(MENAFN) As bitter cold descends across conflict zones, millions of refugees and internally displaced populations are confronting winter "with much less than in previous years," the UN refugee agency cautioned Tuesday during the launch of its global winter relief initiative.

"Families will have to endure freezing temperatures without the essentials many of us take for granted. They need the public's support more than ever," Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's director of external relations, told a press briefing in Geneva.

Hyde revealed humanitarian budgets were "stretched to breaking point," with UNHCR projecting to end 2025 with $3.9 billion in available funds, "a decline for us of 25% ($1.3 billion) from 2024 and comparable to our funding level in 2015, when the number of forcibly displaced people was half of what it is today."

Without additional resources, "millions will face winter with threadbare support," she warned.

The relief effort, she outlined, focuses on Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, and surrounding nations, providing displaced households and returnees with cash assistance for heating fuel, distribution of blankets and warm clothing, shelter repairs, and livelihood programs.

"This year's campaign will be live in 28 countries, and we are hoping to raise more than the $34 million last year," Hyde said, adding that most of the funds will be "unearmarked," allowing UNHCR to respond where needs are greatest.

"In Afghanistan, sub-zero temperatures are already leaving families exposed," she said, while "in Ukraine, where temperatures can plunge to -20C," attacks on energy infrastructure are worsening the crisis.

"Despite the deep funding cuts, our dedicated teams are on the ground, determined to protect the most vulnerable from the cold, but we are running out of time and resources," Hyde said. "The families we assist should not have to face winter out in the cold."

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