By Our Reporter
With coronavirus spreading globally, and now
confirmed in crisis-affected countries with International Rescue Committee
(IRC) operations, like Afghanistan, Iraq, Burkina Faso and Venezuela, the IRC
is ramping up its response to the outbreak with a focus on crisis zones with
especially weak health systems.
The IRC is providing life-saving programs in
countries threatened by the disease. We are working across three key areas: to
mitigate and respond to the spread of coronavirus within vulnerable
communities; protect IRC staff; and ensure the continuation of our life-saving
programming as much as possible across more than 40 countries worldwide.
The International Rescue Committee is seeking US
$30 million from the public, private sector, and governments to support
preparedness and prevention efforts to combat the virus.
David
MIliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said:
“Every member of the IRC family shares the concern
of people in the hardest hit areas of the coronavirus outbreak. We send our
sympathy to those who have already lost loved ones. At the same time, our
priority for staff safety and frontline program continuity is driven by the
knowledge that while coronavirus is a serious threat where there is a health
system, its dangers are magnified in communities where there is no such system.
This is a global disease and can be expected to hit all parts of the world –
it’s imperative to protect the most vulnerable.
“Refugees, families displaced from their homes,
and those living in crisis will be hit the hardest by this outbreak. COVID-19
will thrive in active war zones like Yemen and Syria, putting the lives of
thousands of civilians in even more danger, and is another reason for
ceasefires to be implemented. Displaced and vulnerable families are often
confined to overcrowded camps or cities where a disease like this can spread
rapidly through the close-knit population. As the world struggles to deal with
the fallout of COVID-19 across its richest nations, the needs of the most
vulnerable must not be neglected or forgotten.
“The IRC is scaling up our work in many places
with weak health systems that are simply not prepared to deal with an outbreak
of this scale. We need a major injection of funding to help us mitigate the
spread of the disease across our programs and ensure our life-saving work can
continue to reach those in need. This is why we have launched a global appeal
for US $30 million to support staff safety, program continuity and frontline
response to the virus. And this includes our work to support vulnerable communities
across the US — including refugees and other new Americans — as they face the
economic and health challenges ahead.”
IRC
response
The IRC has developed a comprehensive mitigation
and response plan to protect our staff and vulnerable people we serve. Our
first priority is to ensure the safety of our staff who are implementing
humanitarian aid programs around the world. We are equipping them with the
knowledge and supplies needed to work safely and ensuring the organization has
the right policies and safeguards in place. Our second priority is to ensure
that if and when the virus spreads to areas we operate in, our ongoing
life-saving work can continue safely and without interruption as much as
possible. And our third priority is to support containment efforts and mitigate
the spread of the disease within communities.
We urgently need additional funding and support to
put this plan into action across all areas of operation.
As a global organization operating in over 40
countries around the world, this is a complex situation, with serious
implications for those we serve. The IRC has set up a Coronavirus Leadership
Team to oversee our response and planning. As a humanitarian organization, the
IRC is committed to doing all it can to continue services and support to the
world’s most vulnerable, alongside prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of IRC
staff. In terms of finance and operations, the IRC is monitoring disruptions to
supply chains, financing and program costs, whilst working closely with
partners and donors — both government and private — to raise money for the
additional costs as a result of the global spread of coronavirus, and to meet
new needs as they emerge.
