Media Releases

Typhoon Goni: Oxfam and partners help nearly 50K displaced people in Bicol, Philippines

November 26, 2020

In response to the onslaught of super Typhoon Goni, which hit Philippines earlier this month and left hundreds of thousands without home, Oxfam together with international and local partners are supporting 49,000 people in the hardest-hit areas of the Bicol region with lifesaving aid.

“We have already reached 8,550 individuals with potable water, water treatment tablets, hygiene kits, food packs and cooked food through community kitchens, sleeping kits, solar lamps, and kitchen essentials. We are also preparing for distributing desperately needed cash to 600 households,” said Lot Felizco, Oxfam Country Director in Philippines.

The multi-agency massive response aims to provide immediate shelter, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, food and cash assistance, as well as protection to the most vulnerable people in the disaster struck region of Bicol, including the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.

Typhoon Goni, followed by Typhoon Vamco a week later, devastated the lives of more three million people in eight regions of the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of people now displaced, are in dire need of clean water, sanitation facilities, and cash to buy food and shelter grade material.

Climate change has been a main cause to some of these frequent weather extremes. In October, the country has been battered by seven consecutive typhoons that ripped apart homes and livelihoods in more than 30 provinces and left an unprecedented destruction.

“These typhoons may have already left the country but their aftermath havoc, including disease outbreaks and food insecurity, is far from over. Recovery will be a long journey for many communities living in poverty and are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change”, added Felizco.

The long term impacts on farmers, who have been reeling from successive emergencies, means their crops and livelihoods, particularly in the “rice bowl” areas of central and North Luzon island which have been hit hard by the typhoon, will be decimated.

“Our livestock and rice, bananas, and vegetables are badly damaged. We were supposed to continue harvesting next week. This is no longer possible”, says Mirriam Solleza, farmer and Oxfam staff who lives in Infanta, Quezon, with her family.

“My house is totally submerged in floodwater and our drinking water is contaminated. Many houses are totally washed out in my village. Toilet facilities are damaged. don’t have safe drinking water in my village. Wells are completely submerged,” added Solleza.

With more typhoons expected to land by the end of the year, thousands of families who are without safe shelter, or emergency essentials — will be more prone to getting diseases including COVID19, unless humanitarian agencies are able to act fast.

Oxfam Philippines urgently needs 1 million GBP to support an additional 50,000 most vulnerable people affected by Super Typhoon Goni.

Photo Caption: Oxfam, People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network, Inc., and the local disaster risk reduction and management office (LDRRMO) of Virac, Catanduanes assist community members construct a platform for the installation of water bladders to provide immediate access to potable water while initiating repair of safe water sources in San Isidro Village, the community most heavily affected by Super Typhoon Goni in Virac, Catanduanes. Photo Credit: Jhie Durana/Oxfam

Notes to the Editor

· Oxfam has been working in the Philippines for more than 30 years, together with 15 partners, we have reached over 105,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable people in 6 provinces across the country, with life-saving assistance including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we have provided food and cash assistance, as well as clean water and sanitation to communities affected by crises.

· The humanitarian response Consortium for the Philippines for Super Typhoon Goni, which is led by Oxfam, consists of Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA), World Vision Philippines, People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network, and Coastal CORE, with support from the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO. It is currently funded by 1.3 million euro from ECHO to assist families affected by Super Typhoon Goni until April of 2021.

· The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reports that Super Typhoon Goni alone has affected over 2 million people nationwide, and left Php 12 billion ($ 240 M) worth of damage to infrastructure, including 170,000 houses damaged. Days after, typhoon Vamco (local name Ulysses) entered the Philippines, which further aggravated the situation of families barely coping from Goni.

