The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released its annual Emergency Watchlist Wednesday, highlighting the 20 countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023. This year, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan top the Watchlist, as East Africa faces the worst drought in decades and economic turmoil continues to compound needs in Afghanistan.
Each year, the IRC releases a list of the 20 humanitarian crises expected to worsen the most in the coming year. According to the analysis, the following ten countries are likely to face the worst humanitarian crises in 2023: (1) Somalia, (2) Ethiopia, (3) Afghanistan, (4) Democratic Republic of Congo, (5) Yemen, (6) Syria, (7) South Sudan, (8) Burkina Faso, (9) Haiti, (10) Ukraine. The list of 20 countries most affected by severe humanitarian crises also includes: Central African Republic, Chad, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, and Venezuela. None of these countries were ranked by the IRC.
The IRC analysis finds the safeguards designed to protect against humanitarian crises are being weakened and dismantled worldwide by three main accelerators: conflict, climate change and economic turmoil. The human and economic costs of these crises and disasters are not equally shared. While the twenty countries on the watchlist are home to 13% of the global population, they account for 90% of all those in humanitarian need and 81% of people who are forcibly displaced. The IRC also says Emergency Watchlist countries account for 100% of people facing catastrophic food insecurity.
The humanitarian organization calls for breaking the cycle of crisis, protecting civilians in conflict, and confronting shared global risks. “The nearly 340 million people who require aid in 2023 need more humanitarian funding for greater and better programs. But they also deserve more. They require a plan to break the cycle of runaway crises. This means new tools to protect people caught up in conflict, and a new commitment to confront - rather than compound - shared global risks”, David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said in a statement.
By the end of 2022, more than 103 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. In 2023, a record 339 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection – a significant increase from 274 million people at the beginning of 2022. According to the IRC analysis, 90% of those people in need are located in Watchlist countries.
Founded in 1933 with the aim of helping the politically persecuted, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest non-governmental organizations (NGO) focusing on the support of refugees worldwide. The NGO provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. Its international headquarters are based in the United States. The IRC helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive and rebuild their lives. The International Rescue Committee is currently working in over 40 countries.
Further information
Full text: Emergency Watchlist Report 2023, International Rescue Committee (IRC), released December 14, 2022
https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/CS2301_Watchlist%20Project_Report_Final.pdf
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