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The International Rescue Committee (IRC), previously known as the International
Relief Association, is a non-governmental organization founded in 1933 by Albert Einstein
after Hitler’s rise to power. Their bright yellow logo with an upward black arrow primarily
signifies them. The IRC was developed during Nazi Germany to “assist Germans suffering
from the policies of Hitler’s regime.” Their main website explains a breakdown of the IRC’s
presence in countries for the past 90 years. Some of their help ranges from providing refuge
for escapees from Hitler in the 1930s and from the Soviets in the 1950s to supporting
Ethiopian refugees in Sudan in 1980. The IRC extends their support by resettling refugees
and providing food, shelter, and healthcare to those in need worldwide. As a non-
governmental organization, their funding comes from donations from some governments in
Europe and through donors. The IRC has continued to help people from many different
countries through many other streams of support.
The general mandate of the IRC, as stated on their website, is that they help people
affected by humanitarian crises to “survive, recover and build their lives” (The IRC). The
IRC attempts to help during specific situations. It aims to help displaced people from crisis,
persecution, and conflict. Ensuring safety for those in need from harm is one of their central
mandates. The IRC also pays close attention to how humanitarian crises affect the safety and
lives of young girls and women. Some examples of ensuring safety for women include
ensuring youth are not psychologically, physically, or sexually abused or neglected in their
homes (The IRC). The aim to stop partner violence is also on their website as a goal of
ensuring the safety of their visits. Secondly, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRC
understands displaced people are the most vulnerable to infections and diseases. Their help in
improving health is providing treatment for common illnesses like malaria, pneumonia and
malnutrition. Next, to increase access to education. They promise to ensure the development
of cognitive and social-emotional skills within young children and provide supportive
behaviours for parents. Next, Ensuring the economic well-being of people in need is not short
of the IRC’s goals. They provide cash assistance through debit cards for those who need it to
support their well-being in ways that they need, including the purchase of food and
necessities for their households. Lastly, promising freedom of choice is an essential goal of
the IRC. The IRC works with community members and decision-makers to ensure that
communities are self-reliant by implementing programs to inform people of their rights.
The IRC is present in more than 50 countries worldwide, ensuring their support is
where it needs to be as fast as possible. One example is working with private-sector
organizations that share the same goals as the IRC and are committed to humanitarian action
and development. The assistance of private-sector organizations helps the IRC reach out to as
many communities as possible. Another example of their presence would be offering cash
assistance to those in need. A displaced woman from Ethiopia lives in the Dirrey camp
because of a flood that took over her hometown, and the IRC assisted her in buying food for
her family. With the help of donations, they have been able to provide their support in many
countries and in many ways. The IRC receives funding in three main ways: direct
contributions, fundraisers, and governmental funding. Their website outlines their primary
sources of support, where 87% of the budget goes towards programs, 8% towards
administration, and 5% towards fundraising. Firstly, the intake of donations, where if people
sign up, they can agree to make monthly contributions crucial to helping others. George Sario
and his family have donated a total amount of one million dollars in support of the crises
occurring within Afghanistan. Another form of funding is through individual fundraisers that
support the IRC. Lastly, they accept funding from European governments. Some examples of
different corporate levels of support are the Irish Aid from the government of Ireland and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Netherlands.
The staff at the International Rescue Committee are people from different backgrounds,
ranging from their careers to the countries they work in. David Miliband is the chief
executive officer of the IRC and the former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom. He is
the son of refugees, which fuels a personal relationship with the goals of the IRC. The board
of directors are volunteers and participate in unpaid work. Some notable people from the
board of directors are Timothy F. Geithner, 75th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; Janet
Napolitano, professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley; Sally
Susman, executive vice president of Pfizer Inc., and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah
of Jordan. The rest of the staff are described less besides their careers and the country their
work is based within. Most of the team plays individual roles besides “country directors,”
where certain people are appointed to different regions/countries, such as Samar Abboud of
the Middle East and North Africa.
