The Netherlands provides essential support to UNHCR, both as a top contributor of unearmarked funds and a top donor overall. UNHCR relies heavily on these contributions to assist individuals and communities affected by displacement. As a key partner of UNHCR, the Netherlands has served as a member of the Executive Committee since 1955.
The Netherlands is a leading actor in humanitarian policy fora on issues related to transparency and accountability, and the humanitarian-development nexus among others. The Netherlands and UNHCR are both strongly committed to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence, as well as a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.
With a large share of its funding in 2024 being unearmarked, the Netherlands plays an instrumental role in helping UNHCR to respond where the needs of refugees and other displaced people are the greatest. This includes allowing UNHCR to kick-start emergency responses, and fully respond to situations of protracted and neglected conflicts.
An example of the Netherlands’ significant support to operationalize the humanitarian-development nexus, a new funding instrument and multi-annual hybrid partnership, called PROSPECTS, was launched in 2019. At the Global Refugee Forum in the same year, the Netherlands pledged to invest US$ 558 million in the partnership for the period of 2019-2023, enhancing protection, education, and livelihoods of forcibly displaced people and their host communities in Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Uganda. PROSPECTS brought together five organizations working across the humanitarian-development spectrum: UNHCR, UNICEF, ILO, IFC and the World Bank. In 2023, the Netherlands launched PROSPECTS Phase 2 (Jan 2024 - Dec 2027), with a total allocation of EUR 800 million.
The Netherlands strongly supports the Global Compact on Refugees and is a leader in advocating for and supporting mental health and psychosocial support services in emergencies – as per its pledges at the Global Refugee Forum. During the 2023 GRF, the Netherlands initiated a multistakeholder pledge, which they co-led with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, committing to giving UNHCR at least 30% of their annual humanitarian support in unearmarked funds or 50% flexible funds by, at the latest, the Global Refugee Forum 2027. The Netherlands also took the co-lead on the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) mega pledge, the economic inclusion and social protection mega pledge, and the UN Common Pledge 2.0.
45% of the contribution was flexible funding
The impact of the Netherlands as a donor
Photo series: a unique partnership in Lebanon
Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. But the country is facing a huge socio-economic crisis and both refugees and the host community are struggling. The PROSPECTS partnership works together in Lebanon to strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of both refugees and the local population.