Dublin, Ireland, February 12, 2026 —  Efforts to tackle violence against women and girls in Sudan are set to receive an urgently-needed funding boost after Irish Aid committed an additional €1.5million to support humanitarian aid agency, the International Rescue Committee (IRC). 

The announcement, made today by Irish Aid and the IRC, comes at a time governments around the world are cutting back on aid spending, and follows the release of the IRC’s annual ‘Emergency Watchlist’ in which Sudan features (for the third year running) as the Number 1 country most at risk of worsening humanitarian crises. 

It also follows a January in which Sudan marked 1,000 days since armed conflict erupted in a war that has devastated lives and shattered communities amidst an ongoing struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. 

The Watchlist highlights Sudan as a stark symbol of an emerging ‘New World Disorder’ in which conflict is used for profit, global cooperation is unravelling, and overseas aid is being cut just as crises surge. 

Yet against this backdrop, Ireland’s aid spending has hit record highs with an annual 2026 aid budget of €840 million. The additional €1.5million funding announced today tops up Irish Aid’s existing €10.5m commitment to the IRC and will enable it to scale existing programmes that provide lifesaving gender-based violence (GBV) services directly to women and girls in the East (Gedaref). The funding will also enable the expansion of much-needed GBV services in Central and North Darfur. 

GBV can take many forms and often includes threats, coercion, and deprivation of liberty. It ranges from physical violence and sexual abuse to emotional or psychological violence. With Irish Aid’s support, the IRC is providing essential healthcare and psychosocial support services that not only support immediate recovery from GBV, but that, longer-term, aim to build the resilience of those affected.

Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said,

“We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises. This is particularly the case in Sudan, where women and girls are being subjected to horrific violence. This situation is unconscionable. We simply have to do more to protect them.

“The lead role of the IRC in the protection of women and girls in crises all over the world is critical. Ireland is a long-standing funder of this work.”

Ciarán Donnelly, Senior Vice President of IRC’s International Programmes said,

“Since its inception in 2014, the Irish Aid - IRC Partnership has enabled over 800,000 people in fragile and conflict-affected regions to access prevention, empowerment and other GBV services. With this vital top-up in funding, we’re aiming to increase the programme’s reach by expanding into west Sudan, while scaling up our existing work in Gedaref. We will also integrate child protection and health services into our work in the east of the country to ensure holistic, survivor-centred care.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS 

About the IRC

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities.

About the IRC in Sudan

The IRC has operated in Sudan for decades and dramatically expanded its response since the war erupted in April 2023. It provides health, nutrition, water and sanitation, protection, and economic recovery services, including through mobile clinics and partnerships with local organizations across Darfur, Blue Nile, Gedaref, Gerzira ,South Kordofan, White Nile, River Nile and Port Sudan. 

About the Irish Aid – IRC’s current partnership

Starting in 2025, Ireland provides €3.5 million per year over 3 years for ‘POWER’ (Partnership and Ownership for Women’s Empowerment and Resilience) to effectively address GBV in humanitarian settings. In 2026, an additional €1.5m will be made available to boost IRC’s work in Sudan, bringing the total multi-year grant to €12m.