"The record budget is required to meet the needs and fit our response to the changing nature of armed conflict. We are witnessing new kinds of crises, in new combinations, often with a regional dimension. Gaining access and proximity to ever greater numbers of people in need while coping with increasingly severe security constraints is a fundamental challenge for us," Maurer said.
Maurer stated that Red Cross's budget for the coming year includes 1.38 billion Swiss francs for field operations and 194.4 million francs for support provided by the organization's headquarters in Geneva.
According to the ICRC president, there are three main priorities for the committee for the coming year: increasing response to health needs, consolidating and reinforcing the organization's approach to addressing the humanitarian needs of detainees and strengthening response to sexual violence in places such as Central African Republic, Central America, Lebanon, Mali, South Sudan, Colombia and Democratic Republic of Congo.