La Caixa's 20-Year Refugee Partnership Cut Child Mortality 12%, Offers Model Amid Funding Crisis

A panel at a Devex event during United Nations General Assembly week spotlighted a rare two-decade alliance between one of Europe's largest foundations and the U.N. refugee agency — and made the case that patient, trust-based philanthropy can deliver results that short-term grant cycles cannot. With UNHCR only 32% funded and the global humanitarian system shrinking by 40%, the discussion doubled as a warning: the old model of aid delivery is breaking down, and the sector needs new approaches fast.

• La Caixa Foundation's nutrition program in Ethiopia reduced child mortality by 12% and reached more than 2 million refugees over a 20-year UNHCR partnership
• UNHCR unveils "50 by 35" strategy to halve the number of refugees dependent on humanitarian aid within a decade
• Spanish citizens are now the world's largest individual donor base to UNHCR — not per capita, but in absolute terms
• When funding was slashed, Ethiopian refugee communities kept going — continuing nutrition screening and health referrals on their own
• UNHCR pursuing water-company partnerships and a new dam at Kenya's Kakuma settlement to connect refugees to supply chains

Why it matters: At a time when most philanthropic grants run three to five years, La Caixa Foundation's 20-year partnership with UNHCR on refugee nutrition in Ethiopia offers a concrete, evidence-backed model for what long-term, flexible funding can accomplish — and why the humanitarian sector may need more of it.