The IRC attempts to combat human rights violations by specifically targeting issues
that have been ignored by taking different approaches than aid programs. The use of language
throughout their main website is how they humanize their organization. For example, one of
their primary mandates is to rebuild those who lost the freedom of choice of what occurs in
their lives, which replies to section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom: the
right to life, liberty and security of a person. They also conceptualize using their donations by
stating how “much” it is to build necessary infrastructure within struggling communities, like
100 dollars to implement a clean drinking water supply. From the perspective of the IRC,
human rights violations are an issue that, with the help of people, we can combat. Another
one of the challenges listed in their strategies is to “defend the rights of displaced
communities and demand that all nations honour their humanitarian commitments to asylum
seekers and refugees” (The International Rescue Committee). Their main strengths would be
allowing their strategies to be human-centred by acknowledging the communities they serve
and what their main concerns would be. With this strategy, the IRC can serve them better by
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implementing the perspectives of the struggling communities on how to suit their needs
better. Secondly, their focus is on women and girls within displaced communities. The IRC’s
goal to minimize the gender gap is through the statement, “Women’s rights are human
rights.” They include the example of Mariama, a 14-year-old girl who faces many more risks
than the men in her community. Some of those risks involve being assaulted within her
refugee camp while taking a shower because of the lack of locked doors or her risk of illness
as the health clinic closes before she can finish her chores for the day. Mariama is also not
able to go to school and get the same education as her male siblings because she needs to stay
home and watch her younger siblings. These are examples of aspects that other agencies may
forget when assisting displaced communities due to various crises.
The limitations found would be the IRC’s reliance on the governmental help they
receive. In one of the aspects of their resettlement program, they fail to mention any legal
standing of the people they need to help. For example, their refugee resettlement program
stands with partnerships of suitable countries like Canada, the United States, and countries in
Europe. They state that countries participating in their resettlement program show solidarity
with the IRC but do not provide an active plan from any legal perspective, which may raise
questions about how effective their resettlement plan is. For instance, how can they protect
and ensure safety for the victims who enter countries illegally? What is their next step if the
countries they partner with change their mind about allowing entry for refugees? The reliance
on governmental support is essential for their success in effectively providing a haven for
these communities; however, to what extent is that support promised? The IRC mentions that
over 100 countries have internationally agreed to protect refugees under the 1951 Refugee
Convention agreement. This agreement defines a refugee as “someone who has a well-
founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or
membership in a particular social group” (The International Rescue Committee). However,
the outdated agreement has some gaps in its definition as it does not effectively respond to
modern and sporadic reasons for seeking refugee protection. An article explains this, “I think
the Refugee Convention [definition] is too narrow for the types of migration we see in
Africa,” says researcher Roni Amit (The New Humanitarian, 2012, p. n.a.). The Refugee
Convention’s definition is also too broad regarding who is considered a refugee, which is
“asylum-seekers entering a country without proper documentation” (The New Humanitarian,
2012, p. n.a.). According to Sarat and Kearns (2001), the ideal human rights standards are not
followed in practice how people would expect them to be.
This concept would be seen as one of the International Rescue Committee’s
weaknesses, as their reliance on the 1951 Refugee Convention is not practical or beneficial
for the long-term safety of refugees. There is a broad and personalized understanding
between countries as to what entails human rights, creating issues in expecting a unanimous
decision between ranging countries. As demonstrated in “
The Unsettled Status of Human
Rights: An Introduction,”
“even when there is agreement in principle, human rights are not
universally respected in practice. However defined, they are variably realized; indeed they are
regularly violated by the some of the same governments that proclaim their adherence to
human rights ideals” (Sarat and Kearns, 2001, p. 3). In this quote, there is a reference to the
definition of human rights and how a government may put their support into practice. The
standard agreement was introduced after the displacement of Europeans during World War II
may not be the best fit to protect millions of refugees around the world in today’s society,
where the definition of a refugee has changed.
References
International Rescue Committee. (n.d.).
David Miliband
. International Rescue
Committee (IRC). https://www.rescue.org/david-miliband
International Rescue Committee . (2023, September 26).
Refugee facts, statistics and
FAQs | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
. Www.rescue.org.
https://www.rescue.org/article/facts-about-refugees-key-facts-faqs-and-statistics
The New Humanitarian. (2012, March 26).
Analysis: Has the Refugee Convention
outlived its usefulness? - World | ReliefWeb
. Reliefweb.int.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/analysis-has-refugee-convention-outlived-its-
usefulness#:~:text=The%20Refugee%20Convention
Sarat, A., & Kearns, T. R. (2001). The unsettled status of human rights: An introduction.
Human rights: Concepts, contests, contingencies
,
1
(5).
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