News & Media

Oxfam reaction to escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip

August 8, 2022

In response to today’s escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, Oxfam Occupied Palestinian Territory Acting Country Director Dina Jibril said:

“Oxfam is deeply concerned about the potential for large scale civilian suffering as a result of the ongoing Israeli military operation in the densely-populated Gaza Strip. Already, the Ministry of Health has reported that Palestinian civilians have been killed, including a young child, and several dozen people have been wounded. This is just the latest round of violence in the 15-year blockade that has cut off and threatened the two million people living in Gaza, who have yet to recover from the last deadly escalation just over a year ago. This latest military operation must stop now before more people are hurt and lives are shattered.

“Today’s violence comes after four days of Israel preventing people and vital goods from leaving or entering Gaza – including patients in need of urgent medical care, humanitarian aid, and fuel necessary to keep clean water, refrigerators, and electricity in hospitals and homes running. Gaza’s sole power plant is reportedly one day away from shutting down.

“Additionally, each day that crossings are closed, 14,000 workers are denied work in the West Bank and Israel, and farmers’ produce will rot, preventing them from earning an income to support their families in an area where 70 percent of people depend on humanitarian aid to survive. This intensified violence and blockade will likely cause major infrastructure damage to water and sanitation facilities, deepen food insecurity, and push basic essentials even farther out of reach for many.

“The International community must not just sit on the sidelines and monitor the situation, but act now to pressure the Israeli authorities to immediately end its operation in Gaza before more people are killed and injured and greater damage is done to Gaza’s already heavily-damaged civilian infrastructure. There must be urgent action to end this latest escalation of violence and allow for the opening of Gaza’s crossings today to save lives, and to lift once and for all the 15-year blockade and 55-year occupation that leaves Palestinians subjected to daily, systemic rights violations and under constant threat.”

Oxfam reaction to the Yemen truce extension

August 3, 2022

Responding to the Yemen truce extension, Abdulwasea Mohammed, Advocacy, Media and Campaigns Manager for Oxfam Yemen, said:

“Oxfam welcomes the extension of the truce in Yemen and urges all parties to now prioritise the lives of Yemeni civilians and uphold and fulfil all areas of the agreement.

“Millions of Yemenis are suffering due to rocketing food prices, a lack of health and other essential services and dwindling economic opportunities.

“The last four months have bought some hope. Now is the time for all parties – and the international community – to work towards a lasting and inclusive peace that guarantees the lives, dignity and freedom of the Yemeni people.”

Notes:

Press statement by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on a two-month renewal of the UN-mediated truce | OSESGY (unmissions.org)

Oxfam reaction to first shipment of grain leaving Ukraine

August 2, 2022

In response to reports that the first shipment of grain left Ukraine today, Eric Munoz Oxfam America Food and Agriculture expert said:

“Oxfam welcomes this news but warns that lifting the grains blockade alone will not solve the global hunger crisis. The recent hostilities in Odessa and Mykolaiv show that the exports agreement is still fragile and we call on all parties to ensure the swift delivery of grains.

“What the world is facing today is not a new crisis. While the war in Ukraine has contributed to skyrocketing food prices, global hunger was already on the rise– as many as 828 million people were hungry in 2021.

“We need to rethink how we feed our world. Governments must build a sustainable and just food system that does not harm the planet or already vulnerable people, and that can withstand similar economic shocks. Leaders must scale-up investments that support small-scale farmers who already feed one-third of the world’s population.

“They must also provide lifesaving aid to meet the UN global appeal to help those already on the brink of starvation.

“International law protects civilian infrastructure, such as ports and silos for storing food. They should never be subject to attack as moving food in conflict zones is essential to saving lives.”

Notes to editors

FAO’s “State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2022” report stated that as many as 828 million people were hungry in 2021, an increase of 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

FAO research states that small family farmers produce a third of the world’s food.

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Unprecedented spike in food prices puts Yemenis at risk of extreme hunger

July 29, 2022

Yemen is facing unprecedented rises in the price of food putting millions more people in danger of catastrophic hunger, Oxfam warned today.

Already exhausted by over seven years of conflict, Yemen has been hit hard by the worsening global food crises. The prices of wheat, flour, cooking oil, eggs and sugar have all increased by more than a third since March. Such price hikes haven’t been seen since the country was subject to a blockade and never for such a prolonged period.

