The Red Cross has to cut 1,500 jobs worldwide

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has to cut about 1,500 jobs this year because of financial bottlenecks. The humanitarian organization announced in Geneva on Tuesday that at least 20 of its 350 bases would have to be closed.

Because of the budgetary problems, the ICRC wants to concentrate more on core tasks. This includes aid in conflict areas and the promotion of international humanitarian law, which prescribes rules for warfare and the protection of civilians. The governing body of the ICRC had already approved CHF 430 million global cost savings on March 30.

Many reasons for the financial bottlenecks

“We face multiple challenges this year,” the organization said. The reasons for the financial bottlenecks were some promised donations that did not arrive and the high costs due to inflation. Therefore, the Red Cross took over a deficit of about 140 million Swiss francs from last year. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to receive government donations that are not earmarked and freely available.

According to the ICRC, it needs CHF 2.8 billion for 2023. That is only 0.3 percent more than a year earlier, although aid activities had to be expanded in 2022 because of the escalating war in Ukraine, it said.

Currently, about 20,000 people work for the ICRC. The organization wants to absorb the job losses mainly through natural turnover and a vacancy freeze.

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