SHARJAH: The world is facing its worst humanitarian crises with the least funding on record, UNHCR Communications Officer Khaled Kabbara warned on Wednesday, revealing that only 23 percent of the agency’s $10 billion appeal has been met this year.
Kabbara told Arab News that 11 million people had lost access to essential services and assistance due to the shortage of funding for aid agencies such as UNHCR.
“We are only able to respond to either the needs of 23 percent of the people who are in urgent need of support, or to the 23 percent of the needs of these people. It is a situation that we have to endure, but we also command the courage of our colleagues,” he said.
“Unfortunately UNHCR in 2024 alone responded to over 43 emergencies in 27 countries, and hope is one of the most important things that we can try to highlight through our work.
“Hope is one of the most important elements that really restores people’s faith in humanity, but also enables them to be inspired to continue their resilience and achieve greater and achieve a better world,” he said.
Speaking at the International Government Communication Forum 2025 in Sharjah, Kabbara urged the audience not to underestimate the impact of their involvement, no matter how small.
“It definitely adds up to the general efforts we run globally,” he said.
“Behind every number lies a person,” Kabbara said. “There is a story of a family who had to leave everything overnight and seek refuge in order to protect their loved ones.”
Kabbara was joined by Issa Al-Habib, a content creator, Jennifer Greco, account director at Adyen, and Maywand Jabarkhyl, CEO of the Fatima Bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative, at a panel discussion titled “Quality of Life for Refugees Starts with an Idea and a Mission.”
Greco explained how Adyen, a payment service provider company, is working to develop a form of donation that is sustainable and makes it easy for customers to donate to refugees.
“It’s about lowering the barrier for private companies so they can support refugees without the operational burden,” he said, adding that so far Adyen had collected $25 million globally and was committed to $100 million by 2030.
Al-Habib, a content creator who partnered with the UNHCR in Ramadan, commended their Zakat program and said that it allowed him to directly support refugees in need.
“The app calculated my Zakat and showed me how to allocate it. It was so easy, and I knew exactly who I was helping,” he said.
The UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund App was officially launched in 2021. The platform was developed to facilitate Zakat and Sadaqah donations worldwide.
