The International Committee of the Red Cross, based in Geneva, relies on the Swiss state. Objective: find the 400 million euros it lacks to complete its 2023 budget and avoid further job cuts.
With our correspondent in Geneva, Jeremiah Lance
First humanitarian organization in the world, the ICRC (different from the national Red Cross) is hyper-demanded by the war in Ukraine and the multiple crises around the world. He no longer knows how to carry out his mission and he has already announced layoffs and the closure of around twenty missions.
With more than 160 million francs per year (about the same in euros), Switzerland is only the third contributor to the Red Cross behind the United States and Germany. Except that abroad, the image of the humanitarian organization almost merges with that of the country where it was born. The Red Cross reducing its activities is as if Switzerland were withdrawing from the field. Ewan Watson, spokesperson for the Red Cross, confirms that discussions are underway with the Swiss government to top up the budget:
“ We are in contact with all our main donors. Of course Switzerland is one, France, the United States, Germany. We are maintaining a solid budget for this year because the humanitarian needs on the ground are still enormous. »
The war in Ukraine has siphoned off much of the Red Cross spending. But the organization explains that the slump is also due to the exhaustion of donors combined with inflation. Internally, several employees dissatisfied with the strategic choices of management also denounce a budgetary drift that began years ago. At least 1,800 positions out of the approximately 23,000 at the Red Cross will have to be cut.