The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced a major budget reduction and a plan to lay off approximately 2,900 staff members. This move, described as the most significant in decades, comes in response to declining financial support from key international donors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric stated that the organization’s budget would decrease to just $2.2 billion in 2026, nearly a fifth less than its current size. She emphasized that the world is witnessing a “dangerous convergence of escalating armed conflicts, declining funding, and systematic tolerance of grave violations of international humanitarian law.”
Observers attribute this crisis to political shifts in major countries, particularly the United States, which has realigned its foreign policy priorities under an “America First” approach. This shift has impacted its contributions to humanitarian organizations. Several traditional European donor nations have followed suit, leading to an unprecedented funding gap.
The Red Cross plan includes reducing its workforce of 18,500 by approximately 15%, including around 200 positions at its headquarters in Geneva. The organization indicated that some reductions will be achieved through voluntary departures, attrition, and consolidation of departments, along with administrative restructuring.
Despite these measures, the ICRC affirmed its commitment to maintaining its presence in conflict zones such as Sudan, Ukraine, the Palestinian Territories, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization stressed that its field presence remains central to its humanitarian mission. Recently, the ICRC played a prominent role in prisoner exchanges between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza. Experts believe the Red Cross crisis reflects a broader reality facing humanitarian organizations amid changing global priorities.
