ICRC fears unprecedented deficit amid Ukraine war

Of the ICRC's ten most important operations, all except Ukraine are underfunded. Keystone / Lefteris Pitarakis

The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is facing a big funding gap this year. Unless donors step up, it might have to cut its operations, ICRC director Robert Mardini has told Swiss media.

The ICRC’s planned budget of CHF2.79 billion ($2.99 billion) could face a shortfall of up to CHF700 million in 2023, Mardini told Le Temps newspaper on Tuesday. “If this is confirmed, we will no longer have the means to help people in the places most difficult to reach, where our presence is most important,” he said.

This situation is not unique to the ICRC. “There are obviously fewer donations for humanitarian aid in general,” Mardini told Swiss public radio RTS, but the trend is becoming more pronounced with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Communities affected by other crises are also being forgotten, he said.  

Of the 10 most important operations of the ICRC, which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, only Ukraine has a positive funding outlook. All other operations (Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria) are underfunded, Mardini told RTS.

“Today we are sounding the alarm for those communities that are hardest hit by the combined effects of conflict, climate change, the consequences of Covid-19 and the overall consequences of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” said the ICRC director-general. “These communities can no longer make ends meet and our response must be increased to help meet their basic needs.”