UNHCR winter appeal seeks $50 million

The UNHCR winter appeal, launched on Friday, 30 October 2026, seeks $50 million to help nine million people survive the winter across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon, UN News reported in its World News in Brief.

UNHCR winter appeal: File photo: UN agencies offer services to displaced children and families in Lebanon — File photo: UN agencies offer services to displaced children and families in Lebanon Photo: © UNICEF/Fouad Choufany via UN News (editorial use with credit).

What the UNHCR winter appeal will pay for

“A donation means something very tangible. A heater, blankets, warm clothes, cash to pay for fuel, or tarpaulin and tape to repair a blown out window,” said UNHCR’s Dominique Hyde. “For some, it may avoid taking on more debt or keep their children off the streets and safe in school.” UNHCR said the funding will help people like Svetlana in Dnipro, Ukraine, whose apartment was heavily damaged in a drone strike last winter. Moments before the attack she grabbed her son and ran to the basement, and when they came out they no longer had anywhere to live.

Key Facts

Appeal: $50 million (UNHCR, 30 October)
People to be helped: nine million
Countries: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon
Lebanon displaced: over 300,000 (OCHA)
Lebanon Humanitarian Fund: $91 million allocated

Afghanistan and Syria returns

The agency highlighted equally serious needs in Afghanistan, which has seen an estimated 6.5 million people return in recent years, most of them involuntarily. Many of the new arrivals have very little and need to rebuild their lives from scratch, Hyde said. In Syria, around 3.6 million refugees and internally displaced people have returned to what remains of their homes since December 2024, while 15.6 million people inside the country need humanitarian assistance, she noted. The appeal covers these four countries, where UNHCR says displaced and returning families face the coming winter with very little.

Lebanon: crisis "far from over", says OCHA

In Lebanon, more than 300,000 people displaced since early March remain internally displaced, and the humanitarian crisis is “far from over”, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that although civilians want to return home, continued Israeli military activity and presence in the south are making it very difficult. This week alone, further demolitions, fires and strikes by Israeli forces were reported across southern Lebanon, both inside the combat zone declared by Israel, from which residents were ordered to leave, and beyond it. Close to 970,000 people have returned to their communities in the south, but their situation is often dire, with damaged homes, disrupted services and a harder struggle to earn a living. In Nabatieh Governorate, insecurity and limits on access to farmland are disrupting the olive harvest, and in some villages farmers could harvest for only two days before being forced by the Israeli army to stop, UN News said. OCHA’s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund has allocated $91 million to support displaced people, returnees, refugees and other affected communities.

Why It Matters: Winter is the deadliest season for families in tents and damaged homes; how much of the appeal is funded will decide how many get heaters, blankets and fuel.

Source: UN News: World News in Brief, 30 October · UNHCR · OCHA Lebanon