9M people need winter assistance across 4 crisis-hit countries: UN refugee agency

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - An estimated 9 million people across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon will require additional assistance this winter, the UN refugee agency warned Friday, launching a $50 million fundraising appeal to help vulnerable families withstand freezing temperatures.

"Winter is fast approaching, and we expect 9 million people across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, and Lebanon to need additional support," Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's director of external relations, told reporters in Geneva.

Hyde said the campaign seeks contributions from individuals and the private sector to provide heating equipment, blankets, warm clothing, fuel assistance and materials to repair damaged homes.

She warned that rising oil, transportation and food prices were placing additional pressure on displaced populations.

"All of us are feeling it. The cost of living is increasing," she said, stressing that the impact was particularly severe for refugees.

In Ukraine, escalating drone and missile attacks have damaged civilian infrastructure and contributed to daily power outages, while approximately 10.8 million people will require humanitarian assistance this year.

Hyde said a $135 donation could provide a winterization kit containing a heater and materials to insulate and repair damaged windows.

In Afghanistan, which has recorded an estimated 6.5 million returns since September 2023, a $35 contribution could provide a traditional heating device for a family.

Separately, approximately 1.7 million refugees and nearly 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to Syria since December 2024.

Hyde said about 2.4 million people in priority areas of Syria are expected to need winter assistance this year, but the agency anticipates reaching far fewer people.

"Our ability right now to help is being squeezed at precisely the moment when that help is most needed," she warned.

Beyza Binnur Dönmez