IFRC Weekly News

In this episode of IFRC News, we speak with IFRC public health and emergencies expert Bronwyn Nichol about the situation on the ground, including ongoing response activities, community concerns, misinformation surrounding the outbreak, and the critical role of community engagement in building trust.

Three months after the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and Iran, international attention may be fading but humanitarian needs across the region remain urgent. In this episode of IFRC Weekly News, we look at the growing humanitarian concerns across both countries, including displacement, rising food insecurity, pressure on healthcare systems, disrupted medical supply chains, and the long-term consequences for children, families, and vulnerable patients.

In this episode, we examine the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the growing concerns around its spread to neighboring Uganda. IFRC public health and clinical care expert Laura Archer joins IFRC News to explain the scale of the outbreak, the challenges facing communities in Ituri province, and why rapid community engagement is critical in the absence of a vaccine or specific treatment for this strain of the virus. We also explore how Red Cross volunteers and local networks help detect cases early, combat misinformation, and support outbreak response efforts across borders.

In this episode, we explore hantavirus, rare but potentially serious disease transmitted primarily through contact with infected rodents. Public health and emergencies expert Bronwyn Nicol joins IFRC News to explain how hantaviruses spread, why cases remain uncommon, and what symptoms and risks people should be aware of across different regions of the world.

In this episode, we examine the growing dangers faced by humanitarian personnel, as more aid workers are being killed in the line of duty than ever before. Marking the anniversaries of the IFRC’s founding and World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, we reflect on what these trends mean for the future of humanitarian action.

In this episode, we explore the situation in Cuba six months after Hurricane Melissa, a Category 3 storm that affected more than 2.2 million people and caused widespread damage across eastern provinces. We look at the scale and complexity of the response, from damaged homes and disrupted health services to ongoing public health risks.

In this episode, we examine Jamaica’s humanitarian situation six months after Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, which affected 1.6 million people and caused an estimated US$12.2 billion in damage. We explore the transition from emergency response to reconstruction and recovery, the ongoing needs of communities still facing humanitarian impacts, and how the IFRC and Jamaican Red Cross are supporting recovery, livelihoods and resilience ahead of future hurricane seasons.

In this episode, we examine the humanitarian impact of a series of devastating tropical storms that struck Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia, affecting more than 600,000 people across the Pacific.

In this episode, we explore the first delivery of lifesaving medical supplies into Iran since the start of the conflict, a crucial breakthrough in a highly complex humanitarian landscape. Host Paolo Cravero speaks with IFRC spokesperson Scott Craig, who has just returned from the Turkey–Iran border, where a new land corridor is helping aid reach those in urgent need.

In this episode, we turn our focus to Israel, where humanitarian needs continue as the crisis in the Middle East continues. We hear from a representative of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, about the critical role they play in saving lives under constant threat.

In this episode, we focus on the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Iran, where needs continue to rise as the conflict enters its second month. More than 20 provinces have been affected, with tens of thousands of people injured, widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, and millions displaced.

In this episode, we focus on the rapidly escalating humanitarian situation in Lebanon, where more than one million people have been displaced following recent developments. As the crisis deepens, families are arriving at shelters with few belongings and no clear timeline for returning home, placing immense strain on already fragile essential services.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the rapidly evolving humanitarian crisis across the Middle East and the immense challenges facing responders on the ground. As needs escalate across multiple countries, millions of people are being displaced, injured, or left without access to essential services such as healthcare, shelter, and clean water.

In this episode, we discuss the findings of the newly released World Disasters Report and its warning that harmful information is becoming a growing threat during crises. Between 2020 and 2024, disasters affected nearly 700 million people worldwide, while humanitarian needs have more than doubled. Yet beyond climate shocks and conflict, the report highlights how misinformation and dehumanizing narratives are eroding trust, endangering volunteers, and obstructing life-saving aid.

In this episode, we focus on Ukraine as the country marks the fourth anniversary of the escalation of the international armed conflict. Ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure have left millions of people facing rolling blackouts, limited access to heating, water and healthcare, and worsening living conditions during one of the coldest winters in recent years.

In this episode, we turn our attention to Argentina and Chile, where severe wildfires have torn through communities, forests and livelihoods, forcing mass evacuations and leaving widespread destruction in their wake. Tens of thousands of people have been affected, with homes destroyed, communities displaced and families facing serious health risks from smoke inhalation—particularly children, older people and pregnant women.

Red Cross teams are responding to urgent needs, from first aid and psychosocial support to cash assistance, relief distributions and support in evacuation centres.

In this episode, we head to Italy as the 2026 Winter Olympics get underway across alpine and urban venues, bringing together athletes and spectators from around the world. Behind the scenes, the Italian Red Cross is playing a crucial role in keeping the Games safe, accessible, and inclusive.

In this episode, we turn our attention to Syria, where severe winter storms and heavy rainfall have triggered flooding across parts of the country, impacting families already grappling with years of conflict, displacement and economic hardship. Floodwaters have swept through residential areas and displacement camps, damaging shelters, cutting off roads, and heightening the risk of waterborne disease during an already harsh winter.

In this episode, we mark 100 days since the escalation of fighting in and around El Fasher in Darfur, as Sudan’s humanitarian crisis continues to spiral. Civilians are facing extreme violence, mass displacement, and acute shortages of food, water, healthcare and basic services, while access for humanitarian actors remains severely constrained across large parts of the country.

In this episode, we look back three months after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean and examine how communities in Jamaica and Cuba are coping as the spotlight fades and long-term recovery begins. Homes and livelihoods were destroyed, schools damaged, and thousands of families pushed into crisis, and while emergency relief is winding down, needs on the ground are growing.

