The International Committee of the Red Cross will cut its budget by 17 percent to $2.23 billion in 2026 and cut 2,900 jobs. The organization is taking these drastic steps as a result of donors shifting their funding to the defense sector.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will cut its budget by 17 percent to $2.23 billion in 2026 and cut 2,900 jobs, it said in a statement Friday. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
- The ICRC will reduce its budget by 17 percent to $2.23 billion.
- The organization will eliminate 2,900 jobs, which is 15 percent of the workforce.
- Aid budgets are falling, donors are shifting funding to defense.
- ICRC remains active in conflicts to provide critical assistance.
- The Red Cross operates in 90 countries.
Aid budgets are shrinking as donors shift their funding to defence. This forces humanitarian organizations to make difficult decisions about providing aid in the midst of conflict and record numbers of displaced people. The United States, in particular, as the largest global contributor, is reassessing its foreign aid programs.
ICRC: The financial situation forces us to make difficult decisions
“MVČK remains determined to work in the front lines of conflicts, where few other organizations can operate,” said its president, Mirjana Špoljarićová Eggerová, after the assembly session. “However, the financial situation forces us to make difficult decisions in order to continue to provide critical humanitarian assistance to those who need it most,” she stressed.
The reduction in the number of jobs represents approximately 15 percent of the ICRC’s 18,500 employees and follows austerity measures from 2023. In a third of the cases, it will be a voluntary departure without re-occupation, the opinion states.
The Geneva-based humanitarian organization operates in more than 90 countries and, as part of its activities, provides, for example, basic humanitarian aid or visits to prisoners of war.
