Diplomats at the United Nations’ talks on the future Arms Trade Treaty made serious progress last week with a growing number of key countries bringing their support to the process. The week was also marked by pro-ATT statements from global investors’ with over NZ$ 1.4 trillion in assets, an international group of armed violence survivors and representatives from the arms industry, all calling for a robust and internationally-binding treaty to be agreed in July 2012.
News & Media
East Africa food crisis: Poor rains, poor response
East Africa is facing the worst food crisis of the 21st Century. Across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, 12 million people are in dire need of food, clean water, and basic sanitation. Loss of life on a massive scale is a very real risk, and the crisis is set to worsen over the coming months, particularly for pastoralist communities. A rapid increase in emergency aid is needed right now to save lives and protect livelihoods, so that people can rebuild once the crisis is over. National governments and donors must prioritise addressing the issues that make people vulnerable in the first place.
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Oxfam welcomes expected UN declaration of famine
Oxfam welcomes news that the United Nations plans to declare famine in parts of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, reflecting the worsening food crisis and the risk of loss of life on a massive scale. There is an estimated $800 million global shortfall in funds needed to stave off a major humanitarian catastrophe in the region, and a UN famine declaration is particularly important to signal the extent and long-term potential of this crisis to international donors and governments.
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What is a famine?
Here we present Oxfam’s position on Somalia famine, explaining that the situation in Somalia is a “triple failure” of food production, food access and response. Crop failure and poverty leave people vulnerable to starvation – but famine only occurs with political failure. In Somalia years of internal violence and conflict has been highly significant in creating the conditions for famine.
The East Africa food crisis was not inevitable and solutions exist
The drought in East Africa is an urgent humanitarian crisis, but one which also highlights the underlying problems people face in having sustainable and affordable access to food.
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Eighteen months after the devastating earthquake, the crisis in Haiti is still not over
International agency Oxfam today warned that leadership from the new Haitian government is urgently needed to relocate the 630,000 people who are still living under tents and tarpaulins.
[Read more…] about Eighteen months after the devastating earthquake, the crisis in Haiti is still not over
