Winter Threatens Millions across Four War-affected Countries; UNHCR Seeks $50m

The agency is seeking at least $50 million from individuals and the private sector for winter assistance in 2026–27, an increase of $3 million over the amount raised last year.

At least nine million people across Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan are estimated to need additional assistance this winter, as rising energy prices and funding shortages leave families struggling to protect themselves from the cold. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has launched its annual winter fundraising appeal to support people living through war and displacement. Many face freezing temperatures in damaged homes or makeshift shelters, with insufficient fuel, warm clothing and blankets.

The agency is seeking at least $50 million from individuals and the private sector for winter assistance in 2026–27, an increase of $3 million over the amount raised last year. The campaign comes as deep budget cuts restrict support for displaced people and the communities hosting them. Families have already experienced reductions in cash assistance, health care, education and livelihood support, leaving fewer resources to absorb rising food and heating costs.

Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's Director of External Relations, warned that scarce resources and spiralling costs require an immediate response to protect people from winter conditions. Donations will help provide heaters in Afghanistan, thermal blankets in Syria and Lebanon, and repair kits for homes damaged by attacks in Ukraine. The assistance will address basic needs for households increasingly forced to choose between heating, food and medical care.

Ukraine faces freezing temperatures and repeated energy attacks

Ukraine is approaching its fifth winter of full-scale war, with temperatures potentially falling to minus 20°C as Russian attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and infrastructure intensify. Around four million people remain internally displaced, and power outages are adding to the hardship facing communities across the country. Energy facilities were struck at least 423 times last winter, disrupting services that households depend on for warmth and daily survival.

UNHCR's winter plan includes cash assistance for around 310,000 people and improvements to home insulation for 80,000 people. Its monitoring found that 75% of people leaving Ukraine between December 2025 and February 2026 cited a lack of electricity, water or heating, showing how the loss of essential services can push people to leave. In Dnipro, Svitlana described taking her son Yosyp into a basement seconds before a drone struck their apartment last winter, shattering windows and scattering his toys around the damaged building.

Afghanistan's returning families face shortages of shelter and warmth

Afghanistan faces severe winter needs following the return of close to four million people from Pakistan and Iran between January 2025 and July 2026, many arriving with limited resources to rebuild their lives. UN figures indicate that 4.2 million people need shelter support in 2026, and nearly a third of assessed households reported insufficient winter clothing. Funding shortages have restricted cash assistance for returnees and the provision of shelter repair kits, blankets and heaters.

The cost of coal and firewood has put adequate heating beyond the reach of many households, leaving some dependent on unsuitable materials for warmth. Hyde said families burned cardboard, paper and plastic waste last winter because they could not afford conventional fuels. Children face particular risks, with UNHCR concerned about further cases of pneumonia and respiratory illness as temperatures fall.

Funding gaps limit winter assistance in Syria and Lebanon

Millions have returned to Syria from across the region in the two years since the fall of the Assad regime, bringing hope alongside substantial needs for housing, clothing and heating oil. Around 2.4 million people require winter assistance in priority areas, making access to basic supplies an urgent concern for returning families. UNHCR hopes to support approximately 230,000 people, fewer than half the number it assisted last winter.

Almost 300,000 people in Lebanon are expected to need winter assistance, but available funding allows UNHCR to reach only half of them. Diesel prices have nearly doubled compared with levels before the regional escalation in March 2026, sharply increasing the cost of keeping homes warm. Families report that assistance previously sufficient for much of the winter may now cover only a few weeks, leaving a growing gap between the support available and the cost of staying safe.