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“Empathy can be more powerful than funding,” US actress and UNHCR goodwill ambassador Kristin Davis has told Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today.
Known for playing Charlotte in the world-renowned TV series Sex and the City, Davis has just returned from Sudan, where she met mostly female refugees who had fled violence and human rights abuses.
“Many told me stories of husbands being shot in front of them. They did nothing wrong — they’re just trying to keep their families alive,” she said describing millions of people on the run and in urgent need of humanitarian aid in a conflict with no end in sight.
Despite funding cuts though, Davis said the UNHCR continues to provide life-saving assistance and work to reunite families though the challenges remain immense.
“It was upsetting not being able to offer a hot meal to newly arrived refugees, but we did what we could,” she added, noting that even small acts of kindness can have a meaningful impact.
Late last year, the UN secretary general António Guterres warned the organisation is facing its most fragile cash position in years as major contributors like the United States and Russia had not yet paid what they owed.
The UN’s budget proposal for 2026 is set at$3.238 billion, a reduction of $577 million compared with 2025 and around 2,681 posts are set to be cut.
But Kristen Davis highlighted the generosity of host communities in neighbouring countries and their empathy. “Most refugees just want to go home,” she said, stressing that around 70% of displaced people remain in lower-income countries rather than reaching Europe or the United States.
On the broader regional context and the ongoing war in the Middle East, the celebrity warned of the long-term consequences of ongoing conflicts.
“Over a million people have already been displaced in Lebanon. It’s deeply disturbing, and I hope people find a way to de-escalate,” she added.
Watch the full interview on Europe Today from Monday to Friday at 8am on Euronews and across all platforms.
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