Media Releases

Over 1,000 health professionals call for G20 to cancel developing countries’ debt

November 12, 2020

Over 1,000 health professionals from 66 countries have signed a letter urging the G20 to cancel the debt of developing countries, ahead of tomorrow’s extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers meeting.

The letter, organized by Oxfam, urges the G20 to cancel the debt so that countries can devote funds to responding to COVID-19 and invest in more resilient healthcare systems. Many governments are spending more on repaying debt than on health and the current G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) only postpones a fraction of debt payments —including interest— until mid-2021.

Signatories to the letter include Dr Nisreen Alwan, Associate Professor for Public Health in Medicine at the University of Southampton in the UK, Dr Stefano Vella, Director of the National Centre for Global Health in Italy, Dr Christophe Prudhomme, Emergency Physician at Samu 93 Hospital and spokesperson for the Association of Emergency Physicians of France, Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford in the UK, and Dr Francis Mupeta, Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia.

Chema Vera, Oxfam International’s Interim Executive Director, said:

“At a time when hospitals and healthcare systems are buckling under the strain of COVID-19, it is perverse that poor countries are having to pay $3 billion per month in debt repayments to rich banks, investment funds or the World Bank, while their populations fall further into poverty and destitution.

“The suspension initiative barely scratches the surface of what is needed. Private creditors are not included and continue to collect debt payments from the poorest countries. Intensive care units need equipping, doctors and nurses hiring —debt needs to be cancelled, postponing it is futile.”

Even before COVID-19 hit, there was a shortage of 17.4 million health workers worldwide, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. Oxfam analysis has shown that debt cancellation for this year alone could provide three years’ worth of salaries for:

The 14,000 extra nurses needed in Malawi, currently with only a quarter of the nurses it requires.
The 24,500 extra doctors needed in Ghana, currently with less than one fifth of the doctors it requires.
The 47,468 extra nurses needed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently with less than half the number of nurses it requires.

There is currently no global common agreement for countries struggling with debt repayments, with countries left to fend for themselves individually against their creditors. At the G20 Finance Ministers meeting tomorrow, a common framework for debt restructuring will be discussed, but Oxfam says that this will be meaningless unless it is binding and includes all bilateral, multilateral and private creditors on equal terms.

“We urge the G20 to go further and provide permanent debt relief, not continue with this temporary fix that does little but delay the problem. This unprecedented global health emergency demands an unprecedented, radical response from the world’s richest countries to truly support the world’s poorest people,” added Vera.

Notes to editors

The letter, also supported by over 19,000 people, can be found here.

In October, G20 Finance Ministers agreed to extend the Debt Service Suspension Initiative from the end of 2020 to June 2021, with a planned review in April for a possible extension until the end of 2021.

A shortage of 17.4 million health workers worldwide, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries is from the World Health Organization Primary Health Care on the Road to Universal Health Coverage: 2019 Monitoring Report.

The methodology for the debt cancellation statistics is available on request.

Contact information

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

Please support Oxfam’s Coronavirus Response Appeal.

Pfizer’s estimated price for the Covid-19 vaccine is too high

November 10, 2020

OXFAM RESPONSE TO PFIZER INTERIM REPORT

In response to Pfizer and BioNTech’s encouraging interim report about the effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccine, Niko Lusiani, Senior Advisor with Oxfam America, made the following statement:

‘Pfizer and BioNTech’s encouraging results bring us all hope that we can get out of our current pandemic nightmare, but that simply won’t happen unless the vaccine is available and affordable to everyone.

“Pfizer’s estimated price for the vaccine is too high and the company cannot produce enough. The vaccine will be 0% effective to the people who can’t access or afford it.

“Pfizer’s price in the US is the highest among the leading vaccine candidates, with some analysts suggesting a 60-80% profit margin. Neither Pfizer, nor its German partner BioNTech, has made a public commitment to sharing its COVID-19 vaccine knowledge, technology, intellectual property, data and know-how to boost supply, reduce price and enhance equity.

“Meanwhile, rich countries are hoarding more than half of the vaccines developed by the companies with the leading five vaccine candidates. The US, with only 4% of the world’s population, has already called dibs on almost 50% of the Pfizer’s total expected supply in 2021.

“To protect everyone no matter their wealth or nationality, Pfizer and BioNTech must commit to openly sharing their vaccine technology to enabling billions of doses to be made now at the lowest possible price.

