Protracted economic, political and security crises have rendered many countries ill-equipped to respond to COVID-19. Within these fragile contexts, refugees and people displaced by conflict and crisis will be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. An effective response to COVID-19 requires both global and local solutions. IRC’s advocacy aims to secure funding and operational flexibilities, promote best practices, and address specific threats to the needs of the communities we serve.

This Protection Needs Overview documents findings from protection monitoring efforts conducted between April and September 2023 in the Iraqi governorates of Anbar, Ninewa, and Kirkuk. This report details protection concerns of communities experiencing displacement, refugees and asylum seekers, those who have returned to their areas of origin, and host communities nearly six years after the defeat of the ISIS group in Iraq and is the follow on to the Protection Needs Overview: October 2022-March 2023. 511 household-level surveys, 204 key informant interviews, and 108 focus group discussions with 756 individuals contributed to the findings in this report.

This Protection Needs Overview documents findings from protection monitoring efforts conducted between April and September 2023 in the Iraqi governorates of Anbar, Ninewa, and Kirkuk. This report details protection concerns of communities experiencing displacement, refugees and asylum seekers, those who have returned to their areas of origin, and host communities nearly six years after the defeat of the ISIS group in Iraq and is the follow on to the Protection Needs Overview: October 2022-March 2023. 511 household-level surveys, 204 key informant interviews, and 108 focus group discussions with 756 individuals contributed to the findings in this report.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with Qatar Charity has launched a new integrated humanitarian response service program for vulnerable communities in the Blue Nile State of Sudan. The program will run for six months, serving over 8,000 hard-to-reach refugee, host, and internally displaced communities in Wad al Mahi and Ar Rusayris localities. It aims to expand their access to improved health, water, hygiene and sanitation services

Gender Based Violence is a global epidemic. The IRC estimates that 14 million refugees and displaced women and girls were subjected to sexual violence in 2019. However less than 0.2% of all global humanitarian funding between 2016-2018 was allocated to GBV prevention and response, and women and girls are often invisible in country's action plans for the Sustainable Development Goals. This report highlights some of the links between GBV and key SDGs to show where GBV prevention and response needs to be integrated across sectors to address the double disadvantage faced by women and girls in crisis.