Red Cross Faces Critical Budget Cut and Staff Reductions as Global Humanitarian Funding Declines

Switzerland:

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced on Friday a significant 17 percent reduction in its 2026 budget due to declining donations, resulting in the elimination of thousands of positions worldwide.

Citing "a challenging financial environment in the humanitarian sector," the ICRC has approved a 2026 budget of 1.8 billion Swiss francs ($2.2 billion), representing a 17 percent decrease compared to current funding levels.

The organization emphasized that these cuts come at a critical time when global conflicts and humanitarian needs are dramatically increasing.

"We face a dangerous convergence of escalating armed conflicts, significant cuts to aid funding and a systemic tolerance for grave breaches of international humanitarian law," stated ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric.

While reaffirming the ICRC's commitment to "working on the front lines of conflict, where few others can operate," Spoljaric acknowledged that "the financial reality is forcing us to make difficult decisions to ensure we can continue to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to those who need it most."

The budget reduction will necessitate cutting approximately 2,900 full-time equivalent positions globally from the organization's current workforce of over 18,000 personnel.

This announcement comes amid a severe global crisis in international aid funding. Since President Donald Trump's return to office, the United States, traditionally the world's largest donor, has dramatically reduced foreign aid allocations.

Simultaneously, other major donor nations have been reducing humanitarian budgets while increasing defense spending amidst growing geopolitical tensions.

"As defense budgets surge, states must also put more effort and resources into preventing conflicts, defending the rules of war and providing humanitarian relief," Spoljaric urged, warning that "failure to do so risks a world of ever more and greater suffering."

The ICRC noted that even before the current financial crisis, humanitarian needs were already exceeding available resources, pointing to more than 130 active armed conflicts worldwide.

With its diminishing budget, the ICRC stated it would prioritize maintaining operations in the most critical conflict zones, including Sudan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"No amount of humanitarian funding can match the intensity, duration and scale of today's conflicts," Spoljaric emphasized.

"We need urgent action from states to prevent and resolve conflicts, uphold international humanitarian law and ensure that humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC can continue to save lives and alleviate suffering."