Geneva, 12 December 2025 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched its Global Plan for 2026, outlining operational priorities as humanitarian needs worldwide reach unprecedented levels while funding continues to decline. The plan addresses urgent challenges, including more frequent climate-related disasters, protracted conflicts, rising displacement, health emergencies, and growing vulnerabilities. In many crises, IFRC staff and volunteers remain the only humanitarians on the ground as other actors scale down or withdraw.
IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain emphasized that despite shrinking funding and growing challenges, the IFRC network will continue to remain local and present in communities. He stressed that the organisation’s commitment to supporting people in need will not waver in 2026, even as other organisations reduce their presence.
The total funding requirement for 2026 is 3.4 billion Swiss francs. The plan prioritizes key areas such as disasters and crises, health and wellbeing, migration and displacement, climate and environment, values, power and inclusion, emergency appeals, and scaling special purpose funds including the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) and the National Society Investment Alliance.
A major focus of the plan is increasing support for locally led action. Seventy-five percent of all internationally mobilised resources will be directed to the national level, placing more expertise and resources closer to communities. The plan also aims to strengthen National Societies’ capacity to lead in emergencies, expand volunteer networks, and enhance accountability to affected communities.
The Global Plan builds on IFRC’s ongoing ‘Renewal’ process, a transformation initiative aimed at making the Secretariat more agile, locally led, efficient, impactful, and accountable. The process involves wide consultation with staff, National Societies, and partners to ensure the organisation adapts effectively to rising humanitarian needs.
Despite being the world’s largest humanitarian network with 191 National Societies, 17 million volunteers, and 289,000 local branches, the IFRC faces increasingly fragile operating environments. Rising humanitarian needs and risks to personnel remain critical concerns, with 57 Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers killed in the line of duty over the past two years. Protecting humanitarian personnel is a key priority for 2026.
The plan underscores the importance of investing in locally led response, which remains one of the most cost-effective and impactful approaches to address humanitarian needs. Flexible funding through Regular Resources will be particularly important in 2026, enabling locally led action, sustaining core services, and supporting National Societies on the frontlines.
Through the Global Plan 2026, the IFRC reaffirms its commitment to being local and present everywhere, ensuring communities receive trusted support when they need it most, and invites donors and partners to fund the plan to meet rising humanitarian demands.
