Algiers, 21 May 2025. The signing of the Operational Framework Agreement (OFA) between the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) represents a strategic milestone in advancing partnerships for principled, scalable and long-term solutions in fragile and conflict-affected settings. It reflects a shared vision to address compounded crises particularly in contexts where operational access and sustainable financing are both limited and essential.

Building on a collaboration initiated in 2017 and formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019, the OFA establishes a structured platform for operational and financial collaboration. It seeks to enhance the complementarity between the ICRC’s humanitarian mandate and field presence, and IsDB’s role as a multilateral development bank focused on recovery and resilience-building.

The OFA is aligned with the findings of the 2025 Resilience Report, jointly launched by IsDB and ICRC on 20 May 2025. The report underscores the need for integrated responses to the compounding effects of conflict, climate change and fragility. It also highlights the importance of inclusive and collaborative approaches across humanitarian, development, state and community actors to ensure sustainable impact in these complex environments.

The ICRC–IsDB partnership has pioneered delivering impact in high-risk contexts. IsDB’s early grant financing in countries such as Sudan and Afghanistan has not only enabled rapid humanitarian response but has also mobilized broader engagement by other development partners. This approach, linking early action with longer-term investments, offers a blueprint for a catalytic funding model the OFA is designed to reinforce.

The road-tested ICRC-IsDB collaboration in contexts such as the Sahel, the Horn of Africa or Yemen illustrates how early, context-specific action can mitigate risk and limit the impact of foreseeable shocks. Activities such as climate-resilient infrastructure investments, livelihood protection and anticipatory measures have proven effective, even in contested environments. In all contexts, the protection of civilians and essential infrastructure - facilitated through respect for international humanitarian law - remains a core enabler of sustained resilience.

The Agreement provides a framework for collaboration between the two institutions to drive joint action in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where their mandates are complementary. It aims to support multi-year, conflict-sensitive, and climate-resilient programming, while also strengthening coordination between ICRC delegations and IsDB regional hubs. In addition, the partnership will focus on developing initiatives under the Tadamon platform and other fit-for-purpose financing mechanisms, and on reinforcing local response capacity as well as protecting critical civilian infrastructure and essential services.

The OFA serves not only as a framework but also allows both institutions to develop a platform for more coherent and holistic responses, supporting systemic resilience, continuity of essential services and more predictable engagement where the needs are greatest.