News & Media

Homes flattened, thousands in evacuation centres as powerful Tropical Cyclone Yasa strikes Fiji

December 18, 2020

Oxfam is working with local partners and coordinating with the Fijian government to assess the damage and needs of affected communities following Cyclone Yasa’s landfall in Fiji yesterday and early this morning.

Communities are reporting widespread damage to homes, landslides blocking roads, coastal and surface flooding in low-lying areas and damaged vegetation.

Destructive winds of up to 345km/h, heavy rain and storm swells affecting more than 600,000 people in the South Pacific island nation, have disrupted access to essential utilities including water supply and sanitation facilities, as well as shelter and food security.

Oxfam in the Pacific’s Regional Director Raijeli Nicole said preparations were underway with local partners to support people affected by the super-cyclone.

“Though TC Yasa is moving faster than expected, leaving less time to cause as much damage as was feared, it still has the potential to be devastating for the hundreds of thousands of people in its path. Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable with flooding and coastal inundation expected in low-lying areas, along with strong winds and heavy rain,” she said.

“We are extremely concerned about the potential for a second disaster within a disaster. Without assistance, people will be at risk of waterborne infections.

“The cyclone is still moving across Fiji and therefore determining the true impact of the damage will take some time. However, Oxfam has contingency stock already in place including hygiene kits with essential items like soap and water purification tablets ready for our local partners to distribute to communities in need.

“This is the second Category 5 tropical cyclone to hit Fiji’s main population centres in 2020 after Harold in April, and one of a dozen major storms in the last eight years. Through intensifying cyclones like Yasa, our islands are experiencing the harsh consequences of inaction on climate change right now. It’s past time for world leaders to step up their commitments in this climate emergency,” she added.

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For more information, please contact:
Kelsey-Rae Taylor | [email protected] | 021 298 9854

Shelter From The Storm Report

December 15, 2020

As 2020 draws to a close, the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Without urgent action, global poverty and inequality will deepen dramatically. Hundreds of millions of people have already lost their jobs, gone further into debt or skipped meals for months. Research by Oxfam and Development Pathways shows that over 2 billion people have had no support from their governments in their time of need.

Our analysis shows that none of the social protection support to those who are unemployed, elderly people, children and families provided in low- and middle-income countries has been adequate to meet basic needs. 41% of that government support was only a one-off payment and almost all government support has now stopped.

Decades of social policy focused on tiny levels of means-tested support have left most countries completely unprepared for the COVID-19 economic crisis. Yet, countries such as South Africa and Bolivia have shown that a universal approach to social protection is affordable, and that it has a profound impact on reducing inequality and protecting those who need it most.

Click here to download the ‘Shelter From The Storm’ report

2.7 billion people have had no ‘social protection’ to cope with Covid-19 economic crisis

December 15, 2020

New Oxfam research shows that over a third of the world’s population has had no public money to cope with the effects of the pandemic.

A new report “Shelter from the Storm”, done in partnership with Development Pathways, reviewed government schemes used to inject additional money to help people, such as disability, unemployment, child, and elderly benefits, for 126 low and middle-income countries. It found none of them were adequate to meet everyone’s needs.

Overall, the world has spent an additional $11.7 trillion this year to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Of this, $9.8 trillion (83%) was spent by 36 rich countries against just $42 billion (0.4%) in 59 low-income countries.

On additional cash poured specifically into social protection programs, 28 rich countries have spent at the rate of $695 per person. In contrast, low-income and emerging countries have spent at a per capita rate of between $28 to as low as $4.

To make matters worse, rich countries have only increased their aid to developing countries for social protection by $5.8 billion – the equivalent of less than five cents for every $100 raised to tackle Covid-19.

“The coronavirus united the world in fear but has divided it in response,” said Oxfam Executive Director Gabriela Bucher. “The pandemic sparked a laudable global effort that reached more than a billion more people with social protection support over 2020 but, as of today, more people still have been left behind entirely. That need not be so.”

