.”

The US has traditionally been UNHCR’s top donor, making up more than 40 percent of total contributions received, amounting to approximately $2 billion per year, he said.

But for 2025, UNHCR has so far received about $350 million from Washington and is discussing with the administration the remainder of the funds.

“I cannot emphasize more how dramatic the situation is in this very moment,” Grandi told the Security Council. “If this trend continues, we will not be able to do more with less. But as I have said many times, we will do less with less. We are already doing less with less.”

UNHCR employs more than 18,000 staff in 136 countries, with approximately 90 percent of those employees working in the field, according to its website.




Filippo Grandi talks with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa in Damascus. (SANA/AFP/File)

Commenting on the impact of the cuts, Grandi told Arab News: “Cutting aid is going to cause more suffering for people. Less food, fewer medicines, less shelter and water, more people will die and suffer. And, may I say, more people will also move, and move on.”

Grandi recently visited Chad, where he met Sudanese women who had fled atrocities in Darfur’s Al-Fasher and the Zamzam camp, where they had been subjected to “violence, intimidation, and rape.”

“We tend to see Sudan’s war as a conflict between two major forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. But on the ground, it’s far more fragmented. The lower down you go in the chain of command, the more lawless and brutal it becomes.”

Despite the horrors visited upon Sudan since the conflict began in April 2023, humanitarian agencies are now being forced to scale back operations owing to the loss of funding from major state donors.

“We’re cutting 20 to 30 percent of our programs there. So are others,” Grandi said. “Do you think people will just wait for aid that never arrives? They move on.”

For instance, there are now an estimated 250,000 Sudanese in Libya — a popular jumping-off point for migrants and refugees from across Africa and the Middle East seeking safety and opportunity in Europe.

In Libya, many risk extortion, exploitation, or murder by traffickers, militias, and corrupt officials. Those who do manage to secure a place on a small boat across the Mediterranean risk drowning at sea.

“We need to be very clear, and I’m not trying to scare anybody,” Grandi said. “The decrease of aid will have an impact on population movements. And I think this is extremely dangerous.”

Grandi believes aid cuts are partly due to shifting global priorities. “The world is distracted — by defense, trade, and politics,” he said. “I’m not saying these issues don’t matter. But ignoring the humanitarian crisis is a huge mistake.”

While Europe remains a major donor, its contributions are a fraction of the amount the US has donated.




Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Khan Younis. (Reuters)

Moreover, its neglect of the issue could have significant domestic security repercussions.

“Aid is essential for Europe,” he said. “Think of Africa, the Sahel, Sudan, Yemen, Gaza, Syria, Ukraine. Europe is surrounded by a belt of crisis. If those crises are left unattended, these will affect European security too.”

Aid from the Gulf states, meanwhile, has been “consistently” generous, but more targeted, Grandi said.

“Gulf donors tend to fund specific projects or crises for a specific period of time,” he said. However, “their support is less institutional and more ad hoc,” making it difficult for aid agencies to plan ahead.

Grandi urged Gulf countries to do more by supporting multilateral efforts, especially now that the US and European states have created a vacuum.

“There’s a strong humanitarian spirit in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Emirates,” he said. “I appeal to their governments, foundations, and charities to overcome their hesitations and support agencies like ours. Together, we can be strong.




A family takes shelter in a primary school in Sudan’s White Nile state after conflict drove them from their home. (UNHCR)

“I described the belt of crisis surrounding Europe, but if you look at the geography on the other side, those belts of crises are also very much adjacent to the Gulf. And this is why, politically, Gulf countries are very active in trying to solve some of those crises.”

He noted positive engagement from Gulf countries in Syria, where more than a million people have returned after more than a decade of displacement. “That’s a strong signal,” Grandi said. But he cautioned that Syria remains fragile and that returnees would need ongoing support.

“Supporting them means humanitarian aid, rebuilding communities, and early recovery — fixing water and electricity systems, creating jobs,” he said.

“Early recovery takes a little bit more political risk. I think it’s important to take that risk. If we don’t take that risk now, the project of rebuilding Syria will be nipped in the bud.”

With global displacement now at record highs, Grandi underlined the importance of sustainable, long-term solutions.

“There are so many conflicts emerging, and none of the old conflicts get resolved,” he said. “Every conflict generates refugees. Assistance quickly dries up … so we need a more sustainable way.”

States and institutions should move beyond short-term aid and instead focus on integrating refugees into host countries’ education, health, and employment systems, he said.

This requires support by international donors, particularly development actors like the World Bank and Gulf funding institutions, to strengthen the systems of often resource-poor host countries.




People load a vehicle at Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria. (AFP/File)

The goal is to shift from emergency responses to development-oriented approaches that promote self-reliance, social cohesion, and shared benefits for refugees and their host communities.

“Sustainable solutions mean inclusion,” he said. “That’s better for refugees, better for host communities, and ultimately better for global stability.”

