IRC’s Emergency Watchlist for 2023 Places Afghanistan in Top 3

As the people of Afghanistan wrestle with one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, Afghanistan was listed as one of the top 3 countries on the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) annual Emergency Watchlist 2023, which highlights the 20 countries most in danger of aggravating humanitarian crises in 2023.

IRC ranked Afghanistan after Somalia and Ethiopia on its list of the 20 countries that would experience the worst humanitarian disasters in the upcoming year, on Wednesday, December 14, stating that around 340 million people globally would depend on humanitarian aid.

Beyond the specific crises to watch, the IRC report delves deeply into the three main catalysts for humanitarian crises—armed conflict, climate change, and economic instability—and shows what can be undertaken to re-establish defenses against a runaway world.

“On average, countries on the Watchlist have experienced armed conflict for nearly the entirety of the past decade,” David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said.

“The 2023 Watchlist reveals a need for a step change in the way the international community approaches humanitarian crises.”

Political unrest and a protracted drought have contributed to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, which is further driven by widespread poverty and high unemployment rates.

Afghanistan topped the list the previous year. It is now in third place, not because things have changed for the better, but rather because things have become worse in East Africa.

According to IRC, the top ten countries most in danger of growing humanitarian crises on the Watchlist are Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South, In Burkina Faso, Haiti, and Ukraine respectively.