Reports and resources
The International Rescue Committee uses our learning and experience to assist people affected by crisis and shape humanitarian policy and practice. Browse our research and resources.
From Humanitarian Response to Economic Recovery: recommendations for addressing acute needs and the root causes of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, state failure and economic collapse are now the primary drivers of a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding at breakneck speed. Unemployment and poverty are now the greatest drivers of internal displacement. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been providing assistance in Afghanistan for three decades, working today in 11 provinces. We see firsthand that while humanitarian aid saves lives, it cannot replace a functioning economy and state. To date, the US and other Western governments have focused on providing humanitarian funding based on a famine prevention strategy, putting in place important humanitarian exemptions and offering much-needed clarity on sanctions regimes at the bilateral and multilateral levels. These steps helped avert the immediate threat of famine this past winter and have led to marginally improved food security projections over the coming months. The carveouts and clarity enabled agencies like the IRC to scale up lifesaving humanitarian assistance across Afghanistan, including districts that had long been inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. However, the crisis in Afghanistan is evolving into a catastrophe of choice as these same governments maintain policies of economic isolation that are pushing the Afghan economy to the brink and causing nearly 19m Afghans to experience high levels of acute food insecurity in the coming months. Access to Afghanistan’s foreign reserves remain frozen, the banking system grounded, and development assistance, which financed most government services, on pause. The impact has been swift and catastrophic for ordinary Afghans, compounding an already dire economic and humanitarian situation. The international community can and should do much more to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of innocent Afghans, with action on the economy urgently needed. Recommendations for immediate actions to support public service delivery and the humanitarian response, as well as steps needed towards international engagement in support of the Afghan economy, are included in this report.
IRC IMPACT Handbook: CRRD Program Quality Framework
IMPACT is the IRC’s Crisis Response, Recovery and Development Department’s Program Quality Framework. The IMPACT Framework applies to all CRRD Country Programs to help us advance high-quality programming across all sectors.
IRC assessment of humanitarian needs of refugees fleeing Ukraine in Poland
Months of escalating hostility towards Ukraine have culminated in a concerted invasion of the country and the launch of military attacks across multiple cities in Ukraine starting from February 24th, 2022. As of March 26, 2022, an estimated 2.2M people have fled to Poland from Ukraine. Many have been welcomed by the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland, many more are being hosted by Polish families, and the rest reside in recently established shelters and reception centers. While the Polish government, Polish NGOs, UN agencies, and local civil society actors have provided multisectoral relief across the country, this rapid needs assessment aims to better understand the priority needs, vulnerabilities, and barriers to accessing information, services, and humanitarian support that people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine face in Poland, including those experienced by groups with heightened vulnerability. This assessment will be used to inform the IRC’s strategic response to these displaced populations in Poland and will be widely shared with the overall humanitarian community, including with Polish civil society and governmental bodies who have provided rapid and much needed relief to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
11 YEARS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTH CARE IN SYRIA
As a follow up to last year’s report “A Decade of Destruction”, this factsheet has been produced to help raise awareness on continued violence against health care in Syria.
The IRC's NCTSN Category II Center for Adjustment, Resilience and Recovery (CARRE)
The IRC has launched a new multi-year project in the United States called the Center for Adjustment, Resilience, and Recovery (CARRE).
Ukraine crisis refugee resource FAQ
This Ukraine crisis FAQ from the IRC provides information and resources for people who need to leave Ukraine or refugees who have left and need support.
Community Health Volunteers Deliver Quality Care to Refugees with Hypertension and Diabetes Amid COVID-19 Treatment Interruptions
Community Health Volunteers Deliver Quality Care to Refugees with Hypertension and Diabetes Amid COVID-19 Treatment Interruptions
Career pathways and equity policy recommendations
Policy recommendations focused on advancing equity in career pathway programs, developed by an IRC-led working group of twelve national organizations that met throughout 2021
Career pathways and equity: Building consensus
Developed by an IRC-led working group of twelve national organizations that met throughout 2021, this brief presents key strategies to design, implement, and fund career pathway programs that advance equity
IRC Ethics and Compliance Unit FY 2021 Annual Report
This Annual Report highlights the IRC’s Ethics and Compliance Unit’s progress and its work in 2021.