Finland’s chairmanship of ICRC Donor Support Group to culminate with annual meeting in Helsinki

Finland’s chairmanship of the Donor Support Group of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will culminate with the annual meeting in Helsinki on 11–12 June 2025. Finland has co-chaired the ICRC Donor Support Group (DSG) with the ICRC since June 2024. The June annual meeting will discuss challenges to humanitarian access.

Heads of humanitarian assistance from various countries will convene at the DSG annual meeting in Helsinki to discuss the ICRC’s humanitarian efforts and how the countries can better support the organisation’s work. The June annual meeting will also discuss challenges that impede humanitarian action.

Humanitarian work is becoming increasingly dangerous and humanitarian actors, including the ICRC, are challenged more than before. The financial situation is difficult at the same time as humanitarian needs are at an unprecedented level.

Director-General of the ICRC Pierre Krähenbühl will co-chair the Donor Support Group meeting with Director General of the Department for Development Policy Juha Savolainen from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

President of the ICRC Mirjana Spoljaric Egger will deliver a keynote address followed by discussions with the Donor Support Group on Thursday.

While in Helsinki, Ms. Spoljaric will also meet Minister of Defence, Antti Häkkänen, and other representatives of the Finnish government.

The ICRC Donor Support Group consists of the organisation’s 24 largest government and institutional donors. During its chairpersonship, Finland has emphasised help for the most vulnerable people, their participation in the planning of aid, and taking people with disabilities into account in humanitarian assistance. People with disabilities may often be left without help unless they are specifically taken into account.

The ICRC is Finland’s key partner for humanitarian assistance and a major channel for humanitarian assistance globally. The ICRC operates especially in conflict areas and helps people affected by conflict. The ICRC has a special role to play in promoting the Geneva Conventions and the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The ICRC’s key principles are impartiality and independence, which enable the ICRC to engage in dialogue with the different parties to the conflict, visit those imprisoned during the conflict and provide assistance to all people in distress.