2023-09-11 11:00:00
The initial planned 2024 budget represents a 13% decrease from the revised 2023 budget. ICRC delegations will be less able to assist people in need as operational budgets and staff have had to be reduced. The ICRC is extremely concerned about the consequences that this reduction in humanitarian assistance will have on people living in the midst of armed conflicts and other situations of violence. Therefore, we are working to reduce costs, generate organizational efficiency and optimize the use of resources to fulfill our main tasks.
The ICRC has calculated its budget for 2024 within the framework of a trend towards decreasing budgets for humanitarian aid, even though the needs for this aid are higher than ever, as shown by the armed conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and the Sahel region. The ICRC already had a difficult financial year in 2023, which led to job losses and the closure or downsizing of some structures.
Adapting to this economic reality will unfortunately involve further significant staff reductions in some structures. The full impact on our offices around the world will be known in November, when our teams have completed the process of defining the budget for 2024. At our headquarters in Geneva, approximately 270 positions will be eliminated from the current 1,400 employees. . This is a difficult time for valued employees, and we are working to support those affected by these measures.
We count on the support of our donors to fulfill our critical humanitarian mission, and we are particularly grateful to those who increased the funds allocated to our institution in 2023, despite the complex fiscal context. The ICRC continues to need your voluntary contributions to provide vital protection and assistance in areas of armed conflict.
In 2024, the ICRC will implement a deliberate global strategy to prioritize areas where it has unique added value, expertise and access as a neutral humanitarian organization. We will also work to optimize our processes and structure to provide more efficient services to people in need.
With this clear vision, our overall objective is to ensure that the ICRC reaches people in areas close to the front lines, where other organizations are not present; provide protection services, for example our activities in places of detention and restoring contact between family members separated by armed conflict; fulfill our role as a neutral intermediary; and promote respect for international humanitarian law to reduce the human cost of war.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mission established in the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people affected by armed conflicts and other situations of violence around the world, doing everything possible to protect their lives and dignity, and to alleviate their suffering, often together with their Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
Media Contacts:
Ewan Watson, ICRC, Geneva, tel. [email protected]
Crystal Wells, CICR, Ginebra, tel.: +41 79 642 80 56, [email protected]
Fatima Sator, ICRC, Geneva, tel.: +41 79 848 4908, [email protected]
Christoph Hanger, CICR, Ginebra, tel.: + 41 77 260 26 79, [email protected]
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