The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a US-based organization, warns that the humanitarian crisis in the world will be worsened in 2024 due to the escalating impact of climate-related disasters, intensifying armed conflicts, growing debt loads, and shrinking international support.
In a report released on Thursday, December 14, the organization listed 20 countries, including Afghanistan, at the greatest risk of experiencing a worsening humanitarian situation in 2024. According to IRC, these 20 countries, while representing around 10% of the world’s population, account for a staggering 86% of the global humanitarian need, 70% of displaced individuals, and an escalating portion of those grappling with extreme poverty and climate-related risks. Sudan ranked at the top of the IRC’s emergency watchlist, followed by the Palestinian territories and South Sudan.
“This is the worst of times,” stated IRC chief David Miliband in the report, calling for increased focus on climate adaptation, women’s empowerment, a “people-first shift” for the World Bank, assistance for displaced individuals, and efforts to curb impunity.
The IRC analysis points out several key trends observed in all watchlist countries that demand attention in the coming year. Notably, armed conflict and climate change are increasingly converging in the same places at the same time. According to the report, the percentage of conflicts taking place in climate-vulnerable countries increased from 44% to 67% over the past three decades. “Watchlist countries contribute less than 2% of global carbon emissions, but are facing a disproportionate burden of the climate crisis – set to worsen next year in many countries affected by El Niño,” IRC said.
Afghanistan has been grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis for years, even before the Taliban took over the country in August 2021. The situation has only worsened since then, with over 29 million people now in need of lifesaving aid. The humanitarian crisis in the country was exacerbated in October when four 6.3-magnitude earthquakes struck western Herat province, killing and injuring thousands of people and causing widespread destruction. The ongoing and forcible deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghanistan refugees, mostly women and children, from neighboring Pakistan and Iran just before winter is expected to further worsen the country’s already severe humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations has requested $46.4 billion for the upcoming year to deliver life-saving aid to approximately 180 million of the most vulnerable individuals worldwide, including $3 billion specifically for Afghanistan. The UN has said that both the annual appeal size and the targeted population for next year have been scaled back compared to 2023 due to a decline in donations. “Without adequate funding, we cannot provide life-saving assistance. And if we cannot provide that assistance, people will pay with their lives,” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said. The $3.2 billion appeal for Afghanistan last year has only been 39.6% funded so far. Because of a lack of funds, the World Food Program reports that between May and November, 10 million vulnerable people in Afghanistan lost access to essential food assistance.