Contact information:

Spokespersons available, please contact: Patricia Miranda | Oxfam Philippines : +639202814009 | PMiranda@oxfam.org.uk

Collapse of Western Sahara Ceasefire Threatens Prospect of a Peaceful Solution to 45-year long Conflict

November 24, 2020

Renewed fighting in Western Sahara between the Frente Polisario and Morocco after a 29-year ceasefire threatens regional stability and renews fears for the security and future of Sahrawi refugees – most of whom have been displaced since 1975.

Over 173,000[1] Sahrawis live in the Sahara Desert near Tindouf, Algeria, and are almost entirely dependent upon aid to survive. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated chronic hunger and poverty in the camps since March.

The security implications for the Sahrawi refugee camps as a result of the heightened tension could limit the movement of NGOs within the camps and impact future donor engagement, which would have serious ramifications for the refugee population.

Only 12% of households in the refugee camps are food secure, and over 133,000 people depend on the monthly distributions of produce and dry goods from Oxfam and other aid organizations as their main source of food. Oxfam has also been distributing essential hygiene items and protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oxfam in Algeria Country Director, Haissam Minkara, said: “The potential collapse of the ceasefire is an extremely concerning development for Sahrawi refugees who have been waiting 45 years for a resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. Restarting political negotiations is essential for regional stability and is the best way to avoid any further escalation of the conflict.

Humanitarian agencies must be supported to continue providing life-saving humanitarian aid, even as the situation on the ground deteriorates. The Sahrawi refugee crisis already suffers from the consequences of donor fatigue – as we come to the end of 2020, the UN annual funding appeal is not even 60% funded.

A decrease in funding or disruption of humanitarian operations would be devastating for Sahrawi refugees, leaving them further exposed to the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Oxfam calls for the immediate appointment of a new UN Personal Envoy without any further delay. The failure by the UN Secretary-General to appoint a new Envoy for 18 months has left the negotiations between parties to the conflict completely stalled and has undermined momentum toward a political solution. This significant gap in diplomatic leadership has led, at least in part, to this volatile situation.”

The perceived indifference of the international community continues to leave many Sahrawi refugees feeling frustrated and abandoned – in particular young people – and has led to an alarming trend to turn away from the peace process. Adad Ammi, a 25-year old freelance photographer and graphic designer born and raised in Smara camp, said: “Since the fighting broke out near Guerguerat, many young people in the camps have volunteered to join the armed forces. Youth in the camps are the most negatively impacted by the refugee situation because they feel they have no future. And so, they will do what they can to return home.”

Oxfam reaffirms that violence cannot be the answer. The international community must take urgent steps to provide hope to Sahrawi refugees and to reaffirm the importance of peace. This must be done both through the continued provision of urgent humanitarian aid including, food, water, shelter, and access to education, but also through genuine and sustained diplomatic engagement.

The future sought by all young people – and especially those displaced by conflict – is to live in peace. We must do all we can to make sure that dream becomes a reality.

Notes to editors

Since the outbreak of the Western Sahara conflict in 1975, Algeria has hosted a proportion of the Sahrawi population in refugee camps near the city of Tindouf, with the majority dependent on humanitarian aid to sustain basic needs such as access to food, water, and shelter.
Oxfam has been active in the camps since 1975, and over the years, our work has evolved from emergency aid to the multifaceted provision of humanitarian support, resilience programming, and capacity building activities.
For more on Oxfam in the Sahrawi refugee camps: https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/countries/algeria

[1] The updated population figure from the official UNCHR report from March 2018: ‘Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf, Algeria: Total in-camp population’

Reaction to AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial announcement

November 24, 2020

In response to the announcement today on the results of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial, Oxfam’s Health policy Manager, Anna Marriott, said:

“This is another breakthrough and while the results from the AstraZeneca/Oxford trial are slightly less promising than those from Pfizer and Moderna, they have pledged to do far more to make sure the vaccine reaches people in poorer countries.

“No one company is equipped to produce enough doses to meet the unprecedented global demand on their own. All pharmaceutical companies should work together for a people’s vaccine by urgently transferring their technology and know-how, in order for everyone in the world to have access to a safe and effective vaccine.