“In a global pandemic of this magnitude, we must pursue a new path—a people’s vaccine that prioritizes public health over private profits. No one should have access to a life-saving vaccine only if they live in the right country or have enough money. Governments and corporations must work together to make all COVID-19 treatments and vaccines global public goods.”

Editor’s notes:

While Pfizer is not relying on government funding for research and development for its COVID-19 vaccine, its partner BioNTech—the owner of the intellectual property for BNT-162—received a $439 million (€375m) grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to support scale-up of manufacturing and development process.

Pfizer and BioNTech have not yet committed to disclosing the terms and conditions of any contracts for development or procurement with public entities, nor to being transparent about the true cost of R&D and manufacturing of its vaccine candidate.

In the US, the companies have priced the vaccine at $19.50 per a dose, or approximately $40 per two-dose regimen, for its 100 million dose order.

If the deals with rich countries materialize, only 23 million doses (2% of total supply) would be available at present to Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Meanwhile, 36% (470 million doses) of Pfizer/BioNTech’s 1.3 billion dose capacity (36%) would be guaranteed for rich countries. If the US government and the EU both agree to exercise their 500 million and 100 million dose respective options, a full 1.07 billion of the 1.3 billion dose (82%) would be captured by a handful of rich countries, with the US (only 4% of the world’s population) by itself cornering 46% of total supply of this vaccine in 2021.

Pfizer’s CEO banked almost $18 billion last year, while stockholders received more than four billion dollars in dividends in the first two quarters. Since January, the company spent more than 6 million dollars lobbying the US Federal government.

Additional information is available in Oxfam’s “A Shot at Recovery” that looks at the commitments made by the leading COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers — AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Merck and Co., and Pfizer — on key areas of vaccine access and equity.

Oxfam Congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden

November 9, 2020

Oxfam congratulates President-elect Joe Biden in his hard-fought election victory to be the next President of the United States, and calls on him to deliver on a bold, new agenda that takes to scale fighting against structural injustices of poverty and inequality, and immediate action on climate change.

“After such a divisive moment in our history, we must all come together— across political parties and physical borders — to tackle our biggest challenges, from COVID-19 to climate change, from inequality to injustice,” said Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America. “Americans across the country have shown tremendous resilience during a pandemic that has brought so much hardship for many of us, dealing with the grim realities of lost jobs, lost loved ones, a health crisis, social distancing, virtual schooling, and social uprising. As we recommit ourselves to pursue climate, gender, racial, and economic justice in the United States and around the world, we must put on our masks, roll up our sleeves, and get to work.”

Oxfam urges President-elect Biden to urgently follow through on his campaign promises to work with Congress to enact a transformational COVID-19 recovery plan that puts an end to the pandemic, saves the economy, and tackles the root causes of economic inequality that have been severely exacerbated by this crisis.

Specifically, we are calling on President-elect Biden and Congress to:

Enact a People’s Vaccine that is free and accessible to all, based on need not wealth.
Pass a multi-trillion-dollar economic recovery plan that challenges corporate power and invests in millions of dignified, green jobs for the people hardest hit by COVID, especially women and people of color.
Work in partnership with our allies to provide significant new funding and debt-relief to the global fight against COVID-19.

To truly address the root causes of our current crisis, this plan must include reforms that protect the rights of workers and be paid for by finally ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Oxfam looks forward to working with President-elect Biden to usher in a new era that will prioritize peace, health, gender justice, and environmental integrity; enshrine, promote, and protect the human rights of all, recommit to multilateralism, and seek to tackle income inequality once and for all.

“This pandemic has shown us how our gravest challenges in the US are often the same challenges people face around the world,” said Maxman. “Systemic racism, economic inequality, gender discrimination, unequal access to healthcare, climate change, the refugee crisis: these issues can only be solved if we stand up for the equal rights of every person and commit to reaching beyond our borders. We call on President-elect Biden to strengthen alliances and fight for dignity for all.”

Super Typhoon Goni makes landfall in the Philippines

November 3, 2020

More than 2 million people impacted as Super Typhoon Goni sweeps across the Philippines

Oxfam is working with local partners and coordinating with local governments in the Philippines to assess the damage and needs of affected communities following Super Typhoon Goni’s four landfalls yesterday and early this morning.

At least two million people or 400,000 families have been affected, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and at least 10 people killed, according to the latest government figures. The intense storm also caused major damage to crops, with an estimated 20,000 farmers impacted.

The world’s strongest typhoon this year has now passed through the Philippines and weakened after hitting the densely populated capital, Manila, early this morning.