In this episode, we turn our focus to Mozambique, where weeks of heavy rainfall have triggered widespread flooding, displacing families, destroying homes and livelihoods, and cutting off entire communities as rivers and dams reach critical levels.

The IFRC and the Mozambique Red Cross are working alongside authorities and partners to support early warnings, evacuations, emergency relief, and preparedness for potential future shocks.

In this episode, we focus on Ukraine, as the armed conflict continues and winter deepens the humanitarian crisis. Amid ongoing strikes on cities including Kyiv, attacks on energy infrastructure have disrupted heating and electricity supplies, leaving families struggling to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures.

In this episode, we focus on Sri Lanka, one month after Cyclone Ditwa struck the island nation, triggering the worst flooding the country has seen in a decade. Torrential rains, landslides, and widespread flooding affected all 25 districts, leaving tens of thousands of people displaced and many families struggling to rebuild their lives.

In this episode, we’re taking a step back to look at a year of enormous change and challenge for the humanitarian sector. Needs continued to rise in almost every region, while funding became more stretched, making it harder than ever to reach communities in crisis. Throughout all of this, IFRC teams and Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been responding to conflicts, disasters and emergencies, often in extremely difficult conditions.

In this episode, we’re turning the spotlight onto some of the humanitarian crises that rarely make the news - emergencies where needs are rising, funding is shrinking, and attention is scarce. These are the crises that are not on the global radar, even as millions of people continue to face catastrophic consequences.

In this episode, we turn our attention to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (or DRC), where earlier this month the Ministry of Health officially declared the country’s 16th Ebola outbreak over.The IFRC and the DRC Red Cross played a critical role in the response — deploying volunteers to help contain the epidemic.But while this outbreak has ended, the risk of resurgence remains. The IFRC is now calling for an urgent scale-up of community-based surveillance, stronger infection prevention and control, and long-term investment in local health systems to help prevent future outbreaks.India speaks with Alex Lock, who...

In this episode, we look at the humanitarian situation in the central Mediterranean following the IFRC’s decision to close its service point on board the Ocean Viking and end its partnership with SOS Méditerranée. After four years at sea, the mission has helped save more than 8,600 lives, providing critical medical care, first aid, and psychosocial support to people fleeing danger.

We speak with Anna Bowen, IFRC’s Humanitarian Diplomacy Coordinator for Europe, who explains the funding and political challenges behind this difficult decision, and why civilian search and rescue remains a humanitarian necessity as thousa...

In this episode, we look at the severe floods and landslides that have swept across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, affecting millions of people and destroying homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure. Rising health risks, damaged roads, and ongoing rains are making the response increasingly challenging.

We speak with John Entwistle, IFRC’s Head of Country Cluster Delegation for South Asia, who joins us from Colombo to share the latest on the situation, the support Red Cross volunteers are providing, and the priorities for the weeks and months ahead -from relief distributions to health services, cash assistance, an...

In this episode, we look at a major vaccination drive now underway across Gaza and Lebanon, where IFRC and Red Cross and Red Crescent teams are working to reach children who have missed routine immunizations due to conflict, displacement, and economic collapse.

Health systems across the region are under immense strain, leaving many children unprotected from diseases like measles and polio. Backed by funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the IFRC is supporting the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the Lebanese Red Cross to deliver vaccines through primary health centers, mobile teams, and outreach in hard-to-reach communities.<...

In this episode, we turn our attention to COP 30 - the United Nations climate conference taking place this year in Belem, Brazil. As world leaders, scientists, humanitarians and activists gather to negotiate critical climate commitments, the stakes are higher than ever for communities at the front lines of the climate crisis.

The IFRC is working to ensure that communities on the front lines of the climate crisis are heard, and that global commitments translate into real action. We speak with Ninni Ikkala Nyman, IFRC’s climate lead, who joins us from inside the conference to share key pr...

In this episode, we focus on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and what may be the hardest winter for millions of Ukrainians since the beginning of the conflict. The combination of relentless attacks, rolling blackouts, colder forecasts, and deepening economic hardships is leaving entire communities in the dark and cold. With prices rising and incomes shrinking, many people will face an impossible decision: choose between food, medicine and other essentials. This is why the Red Cross teams are scaling up for winter across Ukraine. In this episode, we speak with IFRC's Diana Hohol, who supports the IFRC response in Uk...

First, a powerful earthquake struck Cebu at the end of September. Then Typhoon Kalmaegi battered the same region - and just days later, Super Typhoon Fungwong swept across the country, leaving a trail of destruction. Millions of people have been affected, with hundreds of thousands still in evacuation centres. The country has faced disaster after disaster - testing the resilience of communities and stretching the limits of front-line humanitarian responders. In this episode, we’re speaking with the IFRC’s Ellie van Baaren in Cebu City to learn more about this extraordinary series of disasters.  

In this episode, we turn our attention to Sudan, where after more than 2.5 years of conflict, the country faces one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and the largest displacement crisis globally. Joining us is IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa, who helps us understand the latest developments and the extent of the urgent humanitarian response.

In this first episode of IRCS News, we look at the Red Cross response to disaster at a huge scale. Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, is a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is driving humanitarian emergencies. 

IFRC and Red Cross teams in the region have been providing emergency shelter, clean water, and health assistance, while also helping communities prepare for future storms. 

Loyce Pace, the director of IFRC operations for the Americas talks about the hurricane's impact and the IFRC's regional response. Even more importantly, sh...