Somalia’s humanitarian situation is characterized by a protracted crisis that could well worsen in 2021 as the country faces active conflict, the largest desert locust invasion in decades, worsening climate-related disasters, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and deepening food insecurity.

The IRC's 2021 Emergency Watchlist reveals that the world is facing both unprecedented humanitarian emergencies as well as a political crisis of inaction and global retreat from humanitarian obligations.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Emergency Watchlist 2022 is a call to action for global leaders and the general public.

The 2019 Watchlist was developed by building on methodologies implemented in previous years to identify countries at risk of humanitarian crisis in the coming year. The methods used for the 2020 Watchlist are described here to ensure transparency and reproducibility.

Watchlist 2020 highlights the countries where the IRC assesses there to be the greatest risk of a major deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the coming year.

South Sudan’s high ranking on Watchlist is driven by widespread and complex humanitarian needs and a fragile peace deal that could unravel under the additional strain of COVID-19.

Description: The IRC’s annual Emergency Watchlist assesses countries at greatest risk of a humanitarian emergency in the coming year as a result of conflict or natural disaster.

Rising violence in central and northern Mali is the key reason Mali features on Watchlist since it is driving up needs and all too frequently affecting humanitarian action.

The IRC’s Watchlist 2019 highlights the countries we believe are at greatest risk of experiencing the worst humanitarian crises over the coming year.

Nigeria’s ranking among the top ten on Watchlist is primarily due to the crisis in the northeast, where humanitarian needs are only growing and deepening after ten years of conflict.