Red Cross and Red Crescent cuts aid appeal despite surging global crises

GENEVA, Dec 12 - The world's largest humanitarian network said on Friday it has appealed for 400 million Swiss francs ($502.64 million) less from global donors next year, due to ‍shrinking ​global aid funding, despite unprecedented levels of need.

The International Federation ‍of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is asking for 3.4 billion Swiss francs ($4.27 billion), while last ​year ​it asked for 3.8 billion Swiss francs ($4.78 billion) to help people impacted by conflict and climate-related crises and natural disasters. 

Aid groups and United Nations agencies are having to drastically ‍scale back operations following major aid cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump as well as ​other top Western donors such as Germany ⁠this year.

"Humanitarian needs are rising, challenges are growing and funding is shrinking," said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain in a statement.  

The IFRC will put the lion's share of its spending into locally led responses which ​it said will bring expertise closer to communities that  need it. The IFRC said it remains the world's ‌largest humanitarian network with 191 National Societies, ​17 million volunteers and 289,000 local branches.

Earlier in December, the IFRC said it would stop its part in supporting the Ocean Viking, a migrant rescue ship run with SOS Mediterranee in the central Mediterranean, because of funding shortfalls.

Protecting humanitarian workers whose lives are increasingly at risk is a key priority for next year, the IFRC stated. Fifty-seven Red Cross and Red Crescent ‍staff and volunteers were killed in the past two years, it said.

The Norwegian Refugee ​Council, a major NGO operating in dozens of humanitarian crises, including Gaza and Sudan, warned this month ​that funding limits would stretch humanitarian responses. That followed an announcement ‌by the U.N. aid chief, Tom Fletcher, of a large scale-back in operations due to shrinking funding. REUTERS