But, with mounting hostility toward migrants in many societies, such a reimagining of the aid system may be difficult to realize in practice.

Besides the loss of desperately needed funding, Grandi also said there had been a significant erosion of international humanitarian law, which had offered protections, or at least guardrails, since the end of the Second World War.

“The laws of war were created decades ago as a result of witnessing the horrible destruction and loss of human lives that wars cause,” Grandi said.

“Have the laws of war always been observed? Clearly not. But surely in the past, there was at least a sense of shame. That seems to have gone.”




Filippo Grandi examines buildings destroyed by shelling during a visit to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. (AFP/File)

From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Grandi said today’s conflicts are marked by “impunity” and a “lack of accountability,” with civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, deliberately targeted.

“If war becomes an instrument of total destruction for civilians, it’s not just dangerous for those caught in conflict. It threatens humanity as a whole,” he said.

Many of these violations are broadcast in real time, further fueling the perception that the international system is broken. Meanwhile, the very institutions designed to prevent such offences appear redundant.

For instance, the UN Security Council has held more than 40 meetings on Gaza alone, without taking any meaningful action, hampered by vetoes and political gridlock.

While Grandi stopped short of declaring the international system dead, he acknowledged that it is deeply dysfunctional.




A Palestinian boy waits to  receive a food portion in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. (AP)

“It has been weakened considerably,” he said. “But if we say it’s dead, we risk going into a world war. That’s the consequence. I’m not exaggerating.”

He called for urgent reform to global institutions, including the UN Security Council, and for a renewed commitment to multilateralism.

“The system is very sick,” Grandi said. “The current freeze in funding or defunding of humanitarian organizations makes it even more weak. But we still have the tools, if we choose to work together, to rebuild and improve it.”

 


Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal

Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal
Updated 21 sec ago
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Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal

Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal
“Here in Albania, clearly, you have the entry point in this region of Western Balkans,” Macron said
Albania entered talks to join the European Union in 2022

TIRANA: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday invited foreign investors to come to “stable” Europe, including to Albania, which he sees obtaining EU entry in 2027.

Europe “is a stable and reliable place,” he told economic forum “Priority Europe,” organized by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) institute of advertising executive Richard Attias.

“And in this crazy world, don’t underestimate the strengths of such qualities,” Macron said at the Tirana event aimed at connecting European leaders and innovators with sovereign wealth funds and Middle East, Asia and US business leaders.

“Here in Albania, clearly, you have the entry point in this region of Western Balkans, but much more broadly it’s a key point in the Mediterranean place and Europe.

“And in two years to come, as now he has a clear mandate, he will join the EU,” added Macron, referring to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Albania entered talks to join the European Union in 2022 and Rama said that the process could conclude with the country joining in 2027 if all goes to plan. “That would be incredible,” said Rama in an interview with AFP.

The country of some three million is by far the most pro-EU in the Balkans. In 2024, 92 percent of those questioned in a poll said they would vote “yes” if a referendum were held on EU membership-compared to 40 percent in Serbia.

The challenges of meeting accession requirements remain sizeable, notably in terms of combating corruption.

Several ministers and several senior officials, former president Ilir Meta, and the mayor of Tirana — a close Rama associate — are currently in detention on suspicion of embezzlement.

Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says

Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says
Updated 6 min 25 sec ago
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Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says

Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says
  • Zelensky would be happy to meet other leaders on the sidelines of the inauguration
  • Rubio said he would discuss on Saturday efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

VATICAN CITY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the inaugural Mass of newly elected Pope Leo on Sunday, along with many other world leaders, the Vatican said.

The Mass in St. Peter’s Square will formally install Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago but lived for many years in Peru, as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

US Vice President JD Vance, who clashed fiercely with Zelensky in the White House in February, will lead the US delegation, which also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Zelensky would be happy to meet other leaders on the sidelines of the inauguration, a top aide told Reuters this week. When he went to the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, Zelensky held face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rubio said he would discuss on Saturday efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who served as the late Pope Francis’ envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In remarks to reporters ahead of the meeting, the top US diplomat suggested the Vatican could be a venue to facilitate dialogue.

“I wouldn’t call it a broker, but it certainly is a place that I would think that both sides would be comfortable coming,” Rubio told reporters.

Among other leaders expected on Sunday are the presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria, the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula Von der Layen.

Many European royals will also be present, including Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
Russia will be represented by Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, the Vatican said.


Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village

Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village
Updated 43 min 28 sec ago
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Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village

Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village
  • In 2023, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ became the first Indian documentary to win an Oscar
  • Indigenous communities have been integral as elephant caretakers in Asia

NEW DELHI: India’s elephant caretakers in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, whose roles were brought to global attention in an Oscar-winning documentary, were honored with a special village by the local government as part of an effort to recognize their dedication to the conservation of the mammals.

