France is a reliable donor and partner to UNHCR, providing predictable support with a particular focus on Africa and the Middle East as well as emergencies.
One of UNHCR’s top 10 largest donors, France is a reliable partner to UNHCR, providing predictable and flexible contributions.
In 2022, 20 per cent of the annual contribution from France was unearmarked, giving UNHCR critical flexibility to address emerging crises or underfunded situations. Earmarked funding focused largely on the Ukraine emergency in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa, as well as the Asia and the Pacific region. This included contributions for critically underfunded operations such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Lebanon.
In 2022, France mobilized significant emergency funding and international support to respond to the Ukraine emergency and address the humanitarian needs of people forcibly displaced inside the country and in neighboring countries.
As a resettlement country, France welcomes around 3,000 refugees each year, providing people with an opportunity to start a new life. France has also shown commitment to UNHCR through regular funding of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) program, offering young French professionals the opportunity to work for UNHCR at Headquarters and in the field.
France is committed to the principles of the Grand Bargain and has adopted a proactive approach towards the implementation of the humanitarian-development nexus.
France also supports new models of refugee assistance and innovative approaches in a bid to increase the resilience and economic independence of refugees. Gender equality, education, as well as energy and infrastructure are important priorities that France supports, including through the French Development Agency.
France will be one of the co-convenors of the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF). Building on the commitments made during the first GRF in December 2019, France is playing a significant mobilizing role and is working closely with UNHCR on several priority areas including socio-economic inclusion and private sector mobilization, activities aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change in displacement contexts, and international solidarity.