This week, world leaders will convene in New York for the annual United Nations GeneralAssembly (UNGA)—a gathering that has unfortunately become notable not for the combinedpolitical and diplomatic power concentrated in one place at one time, but for the annual failureto leverage that power to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

The IRC conducted a multi-sector needs assessment in 2024, covering the sectors of Protection, Health, Education and Economic Wellbeing, to identify key needs to support humanitarian program design in the coming period. Findings show that humanitarian needs are at an all time high, particularly impacted by shifts in the context in 2023, including the earthquake in Turkiye and the highest levels of violence seen across northern Syria since 2020. Millions of individuals continue to be unable to meet their basic needs.

Armed with a new, global mandate, the IRC came to the aid of a continent struggling to transition to independence.