New York, NY, January 17, 2025 — Ahead of US presidential inauguration, IRC President and CEO David Miliband said,
"As a US headquartered international NGO with an extensive network of offices in the US, at the beginning of each new US Administration the International Rescue Committee re-affirms its core purpose. For more than 90 years, the IRC’s work has advanced the proud American tradition of aiding people fleeing persecution and conflict.
Today, our colleagues in 40 cities across America help people who were forced from their homes to rebuild their lives in safety. Through decades of experience in implementing evidence-based programming, we have witnessed their resilience, and the contributions newcomers make to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of their adoptive communities. But the majority of the world’s refugees are and will continue to be hosted in places closer to home, in countries which are generally far less wealthy than America. In the more than 40 other countries where IRC works, we help people displaced by conflict and crisis to find protection and to strengthen systems needed for local integration and return - when it is safe and voluntary.
Continuing this tradition of supporting welcome wherever it is needed is vital. For people affected by conflict and crisis. For the benefit and prosperity of the host communities who welcome them. And for the continuation of America’s leadership in ensuring the most vulnerable people in the world can find refuge.”