The story of a mahout couple in Tamil Nadu who devote themselves to caring for an orphaned baby elephant was central to “The Elephant Whisperers” film, which became the first Indian documentary to win an Oscar in 2023.

Since the documentary brought the role of the mahouts — a Hindi word for elephant caretakers — to the international spotlight, the Tamil Nadu government has been working to further empower and honor them.

On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the Mahout Village at the state’s Theppakadu Elephant Camp. Dubbed the first of its kind, the special area comprises 44 houses for each of the mammals’ keepers and their families.

“The film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ played an important part in building the houses for mahouts, there is no doubt about it,” Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, climate change and forests in Tamil Nadu, told Arab News.

“We will make sure that the people, the indigenous community who take care of our elephants, are also suitably taken care of. That is the idea behind (this program). It’s a tribute to them.”

Built at a cost of about $670,000, the houses at Mahout Village use solar lights and fences, and were constructed in consultation with the mahouts. The area also comes with communal facilities, including a basketball court and a kids’ playground.

Mahouts have long been integral in wildlife conservation across many South and Southeast Asian countries.

India is home to some 30,000 Asian elephants, representing at least 60 percent of the species’ global population. Tamil Nadu itself is home to about 3,100 elephants.

With the buzz around “The Elephant Whisperers” following its Oscar win, Bomman and Bellie, the couple from the Kattunayakan tribal group who were featured in the film, had urged the government to consider building houses for the mahouts.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin interacts with mahout couple Bomman and Bellie on May 13, 2024 during the inauguration of Mahout Village at Theppakadu Elephant Camp. (M.K. Stalin/Facebook) 

“One good thing that has happened is the documentary brought attention to the indigenous people who have been taking care of elephants for generations,” Bomman told Arab News.

“The houses are really a recognition for those who have been taking care of elephants and helped in the preservation of nature.”

For C. Maari, a 52-year-old mahout, the Oscar-winning documentary helped show the possibility of human-wildlife coexistence.

“The documentary no doubt highlighted our issues and the world outside came to know that humans and animals understand each other, and can coexist together if we don’t intrude in each others’ space,” Maari told Arab News.

He is hopeful that the new housing will help his community better take care of the elephants.

“I am really happy that I got the house. Earlier, we used to live in a hut without any facilities inside the jungle. We used to struggle for basic amenities, like toilets and other facilities,” he said.

“For generations, we have been friends with elephants and we understand their needs. Both of us have been surviving together for generations and the houses are the recognition of our contribution in maintaining the animal world.”


Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions

Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions
Updated 17 May 2025
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Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions

Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions
  • Under the decree, applicants will no longer be required to permanently reside in Russia
  • Georgia and Russia have no diplomatic relations since the 2008 war

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a decree simplifying access to Russian citizenship for people from two Georgian breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Under the decree, applicants will no longer be required to permanently reside in Russia to get citizenship, or prove their knowledge of the Russian language or culture.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are recognized by most of the world as Georgian territory, but has been under de-facto Russian control since a brief 2008 war between Moscow and Tbilisi.

In Abkhazia, another pro-Russian president recently won an election after the previous one was ousted following tense protests over a bill giving Russians easier access to coastal property along the Black Sea.

Georgia and Russia have no diplomatic relations since the 2008 war, but critics accuse the current Georgian ruling party of being pro-Russian, and claim it came to power as a result of a rigged election.

Georgia, which shares a border with Russia, declined to join international financial and economic sanctions against Moscow over its Ukraine offensive, or to support Kyiv with military equipment.


Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector

Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector
Updated 17 May 2025
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Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector

Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector

ISTANBUL: Turkiye has seen an easing of US sanctions on its defense sector since Donald Trump became president, with steps toward ending the measure advancing quickly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.
“We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA,,” he told reporters while returning from a European summit, referring to US sanctions legislation.
In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defense system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which aims to limit Russia’s military influence.
The move soured ties between the two NATO member countries.
It also booted Turkiye out of its F-35 program, with Washington saying the presence of the S-400 would allow the Russians to collect information on the stealth jet’s capabilities.
Erdogan said Turkiye had raised the sanctions issue with Trump and his newly-appointed envoy to Ankara, Tom Barrack
“With my friend Trump taking office, we have achieved a more open, more constructive and more sincere communication on these issues,” Erdogan added, saying Turkiye valued “every positive step in this direction.”
“I believe we will overcome the CAATSA process much faster. As two great NATO allies, there should be no restrictions or obstacles in the field of defense between us,” he said.
Turkiye’s partnership with the United States was “of vital importance for the establishment of stability in our region and the world” he said.
In March, Erdogan spoke to Trump about the need to finalize a deal to let Turkiye buy US F-16 fighter planes and be readmitted to the development program for F-35 warplanes.
Turkiye has been seeking to modernize its airforce, and has been seeking to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons which are built by a four-nation consortium grouping Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy.