International Rescue Committee

Six months ago, our 2026 Emergency Watchlist Report identified the 20 countries at greatest risk of worsening humanitarian crises this year. At the time, 117 million people were forcibly displaced, nearly 40 million faced catastrophic hunger requiring urgent action to save their lives, and more conflicts underway than at any point since the Second World War. Since then, those crises have accelerated. The Iran war is the clearest example of how modern crises now cascade rapidly across economies, supply chains, and aid operations far beyond the immediate conflict zone — and of the widening gap between the cost of conflict and the resources available to respond to it. The first two months of U.S. strikes on Iran are estimated to have cost $25 billion: five times the cost of treating every child suffering from acute malnutrition worldwide. The Ebola outbreak now spreading through eastern DRC is another testament to the New World Disorder —  a viral infection aggravated by the toxic mix of conflict, displacement, and the devastating impact of aid cuts that have collapsed global health spending to a 15-year low. In the Midyear Watchlist Update, the IRC identifies five interconnected shocks driving global disorder— a world with more crises and fewer means to contain them. Explore the full report ⬇️

“Little by little, I realized that I had to keep going. For my baby.” For Belkis, a 42-year-old Venezuelan mother, the journey to Colombia was marked by violence, abandonment and uncertainty. Pregnant and separated from her children, she faced a system where adequate maternal care felt out of reach. She is not alone. Over 1.7 million Venezuelans have sought refuge in Colombia, with women and children facing heightened risks of exploitation, gender-based violence, and a lack of critical healthcare. The IRC, through collaboration with the EU in Emergencies, provides comprehensive support to Venezuelans who have fled their country. To date, IRC health teams in Colombia have reached over 2,800 people, including 255 pregnant women who previously had zero access to prenatal care. Through her community network and the IRC center, Belkis was able to access essential maternal care, psychological and financial counseling, as well as legal support to help her reunite with her children. For migrants who face unequal access to local health systems, this intergrated support fills a critical gap. “I feel calmer, more hopeful,” she says. “Now I attend my medical checkups, continue my psychological sessions, and I know my baby is healthy.”

Gaza may have faded from the headlines, but the crisis is far from over. Amid soaring temperatures, families are living in increasingly horrifying conditions. Collapsed sanitation systems, extreme overcrowding, and widespread rodent and insect infestations are all exposing civilians to disease and further suffering. Working alongside local partners, our teams are delivering clean water, malnutrition treatment, early childhood development, and mental health support. But without all border crossings open, critical medical equipment, hygiene supplies and shelter materials cannot reach everyone who needs them.

Bangladesh is battling one of its most serious measles outbreaks in decades, with over 57,000 suspected cases, 81% of them children under 5. Cases have been confirmed across all 64 districts, and at least 400 people are expected to have died. The IRC has launched an emergency vaccination campaign in Cox's Bazar, where Rohingya refugees are particularly vulnerable to infection due to overcrowded conditions and limited access to health services. So far, our staff have vaccinated 20,000 children across five camps. Community health workers are also conducting household-level outreach across both Rohingya and Bangladeshi host communities, supporting parents and caregivers to identify early symptoms and understand when to seek care. But the outbreak is a warning sign of a pattern playing out across multiple settings, where access to routine health services has been repeatedly disrupted, creating the conditions to allow preventable diseases to take hold. International funding must be urgently scaled up to enable sustained investment in primary healthcare and immunization infrastructure.

Right now, more than 400 million children living in or fleeing conflict zones risk losing access to safe learning, emotional support, and opportunities to play. But play is one of the most powerful tools children have to learn, heal, and build resilience, and we're committed to making sure children in crisis can access it. Since 2019, the IRC and The LEGO Foundation have been bringing play-based learning to children affected by conflict and crisis, reaching more than 7 million children across 12 countries. Now, a renewed $97 million, five-year partnership will help us reach 5 million children across East Africa and the Middle East—embedding proven early learning approaches into national systems that already serve children and families, so the impact lasts. Click through to see how the IRC is partnering with The LEGO Foundation to reach millions of children 👉

Right now, there are three warning signs that this Ebola outbreak could be particularly difficult to contain. 1. The outbreak is spreading faster than the response. 2. Conflict and displacement are accelerating the risk of regional spread. 3. Severe global aid cuts have weakened frontline health systems and outbreak preparedness across eastern DRC.   The bottom line? This could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record without urgent international action. More in the International Rescue Committee's Flash Alert: https://lnkd.in/ejz3Kqrz

The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading faster than the response, and could become the deadliest on record without urgent international action. Over 900 suspected cases and at least 223 deaths have been reported across the DRC and Uganda, including in major transport hubs like Goma and Kampala. Aid cuts have weakened the DRC's health system, and conflict is further increasing the risk of spillover across the region. “The lesson from every previous outbreak is clear: delays cost lives,” says Bob Kitchen, the IRC's Vice President for Emergencies. "The risks are growing and the resources are shrinking; that is the brutal arithmetic facing global aid today." Our new flash report identifies three warning signs that this outbreak could be particularly difficult to contain—as well as the urgent steps governments, donors, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations must take to support frontline responders and affected communities ⬇️

Martin arrived in Uganda as a refugee from South Sudan. Today, he is a community health volunteer who knocked on doors to contain a measles outbreak, reaching over 1,000 of his neighbors. His work is part of a larger effort in the Palabek settlement of Uganda, which is home to over 97,000 refugees. The pressure on local health infrastructure has been immense, and a single untreated case of measles or mpox can become a neighborhood-wide emergency within days. To address this, with support from the EU in Emergencies, the IRC trained 148 volunteers and local leaders to spot and stop outbreaks early. When a new mpox outbreak hit the settlement, the community was ready. More than 5,000 people were reached, and no deaths were recorded during this period. Martin knows the secret to success: trust. When one of his task force stands up at a community gathering to explain what mpox looks like and how to prevent it, people listen—because these are not strangers—they are community members who have been through the same things.

This week at the 79th World Health Assembly, and as an Ebola outbreak spreads, the IRC is calling on Member States and donors to make sustained, accountable investment in the places where every dollar saves the most lives.   The 20 fragile and conflict-affected countries on the IRC's Emergency Watchlist hold 12% of the world's population — but nearly 90% of global humanitarian need. Children in these countries are three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than peers in stable countries; maternal mortality runs four to five times the global average; around half of the world’s 14 million never-vaccinated children live here; and global health financing has fallen by up to 40% since 2023 — with the communities least able to absorb cuts bearing the greatest share of them.   That means funding community health workers, last-mile delivery infrastructure, and innovations built for low-resource settings from the start — not adapted from high-income models.   The IRC's REACH consortium has already delivered 30 million vaccine doses at $2 each. Our ComPAS simplified malnutrition protocol cuts costs by 20% without sacrificing outcomes. Around the world, we work with organizations such as GiveWell, Edesia, Weiss Asset Management Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, The Pfizer Foundation, the Cencora Impact Foundation, and the Matariki Foundation for Women to create lasting impact.    More on our call for this year’s #WHA79: https://lnkd.in/gt-td47D

At the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh, giving birth can be life-threatening. Complex socio-religious superstitions, such as those that make husbands skeptical of blood transfusions and C-sections, put the lives of countless mothers and newborns at risk. A deep-seated mistrust in hospital births and other cultural stigmas around sexual and reproductive health, lead to preventable difficulties—and in multiple instances, to avoidable deaths—during pregnancy and childbirth. Many rely on home births without professional medical support, which in turn increases the risk of pre-and-post natal complications that can quickly become fatal. The consequences are devastating: hemorrhage, infection, and other preventable conditions remain leading causes of death for mothers and infants in crisis settings like this one. The story of 27 year old Burmese refugee, Samira, demonstrates how the simple decision of administering a blood transfusion can be crucial to the survival of mothers and their children. The IRC, through critical funding from the EU in Emergencies, is working directly with affected communities to close the gap in sexual and reproductive health care provision and awareness. Read more about how IRC midwives are saving the lives of mothers and babies despite ongoing challenges: https://lnkd.in/exB8eHyj