“Only then will we see an end to this horrendous pandemic which has taken over a million lives and caused massive hardship for millions more.”

Oxfam is concerned that neither governments nor the pharmaceutical industry are taking the necessary steps now to ensure that there is maximum supply of a new vaccine to meet with the global need.

Notes to editors:

A recent paper from Oxfam America comparing the five leading vaccine contenders found AstraZeneca/Oxford’s vaccine to be most accessible – available at the lowest pandemic price and with the fairest distribution to low and middle-income countries. In comparison to the Pfizer & Moderna vaccines – where the majority of allocated doses have been bought by rich countries – Lower & Middle Income Countries would make up 74 percent of AstraZeneca/Oxford’s allocated doses. https://assets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/A_Shot_at_Recovery.pdf

Oxfam is part of The Peoples’ Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of over 20 global and national organizations and activists united under a common aim of campaigning for a ‘people’s vaccine. The call for a People’s Vaccine is backed by past and present world leaders, health experts, faith leaders and economists. For more information visit: https://peoplesvaccine.org

Media enquires:

Contact: Kelsey-Rae Taylor
Email: Kelsey-Rae.Taylor@oxfam.org.nz
Phone: +64 21 298 9854

G20 arms exports to Saudi Arabia worth three times aid to Yemen since 2015 – Oxfam

November 18, 2020

Other members of the G20 have exported more than US$17bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since it became involved in the conflict in Yemen in 2015 but have given only a third of that amount in aid to people caught in the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, Oxfam said today.

The G20 heads of state are due to meet virtually later this week at a summit hosted by Saudi Arabia. Arms sales to the Gulf nation could come under fresh scrutiny as the US president-elect, Joe Biden, is on the record as saying he would stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia that fuel the war in Yemen.

After five years of conflict, Yemen was already suffering the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis with 10 million people going hungry, the largest cholera outbreak on record and only half of hospitals fully functioning. Oxfam reported in August that there has been one air raid every ten days on hospitals, clinics, wells and water tanks throughout the war.

The arrival of coronavirus has only worsened these dire circumstances. And yet the United Nations’ response plan to get clean water, food and medical care to the most vulnerable, is only 44% funded this year.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to lead a coalition of eight countries in support of the internationally recognised government in Yemen escalated the conflict and has been responsible for all air raids over more than five years. When arms exports by G20 nations to other members of this coalition are included, the figure of $17bn rises to at least US$31.4bn between 2015 and 2019, the last year for which records are available. That’s more than five times the amount those member nations of the G20 have given in aid to Yemen between 2015 and 2020. In addition, Saudi Arabia has given $3.8bn in aid.

Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director said: “Having suffered years of death, displacement and disease, the people of Yemen need these powerful members of the international community to bring all parties to the conflict together to agree to an immediate countrywide ceasefire and return to negotiations committed to achieving a lasting peace.

“Making billions from arms exports which fuel the conflict while providing a small fraction of that in aid to Yemen is both immoral and incoherent. The world’s wealthiest nations cannot continue to put profits above the Yemeni people.”

Despite a unilateral ceasefire declaration by the Saudi coalition in April, fighting continues across the country. The governorates of Marib and Al-Jawf in the north of the country are the worst-hit by airstrikes while the governorate of Taiz in central Yemen is seeing the worst ground fighting. There’s been a recent upsurge in fighting in the key port city of Hudaydah, the most important point of entry for the food, fuel and medicines needed for 20 million Yemenis in the northern governorates to prevent famine and a recurrence of a cholera epidemic.

Some G20 nations, including the US and UK, give a small fraction in aid compared to the worth of exports by their domestic arms companies to Saudi Arabia. Some, like Japan, have given aid to Yemen but have not exported arms to Saudi Arabia in the last five years. Other countries, like Argentina, have neither given aid nor exported arms to Saudi.

