No Immediate US Threat To ICRC Funding

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) United States funding of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is not under immediate threat, according to its director Pierre Krähenbühl. This content was published on April 10, 2025 - 08:59 3 minutes Keystone-SDA

• Français fr Le financement américain du CICR est maintenu pour l'instant Original Read more: Le financement américain du CICR est maintenu pour l'instan

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However, the ICRC has taken preventive measures, including a hiring freeze.

The ICRC obtains US funding not through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been hit hard by US President Donald Trump's cost-cutting measures, but through the US State Department, Krähenbühl told Le Temps.“Historically, we have always enjoyed bipartisan support, Democrat and Republican”.

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“But we don't yet know what the current administration's intentions are for the future,” added the ICRC director.“The impact on our organisation of the loss of the American contribution would be significant”, as it represents 25% of the NGO's budget.

CHF50 million frozen

Even though no funding has been cut, the ICRC has taken“preventive measures to the tune of CHF50 million”, in particular by freezing new recruitments planned in the budget, said Krähenbühl. The organisation is also conducting a dialogue with the US authorities“focused on the real added value” of the organisation in armed conflicts.

The ICRC has also responded to the US government's questionnaire aimed at defining the relevance of its activities and the continuity of its funding.“Our primary objective is to protect civilians in war and the defence of humanitarian law”, said Krähenbühl.

More More Red Cross in black after 'drastic' cuts

This content was published on Dec 20, 2023 The Swiss-run ICRC, now in the black according to its president Mirjana Spoljaric, will cut a total of 4,000 jobs this year and next.

Read more: Red Cross in black after 'drastic' cut

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