New York, NY, December 1, 2020 — Elinor Raikes, Vice President of Program Delivery, said,
“Today’s release of the Global Humanitarian Needs Overview is a shocking reminder of the world’s inequalities and evidence that the most vulnerable are the ones most suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people in need has increased by 40 percent to 235 million in the last year, almost entirely due to COVID-19 and the burden it is placing on economies, healthcare, education and basic infrastructure. With the Sahel region, northeast Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen all facing the threat of famine, it is time for world leaders to step up and address this egregious inequality by funding agencies, like the IRC, working on the frontlines to save lives.”