The need for better social protection programs to help people is huge. Half a billion people are now under-employed or out of work, twice as many women affected as men. Workers in low-income countries have suffered most, losing 23% of their working hours. People are falling into debt, skipping meals, keeping children from school and selling their assets. Remittance flows from migrants to reliant families back home have collapsed. Global poverty and hunger are rocketing.

However, the report finds:

41% of the 126 countries studied had social protection schemes consisting of one-off payments, now long exhausted; only 13% had programs that lasted longer than six months. Eight out of 10 countries have not reached even half their citizens.
Some countries like South Africa, Namibia and Bolivia were better prepared with near-universal social benefits in place prior to the pandemic. Oxfam says that most other countries could achieve this with better policies and more support.
By 2030, Kenya and Indonesia, for example, could cut their poverty rate by 25% and 31% respectively by investing 1.7% of their GDP now into universal social protection schemes.
Many developing countries have been able to mobilize non-financial help, like food aid, but this is often insufficient to make up the overall gap in formal social protection schemes.

Bucher said that social protection is both a lifeline and a human right, and one of the most powerful and affordable investments to reduce inequality, vulnerability, poverty and need. “The case for overseas aid, progressive taxation and international solidarity has never been stronger, precisely because of this desperate time in which we are living through”.

“All this because inequality is a hard-wired design feature rather than design fault of our global economic system. Millions of desperate people see precious little relief ahead without urgent action,” Bucher said.

Years of under-investment and often discredited advice – such as harsh and arbitrary means testing – have left most developing countries with shallow or broken social protection programs and exposed to the pandemic’s worst consequences.

“Oxfam has reached 11.3 million people through our Covid response programming around the world however, as much as civil society is mobilizing together strongly, with local partners and community leadership to the fore, the scale of people’s need is overwhelming and growing”.

The report illustrates stories like Sovann Vary’s, a single mother who borrowed $5,000 to buy a tuk-tuk when her job as a domestic cleaner ended. She is struggling to repay and is ineligible for the social insurance scheme set up by her Cambodian government. And informal garment worker Brenda Carolina whose family now depends upon sporadic food aid after she was rejected for support, despite the Guatemalan government’s efforts to increase its coverage. “We’re hearing hundreds of stories like Vary’s and Brenda’s, every day,” Bucher said.

“There is still time for developing country governments to step up their support for people by increasing taxes on the richest to pay for decent universal social protection programs. They have to show the will. And still time for rich nations to increase their aid and currency reserves, and cancel their debts, to help them afford it.”

Oxfam is calling for a Global Fund for Social Protection to avert a huge increase in global inequality and poverty, as a keystone toward a more equal and resilient post-Covid economy. Governments should commit an additional 2% of their GDP into social protection programs and ensure minimum income security for children, the elderly, mothers, and people living with disability.

“An unprecedented investment is now required,” Bucher said, “one that bravely meets the crisis head on. One that learns from the most successful countries.”

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For more information, please contact:

Kelsey-Rae Taylor on [email protected] or +6421 298 5894.

Notes to editor:

Prior the coronavirus pandemic, up to 4 billion people lacked of social protection, according to ILO (World Social Protection Report 2017-19). The World Bank estimates that 1.3 billion have been reached since with social assistance cash transfer coverage expansion. Source WB: U. Gentilini et al. (2020). Social Protection and Jobs Responses to COVID-19. About 2.7 billion people have consequently been left behind.

Oxfam partnered in this research with Development Pathways.

Oxfam – Reaction to Climate Ambition Summit

December 15, 2020

Responding to the UK-hosted Climate Ambition Summit proceedings, Tim Gore, Head of Climate Policy at Oxfam said:

“The Climate Ambition Summit lacked real ambition. World leaders must step up in the next 12 critical months to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophic climate change.”

“Commitments to near-term emissions cuts are still insufficient to limit warming to the 1.5C Paris goal, and the summit was all but silent on the question of new funds to lower income countries to help them adapt to climate change and decarbonise their economies.”

“We must not stumble from COVID-19 disaster into climate calamity. During 2020, and with around 1C of global heating, climate change has fuelled deadly cyclones and storms in Asia and Central America, damaging floods in the UK and across Europe, huge locust swarms that have devastated crops across Africa and unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires across Australia and the US.

