The Trump administration is considering cutting ties with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) following a dispute over the appointment of Tressa Rae Finerty as deputy high commissioner over US-backed candidate Simon Hankinson. The US was UNHCR's top donor in 2025, contributing $868 million. In response to potential blacklisting and funding cuts, diplomats and UN officials have launched an intense lobbying campaign to preserve US support, warning that a withdrawal poses an existential threat to the agency amid near-record levels of global displacement.
Trump administration UNHCR withdrawal consideration
- ▪The administration of United States President Donald Trump has in recent weeks weighed cutting ties and disengaging from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ▪A United States State Department spokesperson stated that there have not been any changes to Washington's engagement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ▪The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees informed supporters that the agency could be placed on a United States blacklist, ending funding, and that Washington could withdraw from its governing Executive Committee.
Deputy High Commissioner appointment dispute
- ▪United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih selected Tressa Rae Finerty over Simon Hankinson, a United States-backed candidate.
- ▪Andrew Veprek, the Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, was involved in backing Simon Hankinson's candidacy.
- ▪The dispute over the United States' relationship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees centers on the June 2026 appointment of United States career diplomat Tressa Rae Finerty as deputy high commissioner.
UNHCR financial crisis deepening
- ▪The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is facing a financial crisis after its available funding fell by approximately 30 percent in 2025 compared with 2024.
- ▪The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has cut thousands of jobs and announced further employment cuts for 2026.
US top donor status
- ▪The United States was the top donor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2025, contributing $868 million, which represented about a quarter of the agency's total contributions.
- ▪A full United States withdrawal would deepen the financial crisis of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and weaken the agency during near-record levels of global displacement.
Diplomatic lobbying campaign
- ▪Diplomats and United Nations officials launched a campaign to persuade the United States to maintain its support and avert a split with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ▪The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked supporters to use all available diplomatic channels with the United States to urge ongoing support.
Refugee Convention protection system
- ▪A former senior United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official stated that rethinking United States involvement poses an existential threat to the agency.
- ▪Diplomats and aid officials warned that a full United States withdrawal would undermine support for the 1951 Refugee Convention.
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