Ibtisam Sageer Al Razehi, a 35-year-old former teacher and mother of three, lives with her children in the remains of the family house in Sa’ada city which was damaged by missiles and artillery fire. Her husband was killed by an airstrike in 2015.

“I lost my husband, my children lost their father, we lost the breadwinner and because of war I also lost my salary as our last hope for living,” she said.

“Humanitarian aid has decreased a lot; now we receive food every two months instead of every month. I appeal to the world to have mercy on the children of Yemen and stop this war. We are very tired of living in war for years, we lost everything beautiful in our lives, even the simple hope of peace.’’

Notes to Editors

Data on the worth of arms exports to Saudi Arabia and other coalition countries has been taken from SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Database. It includes exports between 2015 and 2019 inclusive.

Data on the amount of aid donated to Yemen comes from the UN OCHA Financial Tracking Service

Contact Information:

Kelsey-Rae Taylor | Kelsey-Rae.Taylor@oxfam.org.nz | +64 21 298 9854

Moderna can be a genuine game-changer – if it shares COVID-19 vaccine

November 17, 2020

In response to the announcement today from the National Institutes of Health that early data shows Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 95 percent effective, Anna Marriott, Oxfam’s Health Policy Manager, said:

“Moderna’s discovery could be a real game-changer in the fight against COVID-19. However, on its own, Moderna can only produce enough vaccine for less than seven percent of the global population by the end of 2021, almost all of whom will be in rich countries.

“The vaccine will remain the private property of the corporation, despite being largely publicly funded. While Moderna has pledged not to enforce intellectual property rights on its vaccine, it needs to go that critical step further by pooling and sharing its technology with the WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, for the benefit of the rest of the world.

“In addition to the devastating loss of life, COVID-19 has put a massive strain on health systems, created a global economic crisis and pushed millions more people into poverty. We call on Moderna and all the companies working on potential vaccines to commit to a Peoples Vaccine which is available free for all people in all countries.

“We cannot put the profits of pharmaceutical companies ahead of ending the pandemic and recovering the global economy. Millions of lives and livelihoods are at stake.”

Note to editors:

Oxfam is part of The Peoples’ Vaccine campaign, which is calling for Pfizer, Moderna and all vaccine developers to openly share their intellectual property, technology and knowhow to enable the mass production of successful vaccine all over the world.

The call for a People’s Vaccine is backed by past and present world leaders, health experts, faith leaders and economists.

The proposed 1 billion doses translates to reaching just shy of 7 percent of the global population by end of 2021 (based on each person requiring 2 doses).

Contact Information:

Kelsey-Rae Taylor | Kelsey-Rae.Taylor@oxfam.org.nz | +64 21 298 9854

Oxfam reaction to G20 announcement to tackle the debt crisis facing many developing countries

November 16, 2020

Oxfam welcomes the G20 Finance Ministers’ discussions over the past few days around a new ‘common framework’ to tackle the debt crisis facing many developing countries. But this is no breakthrough – far from it. The G20 is lacking any sense of real urgency and – even worse – after waiting decades for a proper platform to tackle this problem, low and middle-income countries remain outside the room where discussions are happening and standards are being set. Only China, India, Turkey and the G20 members have been added to the old Paris Club of privileged rich countries. The power placed in the hands of the IMF as a gatekeeper for any agreement seems excessive.

Poor and increasingly even middle-income countries are under massive debt pressure right now. In the past few hours Zambia alone has been reported as being on the brink of defaulting on its $12 billion foreign debt. Without debt cancellation now, we could see developing countries falling into default like dominoes. Already many of them cannot afford their doctors and nurses. The chances of them recovering quickly from the coronavirus pandemic is precarious already. The G20 governments must stand up for people especially in poorer countries and announce preventative suspensions and cancellations, rather than forcing poor countries to “self-select” as to their distress. There can be no more excuses for not insisting that private creditors are part of binding mechanism for securing debt relief agreement.”