ANDThere is an invisible thread that links those who are warm in an Italian house to those who shiver in a tent in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. It is theempathy for the colda feeling so strong that 8 out of 10 Italians feel it when thinking about those who have no shelter and have to face the cold emergency. This is what the AstraRicerche study, commissioned by UNHCR, revealed today on the occasion of the launch of the “Stop the Frost” campaign, active from 26 January to 15 February. Campaign in which the actor also takes part Francesco Pannofino, with this video message.
Cold emergency for refugees and displaced people around the world
Cold is a trigger for humanitarian emergencies around the world. Right now, millions of refugees and displaced people surviving in emergency shelters, damaged homes or precarious housing are battling freezing temperatures. And they do it unarmed: without heating, electricity or resources. In contexts marked by conflicts or prolonged crises, frost is therefore not a seasonal difficulty as it is for us: it is a real danger, which puts the lives of the elderly and people with disabilities at risk. But above all childrenthe most vulnerable. For them the risk of hypothermia and respiratory diseases is higher, especially when the cold is combined with malnutrition and prolonged stress.
UNHCR’s Stop the Frost campaign
These risks are compounded by drastic cuts in humanitarian aid that are compromising UNHCR’s ability to provide life-saving aid. Hence the importance of taking up the appeal and responding to the emergency. From today until 15 February UNHCR is promoting the “Stop the Frost” campaign, with the aim of raising funds for providing essential aid during the winter to refugees and displaced people in 7 countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan and Moldova. The number to dial for donations, from landline or mobile, is 45588.
From Ukraine to Syria, the most serious humanitarian emergencies
In many crisis areas, winter arrives when resources are already at their limit. In Ukraine, 2.5 million homes have been destroyed or damaged, many families are facing sub-zero temperatures without electricity or heating due to attacks on energy infrastructure. 12.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
In Syriain 2025, 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their areas of origin, while 1.2 million refugees have returned from abroad, but find a devastated country, in which 1 in 3 homes is uninhabitable and essential services are reduced to a minimum. 16.5 million people need assistance, half of them are children.
In Afghanistan, at -25° in mud houses
Afghanistan faces an increasingly serious humanitarian crisis, including deterioration of human rights, collapsing services and natural disasters. In this context, returns – even forced ones – continue: in 2025, over 2.8 million people returned from Iran and Pakistan. Their condition is extremely difficult: many live in mud houses, only a minority in concrete houses, in a country where temperatures can drop to -25 degrees.
Francesco Pannofino’s appeal for Italian solidarity against the cold emergency
As Laura Iucci, Director of Fundraising for UNHCR Italy, explains, «Even a small contribution can make the difference: with 5 euros we can provide two blankets. And for a family on the run, a simple blanket means warmth, protection and the hope of getting through the night.”
The campaign relies on the empathetic solidarity of Italians revealed by the AstraRicerche study “Winter in the imagination and life of Italians”. 69.9% of those interviewed thought often (30.6%) or sometimes (39.3%) aboutimpact of frost on refugee people. The overall emotional closeness towards those who have no way to protect themselves from the cold is high, very or very much (46.1%), quite (38.3%). In total 84.4%.
With the funds raised, UNHCR will be able to continue providing aid to millions of refugees and displaced people in 7 countries. Among the interventions: supply of blankets and winter clothing, stoves and heating solutions, support for thermal insulation and housing repairs, direct economic assistance to cover essential expenses.
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