The glossary is intended to bring clarity to internal and external audiences on terminology use within the International Rescue Committee Airbel Best Use of Resources (BUR) Team. Definitions included here reflect how terminology is used within BUR, as compared to the wider evaluation sector. References are included to allow for comparison with other uses of such terminology by others including but not limited to: USAID, FCDO, JPAL, Elrha, Better Evaluation, Oxford Policy Management, World Bank, World Food Programme.

​While the plight of war refugees is in the news, and deservedly so, the struggle of refugee families from Eritrea is not often in the headlines.  Located in Northern Africa, Eritrea is led by an oppressive regime, with few rights for its people.  Thousands flee each month in search of survival and a better life. Over the last seven years, the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring has resettled hundreds of Eritrean refugees. Because Eritrean refugees are at risk if they are identified, the subject of our story – who we will call “H” – did not want to be named. This is her story.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), San Diego, is committed to placing the people we serve – our clients – at the center of our response. We aim to be responsive to our client’s priorities, preferences, and feedback and to safeguard them against all forms of exploitation and abuse, whether by our staff or partners. With this in mind, IRC San Diego aims to strengthen the Client Feedback and Response Mechanism by establishing a centralized multilingual Client Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) across all IRC San Diego programs. 

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), to date, has not undertaken analyses on the cost-efficiency of the procurement process undertaken by Global Supply Chain. Understanding the cost- efficiency of procurement will aid IRC in efforts to remain good stewards of funding and to improve the organization’s value for money in the humanitarian response sector. The study was also implemented to improve cost-efficiency across the organization as part of IRC’s Strategy100. The outcomes IRC achieves per dollar spent is affected by a range of factors, including contextual and country-level constraints within the procurement process.

In a new report, the International Rescue Committee and two other organizations showcase how vulnerable people are forced to live in degrading conditions, and it outlines the many ways in which asylum seekers are barred from exercising their right to a fair asylum process.

The Muppets are embarking on humanitarian missions. In spring 2016, Sherrie Westin, executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy for the Sesame Workshop, and Sarah Smith, a director at the International Rescue Committee, announced a collaboration to develop educational programs for refugee children.

Daniel, an ex-soldier from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, fled to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in the mid-nineties. He suffers from post-traumatic stress. The International Rescue Committee provides mental health and psychosocial support.

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken important and crucial steps to provide relief to the most vulnerable populations abroad, such as through the American Rescue Plan’s supplemental funding for the international response; contributions to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and commitments to provide 500 million vaccine doses and donate another 80 million excess doses to low- and middle-income countries. But vaccine donations alone are insufficient; they must be complemented by clear plans for and investments in the efficient and rapid delivery of doses, with careful attention to areas not reached by national governments.