Frequently asked questions

The ICRC is funded by voluntary contributions.

We receive contributions from the States party to the Geneva Conventions (governments), national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, supranational organizations (such as the European Commission) and public and private sources. Governments are our main donors: on average during the past five years, they contributed about 82% of the budget. But contributions remain voluntary and there is no guarantee that such contributions will last into the long-term.

In 2023, the ICRC is appealing for 2.4 billion CHF. During the year, adjustments to this appeal are made in the form of budget extensions in response to unforeseen needs requiring increased humanitarian action.

Needs are growing every year, and 2023 sees an 19% increase in the operational budget we ask for so that we can continue to bring aid to people in the world's most challenging conflict hot spots.  We need more funds to help the increasing number of men, women and children around the world who find themselves caught in the crossfire of conflict.

The ICRC budget is calculated based on three factors: the humanitarian needs of the communities affected, our ability to deliver aid and protection to those communities, and a realistic assessment of what can actually be implemented.

Taken together these three factors have tended to produce highly accurate operational plans and budgets: during the last ten years, the ICRC has averaged around a 90% implementation rate of its projected budget. Our operational budget has been on the increase during the past few years. This year (2020), we have a budget that is almost 3% bigger than last year's.

The ICRC seeks to secure funding from a broad range of sources in order to have a strong financial foundation and preserve its operational independence. In addition to sustaining support from its traditional donor base, it is working to strengthen its engagement with new and emerging donor States, development actors and key areas of the private sector, in line with its resource mobilization strategy for 2020–2030.

ICRC expenditure is audited by an internationally-recognized firm employing stringent and recognized IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) accounting standards. We have set up a system of internal and external audits whereby all key financial figures and procedures are checked.

The external auditors' assessment is published every year and shared with donors. Funding and expenditure details are made public in the ICRC's Annual Report, with key indicators showing what we have achieved in the field.

Moreover, the ICRC has always been open to donors who wish to carry out their specific audits, whether in the field or at headquarters. This is part of our policy of being open with donors.

National Societies contribute to ICRC operations in several ways: for instance, by supporting health activities, providing staff or contributing to specific activities in a country. National Societies together support about 3% of the ICRC's operations.

In an emergency, timing is everything. The capacity to mobilize and deliver resources in the very early hours of a conflict can make all the difference for those in need. It is therefore vital that the ICRC have the ability to take operational – and financial – decisions during the first phase of the response. In order to do that, we must be able to pre-fund operations, by which we mean committing resources before any funding is explicitly available.

We are able to do this by using special funds that are not earmarked, which means they do not have to be used for a specific region, country or programme, thus giving us maximum flexibility in how we use them. We also use other funds that we have built up over 30 years, known in financial terms as 'reserves,' or 'equity'.

When urgent needs arise we will commit these reserves – which would cover a few months of ICRC operations - until donor funds for that emergency become available. It is this flexibility and this rapid response that enable the ICRC to make a real difference on the ground. Moreover, the reserves are important not only for pre-funding operations but also for covering deficits that we may face at the end of the year.

The ICRC only accepts funds from those who respect the ICRC's independence and impartiality of action. This means that contributions will be used to respond to humanitarian needs on the ground – as they are assessed by the ICRC. In other words, we will not accept donations that are very tightly earmarked and that would breach the principles of independence and impartiality. The ICRC welcomes financial support from any new donors.

That said, the ICRC's relations with its donors are not limited to financial matters. We also engage States on issues such as the protection of people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence and on the implementation of international humanitarian law.