Yemen, Syria, Lebanon at risk of humanitarian crises in the next year: IRC report

Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon are among the top 20 countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian situations, according to a new report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). 

The report, titled the '2023 Emergency Watchlist', lists 20 countries that the IRC deems to be at the greatest risk of a new humanitarian emergency next year. Somalia, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan top the list, while Yemen and Syria rank fifth and sixth. Lebanon appears in the unranked bottom half. 

As IRC releases its 2023 Watchlist, we call on 🇪🇺 to show humanitarian leadership by:

✔️Ramping up support for people in conflict & crises
✔️Tackling impunity for violations of humanitarian law
✔️Treating those seeking protection with respect & dignityhttps://t.co/ctCrcfdVZO pic.twitter.com/tzMWKlPeA0

— International Rescue Committee - EU (@RESCUE_EU) December 15, 2022

Yemen, which has moved down two places from last year on the list, has 21.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

The collapse of the UN-brokered truce in Yemen could lead to major fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition next year.

Food security is at its worst levels in three years and is likely to worsen in the event of new conflict in the country. 

An economic collapse, compounded by the war in Ukraine, could drive millions more to the brink of starvation, the report added. 

More than 15 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Syria, which has been the site of a bloody conflict since 2011 when Bashar Al-Assad's regime unleashed brutal force against Syrian protesters.

Russian forces, Iranian troops, and a host of local militias have since been involved in the conflict, contributing to the death of hundreds of thousands and forcing millions from their homes.

An impasse at the UN Security Council - where Russia, which has propped up the Assad regime, holds veto power - has threatened to cut off a critical humanitarian lifeline in millions of people in northwest Syria from early next year, reads the report. 

Lebanon is also facing a humanitarian crisis and food insecurity as the country grapples with one of the worst economic, political, and financial crises in its history.

Hundreds of thousands have been pushed back into poverty, according to the report, and the first cholera outbreak since the 1990s could worsen over the next year. 

Meanwhile, 339 million people are in need of humanitarian aid around the world, the IRC said.

"The nearly 340 million people who require aid in 2023 need more humanitarian funding for greater and better programs," said President and CEO of the IRC David Miliband according to a press release. 

"They require a plan to break the cycle of runaway crises. This means new tools to protect people caught up in conflict, and a new commitment to confront - rather than compound - shared global risks."