Never before has the world witnessed such a dramatic scale of human suffering. Today, 65 million people—24 per minute—are displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution. Among them are more than 11 million Syrians uprooted by nearly six years of civil war in their country. In a year of unprecedented crisis, these are the ten most-read stories on Rescue.org.

Only days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed a swath of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, the International Rescue Committee dispatched an emergency team of relief experts to Louisiana. For the first time in its 73-year history, the organization responded to a humanitarian crisis in the United States. 

Up to 82% of fragile and conflict affected states - or up to 4 in 5 - are off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets according to a new report by the International Rescue Committee and the Overseas Development Institute.

Under ESS10, the IRC has developed a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP). The SEP summarizes the outcomes of 20 national and international stakeholder consultations conducted between October 2023 and March 2024. These consultations confirmed that the proposed budget activities align with Lebanon's existing needs and priorities, thereby affirming the project's relevance.

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken important and crucial steps to provide relief to the most vulnerable populations abroad, such as through the American Rescue Plan’s supplemental funding for the international response; contributions to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and commitments to provide 500 million vaccine doses and donate another 80 million excess doses to low- and middle-income countries. But vaccine donations alone are insufficient; they must be complemented by clear plans for and investments in the efficient and rapid delivery of doses, with careful attention to areas not reached by national governments.