Update From: Michael Stone, President IFRC Alumni Association

Dear Alumni,

A series of important meetings has just ended in Geneva. From 21st - 31st October there has been the General Assembly, the Council of Delegates, and the International Conference of the Red Cross Red Crescent. The International Conference includes the 191 National Societies, IFRC, ICRC and the 196 States Party to the Geneva Conventions.

Below is an email from Jagan Chapagain, the Secretary General, outlining the Federation's Plan for 2025-26. This was presented to the General Assembly.

A very serious point made is that there is now in our world a hierarchy of pain. Death and suffering in one part of the world is a high-profile tragedy, in others it is minimised or ignored altogether.

This is a direct contradiction to all we stand for in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

There is also a reference to a wonderful statement from Mother Teresa: "None of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love"!

From: Office of the Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain, CEO

Dear Colleagues, 

I am happy to share with you that the IFRC’s 2025-2026 Plan and Budget was successfully approved by the General Assembly today. This important milestone reflects the dedication and collective effort of all of you, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your hard work and contribution. 

The Plan and Budget was formally presented to the membership yesterday, during my report to the General Assembly. The presentation - made by the Senior Leadership Team - included a detailed outline of our strategic priorities, enabling actions and financial allocations, and the key initiatives we aim to champion over the next two years.

My address to the General Assembly is available on Our IFRC. Both the Report and the Plan and Budget were well received by National Societies, approximately 75 of whom (either individually or collectively) made interventions during the plenary session this morning.

During these interventions, several key themes emerged: 

• A strong call for unity and solidarity across our membership.
• A demand for authorities to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and our Fundamental Principles, and to safeguard access for humanitarians, ensuring that no one is instrumentalised.
• A focus on investment in localisation, National Society Development, youth, leadership, volunteers and staff.
• A positive reception of the ‘back to basics’ approach, focusing on our core mandates.
• Support for enhanced accountability measures and a strengthened emphasis on safeguarding.
• A clear priority to leverage the power of our Network.
• The importance of being a data-driven, learning organisation was also highlighted.

This feedback underlines the importance of our collective work and the path we are on. I look forward to seeing the impact we will continue to make together. 

Thank you again for your hard work.

With my best regards,  

Jagan Chapagain Secretary General, CEO

Read more about the Red Cross and Red Crescent meetings at the Devex website, here.