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

By Olivia ‌Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - 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.

($1 = 0.7958 Swiss franc)

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; Editing by Matthew Lewis)