The United Nations refugee agency has said it is taking a string of temporary measures as it faces "funding uncertainty" following a US decision to freeze virtually all foreign aid.
"We have taken note of the decision by the new US administration to pause allocation of funds to foreign assistance programmes," a UNHCR spokesperson said.
"While we are still assessing the impact of the new US administration's decision, including possible exceptions, we are implementing a series of temporary precautionary measures to mitigate the impact of this funding uncertainty."
President Donald Trump - on returning to office last week - ordered a 90-day pause to review assistance by the United States, the world's largest foreign aid donor in dollar terms.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed up by freezing virtually all funding, though he specified exemptions for emergency food, as well as military assistance to Israel and Egypt.
In a follow-up memo, after an outcry from aid groups, Mr Rubio clarified that other "humanitarian assistance" besides food would also be exempt during the review period.
The UNHCR said it did not yet have "specific information" about how the Trump administration's decision would impact the agency, which has long counted the United States as by far its biggest donor.
In 2024, the United States contributed $2.05 billion to the UNHCR's total budget of over $10.6bn.
The spokesperson said the precautionary measures being implemented "touch upon travel, workshops, supply procurement and the hiring of new colleagues".
The UNHCR noted that it had "worked closely with the United States for decades".
"We are looking forward to engaging actively and constructively with the US government as a trusted partner," the spokesperson said.
"Our focus is to maximise the impact, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency of our operations around the globe, with the aim of saving lives, protecting families fleeing war and persecution, fostering stability in unstable places, advancing self-reliance, and reducing dependency on humanitarian aid."
UNHCR is not the only UN agency feeling the burn.
The World Health Organization said last week that it was reviewing its priorities after President Trump ordered the full withdrawal of the US, traditionally the agency's largest donor.
The WHO was "freezing recruitment, except in the most critical areas" and was dramatically cutting back on travel expenditures, the organisation's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a letter to staff last week.
Mr Tedros said the UN health agency hoped the new administration in Washington would reconsider its decision, noting that it was open to dialogue on preserving the relationship.
