Geneva (Switzerland), 14 October 2026 (SPS) – Algeria has expressed concern over the sharp decline in humanitarian funding for refugees worldwide, describing the resulting burden on displaced populations as a form of “double punishment.”
Addressing the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Idriss Letrache, warned that declining humanitarian funding was placing additional burdens on refugees.
He stressed the need to uphold the commitments enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, emphasizing that international assistance and protection are not acts of charity but fundamental rights to which refugees are fully entitled as long as the root causes of their displacement remain unresolved.
Letrache noted that this assessment was particularly relevant to the situation of Sahrawi refugees. He stressed that increased attention to their plight must not overshadow the need for a political process addressing the root causes of their displacement.
He called on the international community to maintain and strengthen its support for forcibly displaced Sahrawis, insisting that any action must be grounded in the realities of their situation.
The Algerian diplomat highlighted three fundamental facts, emphasizing that the Sahrawis are not refugees fleeing economic hardship, harsh climatic conditions or internal civil wars. Rather, they are people displaced from a Non-Self-Governing Territory, Western Sahara, whose inalienable right to self-determination remains central to their situation.
He further stressed that the wishes of Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps have always been, and continue to be, the guiding principle.
Letrache noted that the camps remain open to all, hosting more than five United Nations agencies and over 20 international non-governmental organizations, alongside regular visits by donors, international observers and various UN mechanisms.
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