GENEVA – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will cut nearly one-fifth of its 2026 budget and slash 2,900 jobs amid a global humanitarian funding crisis, the organization announced Friday. The cuts come as donor countries, including the United States, reduce aid contributions and shift focus toward defense spending.
Financial Crisis of “Unprecedented Proportions”
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric called the situation a “financial crisis of unprecedented proportions,” warning that escalating armed conflicts and declining humanitarian funding are forcing the organization to make difficult decisions. The agency’s 2026 budget will fall to 1.8 billion Swiss francs ($2.2 billion), down 17% from this year.
The U.S. remains ICRC’s top donor but has reduced contributions under President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda. Other traditional backers, including the U.K. and Germany, have also cut funding.
Job Cuts and Operational Restructuring
The staff reductions amount to about 15% of ICRC’s global workforce of 18,500, including roughly 200 positions in Geneva, where the organization was founded in 1863. About a third of the cuts will be through voluntary departures or unfilled vacancies. Departments will also be merged to improve efficiency and prioritize aid.
Focus on Critical Conflict Zones
Despite budget cuts, the ICRC will maintain operations in key conflict zones, including Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Spoljaric emphasized the organization’s commitment to delivering humanitarian assistance where few others can operate.
“No amount of humanitarian funding can match the intensity, duration, and scale of today’s conflicts,” she said. “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.”
Growing Global Humanitarian Needs
The cuts arrive as global displacement and conflict reach record levels, with more than 130 active armed conflicts worldwide. Donor countries’ shift toward defense spending has left aid budgets under pressure, forcing humanitarian agencies to make difficult choices about where to deploy resources.
The ICRC, active in more than 90 countries, provides critical services such as support for civilians in conflict zones, visits to prisoners of war, and neutral mediation in war-torn regions.