Yemen imports 90 per cent of its food, including 42 per cent of its wheat from Ukraine. Importers have warned that stocks may run out in the coming months and that global increase in costs will challenge their ability to secure wheat imports into Yemen. Even after last week’s welcome announcement that Ukraine will be able to export grains, the effects of the major disruption in the food supply will be felt for some time to come. Any drop in global prices could well be short-lived and may not translate into a reduction in cost for ordinary Yemenis. In a country where many people depend on bread for most of their daily food to survive, this could push millions towards starvation.

Ferran Puig, Oxfam in Yemen Country Director, said: “This unprecedented rise in food prices threatens the lives of millions of people who are now in real danger of starvation.

“Families who have been pushed to the brink by seven years of conflict are being tipped over the edge as the prices of basic food rises beyond their reach.

“World leaders must act immediately to prevent catastrophic hunger and a worsening humanitarian crisis.”

A temporary extension to the Yemen-wide truce in June has bought some relief, but the situation remains volatile and this, coupled with a wider economic crisis, rising food prices and an ailing agricultural sector – due in large part to the effects of climate change – is making life even harder for the Yemeni people – nearly 80 per cent of whom are in need of humanitarian assistance while the humanitarian response remains only 27 per cent funded.

Between March and June this year, the price of basic foods increased by up to 45 per cent.

Flour increased by 38 per cent
Cooking oil increased by 45 per cent
Sugar increased by 36 per cent
Rice increased by 30 per cent
Canned beans increased by 38 per cent
Powder milk increased by 36 per cent
Eggs increased by 35 per cent

The average national price of the Minimum Food Basket (MFB) has increased by 48 per cent since December 2021 and 25 per cent since the start of the year, with the increasing costs of food imports further exacerbated by exchange rate fluctuations. Yemen’s national currency, the rial, has lost its value by 28 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Petrol and diesel prices also increased by 43 per cent in the first quarter of the year. Increased cost of fuel and an unseasonable drought caused by rising temperatures globally have caused more suffering, especially for farmers. Many Yemenis depend on agriculture and livestock as a main source of income but have seen their crops damaged or delayed and livestock dying during the current drought.

As the need grows, the lack of resources to respond comes with devastating consequences. The World Food Program has been forced to reduce the amount of aid it provides, with five million recipients of food aid now set to receive less than half of their daily calorie requirement. Eight million will receive just 25 per cent.

Families told Oxfam that to survive they are having to borrow from better-off neighbors, go into debt with food sellers, and skip meals so their children can have more to eat.

Around 56 per cent of the four million internally displaced people have no source of income at all. Women and children who make up around 77 per cent of the displaced population are at greatest risk of starvation.

Arwa, a divorced mother of two who also cares for her mother and sister said: “I struggle to afford basic food due to high prices. My mother and I reduce how much we eat, and only have two meals a day, so the children have enough. Before we could have chicken or fish every other day, or meat once a week, now we barely afford to have chicken once a week and prices of vegetables increased so we can’t afford even half of what we could last year.”

Oxfam in Yemen is supporting people to earn a living, providing basic services like clean water, sanitation, cash, and establishing solar energy at household and community levels. In 2021 we were able to help more than 23,000 households.

Oxfam is calling for the international community to facilitate the import of food supplies into Yemen by reducing obstacles, financing grain imports, and providing debt relief for Yemen.

Above all, Yemen needs a permanent end to conflict so people can safely live, learn, and earn a living. We are calling on all parties to extend the truce in the coming days as part of the path towards a sustainable peace.

Notes to editors

Source for per cent of grain imports: Yemen humanitarian response plan, April 2022: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2022-april-2022

WFP statement, July 4 2022: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-high-levels-food-insecurity-and-reduced-rations-dg-echo-ipc-wfp-media-echo-daily-flash-04-july-2022

WFP beneficiaries in IPC phase four and five will now receive less than 50 per cent of their daily calorie requirement. The remaining eight million will receive just 25 per cent.

Oxfam reacts to Commission’s advice on the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme

July 28, 2022

Oxfam Aotearoa welcomes the latest advice from the Climate Change Commission to the Government calling for an urgent decision about how it will prioritise emissions reduction in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS). Oxfam Aotearoa Interim Executive Director Dr Jo Sprat said:

“The Commission is on the right track: All sectors of Aotearoa’s economy, including agriculture, need to do their fair share in reducing climate pollution.

“Aotearoa can’t just rely on planting permanent pine forests, or paying other countries to reduce emissions for us. The role of international carbon credits and carbon off-setting, including whether these will be integrated into the ETS or kept separate is as clear as mud. The Government must urgently provide clarity, just as the Commission recommends.

