Geneva, 12 December 2025 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has today launched a summary of its Global Plan for 2026, outlining the organisation’s operational priorities for the coming year as humanitarian needs reach unprecedented levels – while funding for humanitarian action continues to shrink.
The plan highlights the urgent challenges facing communities worldwide, from more frequent climate-related disasters to protracted conflicts, rising displacement, health emergencies and growing vulnerabilities. In many crises, IFRC, Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers are increasingly the only humanitarians still present as other actors scale down or leave.
“Humanitarian needs are rising, challenges are growing and funding is shrinking. Many organisations have to leave communities just when they are needed most. Not us,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain. “The IFRC network is local, everywhere, and in 2026, that is not going to change.”
A 3.4 billion CHF plan focused on protecting people most at risk
The IFRC network’s total funding requirement for 2026 is 3.4 billion Swiss francs (a breakdown is available in the Global Plan summary document). Some of the key areas of IFRC investment include:
• Disasters and crises
• Health and wellbeing
• Migration and displacement
• Climate and environment
• Values, power and inclusion
• Emergency appeals
• Scaling special purpose funds including the IFRC DREF (Disaster Response Emergency Fund) and the National Society Investment Alliance.
Increased support for locally led action
Under the Global Plan, the IFRC will channel 75 percent of all internationally mobilised resources to the national level, placing more people and expertise closer to communities. It will strengthen National Societies’ ability to lead in emergencies, expand volunteer networks and deepen accountability to affected communities.
The plan builds on IFRC’s ongoing ‘Renewal’ process, a transformation started by the IFRC Secretary General to make the IFRC Secretariat more agile, locally led, impactful, efficient and accountable, with wide consultation amongst staff, National Societies and Partners.
Doing things differently with less
With 191 National Societies, 17 million volunteers and 289,000 local branches, the IFRC remains the world’s largest humanitarian network. Yet the context in which it operates is becoming more fragile, with rising humanitarian needs and risks to humanitarian personnel. Fifty-seven Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been killed in the line of duty in the past two years. Protecting humanitarian personnel to deliver effectively on our mandate is a key priority for the IFRC in 2026.
A call to invest in proven and cost-effective local action
Investment in locally led response remains one of the most cost efficient and high impact ways to address humanitarian needs. Regular Resources, the IFRC’s unearmarked funding, will be especially important in 2026, providing the flexible resources needed to anchor locally led action, sustain core services and support National Societies on the frontlines of rising humanitarian needs.
With the Global Plan 2026, the IFRC renews its commitment to being local, everywhere, ensuring that communities have trusted support close to home when it matters most – and we invite our donors and partners to fund the Plan.
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