The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is planning to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,500 employees globally. The move comes as the organisation anticipates a decrease in the budget for humanitarian aid. The ICRC’s governing board has given its approval for cost-cutting measures amounting to $475.30 million for 2023 and early 2024.
As part of this plan, the organisation will also close around 20 of its current 350 locations worldwide, where other ICRC offices or partner organisations can cover the area. Additionally, the ICRC will be decreasing and shutting down some of its programs and initiatives as well.
According to the ICRC, a few of the promised donations from the end of the year were not received as expected, and the costs during the last quarter of 2022 were higher than anticipated. Originally, the organisation had requested 2.8 billion Swiss francs from donors for its operations this year, but this was later lowered to 2 billion Swiss francs. Unfortunately, the ICRC began the new year with a deficit due to these circumstances.
The organisation has announced that it’s shifting its primary focus and efforts more strategically on programs and locations where they can make the most significant impact. It also mentioned that it plans to reduce the number of people affected by implementing a hiring freeze and cutting down on positions.
The ICRC currently has approximately 20,000 employees stationed in 100 countries. In the previous month, the ICRC had warned of a significant budget deficit for 2023 that may result in reductions.
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