“What also concerns us is how the Government will make sure human rights are upheld, including indigenous and community land rights. If it is not done right, using international credits as an alternative to reducing our own carbon emissions from industries like agriculture could do serious harm to communities – especially those on the frontlines, such as our Pacific friends and family who experience the worst impacts of climate destruction every day.

“The Commission’s advice underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive plan for a just transition, in consultation with tangata whenua and all communities, to support a move to a less polluting and more equitable economy in Aotearoa. We couldn’t agree more. A just transition would make sure the rising cost of carbon pollution in the NZ ETS doesn’t unfairly fall on those least able to pay.”

The People’s Vaccine Alliance – a journey to be proud of

July 25, 2022

Now and then, Oxfam and its supporters are part of something that defines who we are. Our history is punctuated with our part in big struggles. Always, together with others.

Sometimes we win; often we don’t, at least immediately – but we always take the side of those on the sharp end of our deeply unequal world.

Well, we’ve been at it again. Oxfam for the last two years has taken a historic side in the fight against vaccine apartheid. Last month marked a milestone in that struggle. We today want to recognize that journey (so far). And to thank people for their role in creating and powering this movement.

When COVID-19 began, we immediately knew that the vaccine would be vital to saving lives and ending the pandemic. But we also knew – through our history of work on access to medicines – that powerful big pharmaceutical corporations would use this opportunity to restrict supply, to put the opportunity for unprecedented profits before the lives of millions. With others, Oxfam set up the People’s Vaccine Alliance.

The ambitious idea? To break the powerful monopolies held over Covid-19 vaccines and technologies by some of the most powerful companies on earth, who in turn were protected by the richest governments on earth in a colonial manner. The collective aim? To help save the lives of millions of people from a deadly virus, and the compounding economic impacts, by developing countries being able to control their own vaccine supply. What it would look like? People from all walks of life coming together around the world in solidarity – joined by evidence, science, influential voices, united in hope that they have the power to demand better.

The journey

It began in May 2020, right at the inception of the pandemic, when we and others asked President Rhamaphosa of South Africa – who became the global leader on ending vaccine apartheid at the World Trade Organization – to come together with other world leaders on this issue. Since then Oxfam as part of the people’s vaccine alliance has produced powerful research – and got out the data to millions of people across the world. We’ve taken on the pharma companies directly – even directly in their AGM’s. We’ve mobilized millions and ensured voices from developing countries were heard. We’ve worked very closely with influential thought leaders and won over 150 former world leaders and Nobel Laureates behind this cause; worked with epidemiologists, health and economic experts, activists, celebrities and public figures the world over who have stood alongside us. We’ve fought to win over the public imagination (see this fun video).

Most importantly, some fifteen million people have joined us on this journey. A people’s movement.

And we saw 100 governments come on board. We even saw the US government come out in favour of a version of the proposal we pushed for a year ago – which was unprecedented. We saw a significant shift in the dial in the international community.

Where we stand today

Last month we saw a decision that was not something to celebrate about, but at the same time showed how far we have come. An agreement was made at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on vaccines and intellectual property. In no way was it the comprehensive waiving of intellectual property (IP) we had fought for, and we said so, together with many others. It was a weak text pushed through by bullying rich nations.

Nevertheless, despite all its flaws, it represents one clear thing: the recognition by rich nations that intellectual property and the monopolies of big pharmaceutical corporations are a block; and that this system is broken. The EU and others had consistently said that IP was not an issue in access to vaccines; now in the last few months they have changed tack, admitting that it was and then seeking to force through this weak agreement instead.

Our collective efforts were pivotal to forcing this turn around. Even the head of the WTO – who has been criticized for favouring rich countries – took the time out to criticize our efforts.

It’s been an unforgettable journey so far. We don’t want to single out individual affiliates and countries. We know how everyone has played a part. We want to thank you all.

The fight continues!

By no means have we won. The struggle continues. We must break those monopolies which have cost us – and we say this without exaggeration – millions of lives. But we have played our part in progress. We have to keep fighting for more. We have also helped build the secretariat for an entire new institution, backed by millions of dollars from donors, that has an exciting future head of it. The momentum we have created will help us to fight for a people’s vaccine – but also for universal healthcare, access to life-saving medicines, and for fighting inequality.

We especially feel proud that Oxfam has helped unite hundreds of organizations worldwide, and millions of people. We have played our part in uniting different movements – from trade to access to medicines to health to inequality to human rights and more.

They are clear – as we all must be – about an Oxfam that takes sides. That stands in solidarity with the many, against the rich and the powerful. That puts life over profit. That’s what defines us. We hope we can all feel proud about that.