The International Committee of the Red Cross will reduce its 2026 budget by nearly a fifth to 1.8 billion Swiss francs ($2.2bn) and cut 2,900 jobs, it said in a statement yesterday, as its top donor the US and others pare back support.
Aid budgets face a huge shortfall as donors shift their focus towards defence, forcing humanitarians to make difficult decisions about whom to help amid multiple conflicts and record displacement.
At the same time, the top global aid contributor, the US, is overhauling its foreign assistance programmes under President Donald Trump as he prioritises ‘America First’ policies.
The job cuts amount to about 15 per cent of the ICRC’s global staff of 18,500.
The Red Cross, which already underwent belt-tightening in 2023, described to Reuters the situation facing the sector as a “financial crisis of unprecedented proportions”.
The US remains the organisation’s top contributor, a spokesperson confirmed, but has reduced its support this year, as have other traditional donors such as Britain and Germany.
The measures, which also include the merging of departments, are designed to improve efficiency and prioritise the organisation’s work in helping those in conflict zones, the statement said.
It would remain present in places such as Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and the occupied territories and Congo despite the reduced budget, it added.
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