In 2024, the spirit of giving and community support shone brightly through the Light One Candle initiative by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City. Light One Candle is an annual gift drive where community sponsors commit to gathering much-needed supplies and holiday wish list items recently arrived refugee families and individuals. These efforts support refugees to gain control of their future and become an integral part of our community as they focus on rebuilding their lives in our community.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Center for Global Development (CGD) have been closely following the rollout of the IDA18 sub-window for refugee hosting nations, particularly in East Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda), West Africa (Cameroon, Chad), and Asia (Bangladesh). Drawing on original research and analysis, as well as field visits, this note identifies a few clear successes and areas for improvement.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a pandemic which violates human rights across communities around the world. Rohingya women and girls who fled to Bangladesh following severe rights violations enacted upon them by the Myanmar military in 2017 continue to live with the threat of violence in Cox’s Bazar. Data from the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) programmes demonstrates that the risks they face are likely to be compounded by the spread of COVID-19 and the steps taken to mitigate against it.

In an effort to provide concrete harmonized guidance and tools to critical frontline staff who support working children and their families, the International Rescue Committee, with the support of UNICEF, developed a set of child labor materials to be piloted and used in 2017 by multiple Child Protection agencies in Lebanon and beyond.