⏱ 2 min read
Background
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), headquartered in Geneva, is facing financial difficulties, according to Le Temps. Its largest donor, the United States, voted on 11 November 2026 against a UN General Assembly resolution on sharing the cost of hosting displaced people. In 2023, UNHCR and the Chinese sportswear group ANTA launched a first partnership, called “Moving for Change”.
The key points
On 13 November 2026, ANTA Group and UNHCR signed a new three-year strategic partnership agreement at the agency’s Geneva headquarters. It covers the period 2026 to 2029 and extends the Moving for Change programme.
ANTA will pay 1.5 million dollars to UNHCR and supply 1.2 million sports items through two Chinese charitable foundations. The aid targets 300,000 additional forcibly displaced young people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and other African countries.
The programme supports two UNHCR initiatives, “Primary Impact” and “Sport for Protection”, which combine education and sport in refugee camps. During the first three-year phase, ANTA had already provided the same amounts to 300,000 young people in Africa.
Key figures
- 1.5 million dollars : ANTA’s cash contribution to UNHCR from 2026 to 2029
- 1.2 million : items of sportswear and sports equipment supplied
- 300 000 : additional forcibly displaced young people targeted
- 600 000 : young people supported in total over six years by 2029
Who says what
- Ding Shizhong (Chairman of the Board of ANTA Group): he wants to extend the sports philanthropy programmes run in China to international humanitarian aid.
- Tressa Rae Finerty (UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner): she stresses that young refugees need opportunities to learn and develop their talents.
- Li Chijiang (Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN in Geneva): he highlights the growing role of Chinese companies in global refugee governance.
What's next
- The partnership runs until 2029, with a cumulative target of 600,000 young people supported.
Further reading
Sources
- ANTA Group (PR Newswire) – ANTA Group and UNHCR launch a new three-year partnership to support 300,000 more forcibly displaced young people worldwide (official source)
- Le Temps – The United States attacks refugee protection, accusing the UN of overstepping its mandate
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