European Union & International Rescue Committee

European Union: The European Union has implemented a new migration and asylum pact, significantly overhauling its policies to tighten border controls, accelerate deportations, and establish 'return hubs' outside the bloc. This move aims to address irregular migration but faces criticism from human rights groups.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee, through Susanna Zanfrini and Marta Welander, has voiced concerns about the new pact, stating it creates uncertainty for asylum seekers and could lead to increased detentions and deportations to unsafe countries.

European Union: The European Union has begun implementing new rules for dealing with irregular migration and asylum seekers, which have been criticized by human rights advocates for potentially undermining the right to asylum.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee provides an estimate of 118 million people worldwide forcibly displaced this year, highlighting the global scale of the migration issue.

European Union: The European Union has provided critical medical supplies, including masks, gloves, boots, and medications, to aid the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee>>> has noted that years of conflict and displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo>>> have severely weakened health systems, making the containment of the Ebola outbreak significantly harder.

European Union: The European Union considers the risk to its general public very low but has begun coordinating laboratory preparedness and traveler guidance through its Health Security Committee.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee has teams responding to the outbreak and highlights the impact of declining donor funding on disease detection.

European Union: A spokesperson for the European Union>>> stated that the risk of an Ebola outbreak in Europe is 'very low', indicating monitoring of the situation but no immediate alarm for the region.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee is active in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting the immense pressure from conflict, displacement, and a collapsing health system, which is further strained by the Ebola outbreak.

International Rescue Committee: Jeanette Bailey, a child nutrition lead at the International Rescue Committee, described the situation as the 'worst possible humanitarian catastrophe' and predicted more child deaths.

International Rescue Committee: The International Rescue Committee is among the organizations whose permits were not renewed by Israel, affecting its ability to provide social services in Gaza.