Oxfam Philippines’ Humanitarian Lead Rhoda Avila said:

“We have experienced terrible wind speeds, lashing rains and devastating flooding. Buildings have been destroyed and whole villages are under water and mudflows.

“We will be conducting assessments of affected areas with our partners as soon as we can get access, but conditions are very difficult. Roads are flooded and power is down in many areas making communications with some parts impossible.

“We also have to work with the threat of COVID-19 transmission in mind to protect both our emergency response teams and the people they are helping.”

Oxfam has been trialling a new disaster relief system in various parts of the country. B-READY identifies vulnerable people in several communities who are likely to be affected when a typhoon sweeps through their community. Once the exact path of the typhoon is confirmed, cash transfers to those people are then triggered to enable them to prepare by securing their properties and ensuring they have enough provisions to get through the first few days.

Oxfam is working with local partners Humanitarian Response Consortium, Aksyon sa Kahandaan sa Kalamidad at Klima (AKKMA) and Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA), Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), and People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network (PDRRN).

Super Typhoon Goni (known locally as Rolly) is the Philippines’ 18th tropical cyclone for 2020.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Siony is expected to make landfall in Cagayan Valley (in the northeast of the island of Luzon) later this week, according to the state weather bureau PAGASA. Cagayan Valley is the same area ravaged by Mangkhut, a powerful super typhoon, in September 2018, the strongest storm that year.

An average of 20 tropical cyclones form within or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year. Goni is the third consecutive typhoon in two weeks.

Oxfam NZ reacts to announcement of new foreign minister

November 2, 2020

Oxfam says the appointment of Hon Nanaia Mahuta as the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is welcomed and the aid agency looks forward to working with her over the next term.

Oxfam New Zealand executive director Rachael Le Mesurier said: “As a Māori woman and the first woman in New Zealand’s history to hold this portfolio, Nanaia Mahuta will bring a valuable perspective to her new role and we are pleased to congratulate her on her new position.

“New Zealand’s relationship with our overseas neighbours is taking an ever more crucial place in today’s world, with global heating, a global pandemic and inequality all issues we are best equipped to face if we act together as a strong global community.

“With this in mind, we look forward to working with Hon Mahuta to place New Zealand at the forefront of decisive action for a more just and sustainable world, including ensuring our aid levels can meet the rapidly growing need across the world and that we are standing in solidarity with our Pacific neighbours in our collective action against climate injustice.”

Western Sahara: Oxfam’s reaction to MINURSO renewal

November 2, 2020

In reaction to the UN Security Council’s renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSU) 27 October, Oxfam in Algeria Country Director, Haissam Minkara, said:

“Oxfam welcomes the decision but warns of the continued suffering of over 170,000 Sahrawi refugees in Algeria as the conflict marks its 45th year this October. Sahrawi refugees have endured decades of exile, living in the most inhospitable Algerian Sahara and surviving almost entirely on humanitarian aid.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled chronic hunger and poverty in the camps even further – in April 2020, Oxfam and other agencies launched a joint appeal calling for $14 million to meet the immediate needs of the Sahrawi refugees in the wake of the massive impact of the pandemic. Six months on, this appeal is only 60% funded. Meanwhile, the number of households able to eat a healthy diet had dropped to a shocking 23% from an already meager 44% in December 2019. Nevertheless, achieving a peaceful resolution to this protracted conflict remains deprioritized by the international community.

“Oxfam calls for the immediate appointment of a new UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara to restart the peace process without any further delay. After 18 months without an Envoy, the positive momentum towards a political solution that former Personal Envoy, Horst Koehler, had begun has been lost, and the sense of frustration and abandonment within the Sahrawi refugee camps continues to grow.

“In light of the conflict’s 45th anniversary, Western Sahara and the Sahrawi refugee crisis are an important reminder that if the international community does not actively pursue solutions to secure sustainable peace and security, Sahrawi refugees are set to live in deepening hunger, poverty, and further denial of their fundamental rights. The international community must live up to the expectations of the Sahrawi people and achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution which provides for self-determination in line with international law.”

Notes to editors

Since 1975 Algeria has hosted a large proportion of the Sahrawi population in refugee camps near the city of Tindouf, the majority of whom are dependent on humanitarian aid to sustain basic needs such as access to food, water, and shelter.
The camps are situated in a particularly hostile environment, with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius in summer, frequent sandstorms, constant drought, and rare but devastating floods. As a result, refugees suffer from persistent levels of food insecurity and malnutrition and have limited opportunities for self-reliance.
For more on food insecurity in the Sahrawi refugee camps: https://bit.ly/3ofdEQ9
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