Red Cross to Cut Nearly 3,000 Jobs Due to Reduced Aid Funding

Author: Vera Rousseff

November 25, 2025

HRRC is deeply concerned by the recent decline in international funding for humanitarian aid, which has forced the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to reduce its budget and downsize its workforce. As humanitarian needs intensify around the world, we urge donor countries to increase their aid contributions.

A Red Cross vehicle operates in an area within the so-called "yellow line" to which Israeli troops withdrew under the ceasefire. [Image credit: Dawoud Abu Alk/Reuters]

On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced plans to significantly reduce its annual budget and workforce in 2026. The annual budget will be cut by 17%—a nearly one-fifth reduction from 2025—and approximately 2,900 positions across the organization will be eliminated. The cuts come as international donors reduce humanitarian aid funding despite the increasing number of conflicts around the world.

“Today, 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 (IHL),” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric in a statement. The United States, traditionally one of the largest funders of humanitarian aid, has dramatically cut its contributions under President Donald Trump. Other top donor countries, such as the UK and Germany, have followed suit by reducing aid funding and allocating more resources to defense.

In response to the budget cuts, the ICRC will prioritize support for the most severe humanitarian crises, such as those currently unfolding in Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Palestine. “The ICRC remains committed to working on the front lines of conflict, where few others can operate,” said President Spoljaric. “But 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 ICRC was established in 1863 to ensure assistance and protection for victims of armed conflict around the world. Today, it operates in more than 90 countries, providing basic humanitarian aid, visiting prisoners of war, serving as a neutral intermediary, and advocating for human rights and humanitarian law. Last month, the ICRC oversaw the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas as part of the October 10 ceasefire agreement.

The restructuring of the ICRC is the latest sign of a worsening crisis in the humanitarian aid sector. Earlier this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), warned that 11.6 million people are at risk of losing humanitarian aid due to a severe shortfall in the organization’s global funding requirements. Even before the recent decline in funding, humanitarian needs were already exceeding available resources. 

According to President Spoljaric, countries must fundamentally change the way they manage international crises—even an increase in funding will not be sufficient to meet today’s humanitarian needs. She argues, “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.”

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Glossary

• Aid funding: money given by countries or organizations to help people in need, especially during crises.

• Alleviate: make pain, suffering, or a difficult situation less severe or easier to handle.

• Allocating: deciding how to share or distribute resources such as money, time, or supplies.

• Annual budget: the total amount of money an organization plans to spend in one year.

• Ceasefire: an agreement between sides in a conflict to stop fighting for a period of time.

• Convergence: the coming together of different events, problems, or situations at the same time.

• Downsize: to reduce the number of workers or the size of an organization.

• Escalating: increasing or becoming more intense.

• Grave breaches: very serious violations of rules or laws, especially in war.

• Humanitarian aid: help given to people suffering from emergencies such as war, natural disasters, or poverty.

• International humanitarian law (IHL): a set of rules that aim to limit suffering during war by protecting civilians and prisoners.

• Neutral intermediary: a person or organization that helps communication or negotiation between opposing sides without taking sides.

• Restructuring: changing the way an organization is organized or operated.

• Shortfall: a situation where there is not enough money or resources.

• Systemic: affecting an entire system, not just one part.

• Workforce: the group of people who work for an organization.