The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), a prominent humanitarian organization, announced on May 14 that it will be closing its aid programs in six countries, including Kosovo, following a reduction in funding from the United States.
The United States is the second-largest donor to the DRC, which also announced that it would be cutting an additional 650 jobs.
The DRC, which provides assistance to refugees and individuals displaced by conflict and natural disasters, stated that the decrease in U.S. aid would lead to “untold suffering and death.”
“The scale of the current funding crisis requires DRC to adapt, renew, and prepare for a world where U.S. assistance may never return,” the Danish group said in a statement.
“The loss of our second-largest funding partner means a reduction in our global presence; first and foremost, this is a blow to the millions of people displaced by conflict, disaster, and climate change,” the group added.
Approximately 20 percent of the DRC’s budget originates from the United States.
Besides Kosovo, the other countries where the DRC is ending its programs are Burundi, the Central African Republic, Georgia, Mexico, and Tanzania. The DRC will maintain its presence in 28 other nations.
The Danish Refugee Council has been continuously operational in Kosovo since 1998, according to its website. Since 2003, the DRC has increasingly focused on the return of minorities to Kosovo, which has been a programmatic priority.
It has also worked to create a sustainable and long-term return process to Kosovo, targeting not only the physical needs of returning refugees and displaced persons but also reintegration and socio-economic development, improving living conditions, facilities, and opportunities for both host and returnee communities, security, and inter-ethnic dialogue, according to their website.
Since 2003, the DRC has facilitated the return of 778 families, totaling 2,945 individuals, to Kosovo.