“We are all affected but it is low income and marginalized people who are hardest hit, despite contributing the least to global emissions. We need a fair and green post-COVID recovery to slash emissions while delivering millions of decent jobs, building more sustainable and resilient economies that work for everyone.

“The US, now set to rejoin the Paris Agreement after a needless absence, has a real chance to prove its commitment to fighting climate change, protecting the vulnerable, and finally tackling this global crisis with the seriousness that it deserves. The US can and should work to earn back the world’s trust as a leader on climate.”

Oxfam New Zealand’s Campaigns Lead Alex Johnston said: “As the impacts of climate change intensify across the world, it is disappointing that New Zealand, having just declared a climate emergency, could not bring a significant policy announcement to the table to be able to speak at this summit.

“As is becoming clear to many, New Zealand’s has failed so far to bring its emissions down, and we are not contributing our fair share of climate finance to those on the frontlines of climate breakdown.

“We hope the New Zealand Government can follow through with inclusive and just policy changes that reflect the seriousness of the issue and their obligations under the Paris Agreement to lift the momentum of ambition and action.”

Oxfam disappointed New Zealand government will not back a People’s Vaccine

December 11, 2020

Following reports that New Zealand won’t be backing the call to waive patents and facilitate a free and fairly distributed vaccine to help prevent the spread of coronavirus around the world, Oxfam New Zealand’s Communications and Advocacy Director Dr Joanna Spratt said:

“It is disappointing for the New Zealand government not to support a decision that could help to prevent billions of people missing out on a life-saving vaccine, as poorer countries do not have the same leverage as richer nations to protect their populations while those wealthy countries are hoarding more than they need.

“Saying New Zealand will support the COVAX facility instead is no perfect solution to the complex challenge of delivering a safe vaccine to everyone in the world. Meeting this task is essential to ending the pandemic, as it’s not over until it’s over for everyone.

“But this will not happen while pharmaceutical companies are allowed to withhold vital science and intellectual property, or while rich nations continue to use their purchasing power to side-step COVAX and buy up the vast majority of the world’s currently limited vaccine supply for years to come.

“Earlier this year, Jacinda Ardern signed her name to an open letter calling for a guarantee of equal global access to a Covid-19 vaccine. In the letter, it states that where you live should not determine whether you live. It also states that ‘…This cannot be a race with one winner. When one or more vaccines are successful, it must be a win for all of us.’

“We wholeheartedly agree with the prime minister on these points. Access to a coronavirus vaccine should not be dependent on where you are born or how much money your country has. Now more than ever, we need global cooperation to halt the spread of this virus and stop the spread of the pandemic in its tracks.

“Waiving patents is one way to advance more equitable distribution and supply of a vaccine. But if the government feels unable to support this, there is still plenty more they can do to advance a free vaccine for everyone. It is not clear how much New Zealand has contributed to the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment mechanism, so publishing our contribution would be a good first step so New Zealanders can see how strong our commitment is.

“The government could also join the ‘Solidarity call to action to realise equitable global access to COVID-19 health technologies through pooling of knowledge, intellectual property and data’, already signed onto by 40 other WHO member states and other supporting organisations and people.

“Finally, New Zealand could use its purchasing power to persuade pharmaceutical corporations to voluntarily share their coronavirus intellectual property and technology.

“There simply comes a time when humanity’s common good must take precedence over private profit. This is that time. The only way we can truly put an end to the coronavirus pandemic is by providing a free vaccine to everyone in the world who needs one.”

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For more information, please contact:
Kelsey-Rae Taylor on [email protected] or +6421 298 5894.

Kiwis’ carbon footprint 13 times that of poorest half of world’s population

December 11, 2020

New Zealand’s efforts to tackle climate change are under fresh scrutiny as global leaders meet this weekend to announce ambitious plans to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.

An exclusive group of countries have been accepted to speak at the Climate Ambition Summit, hosted by France, the UK and the UN, via a virtual meeting on Saturday. However, New Zealand has confirmed it will not be attending as it has no substantial commitment to announce.

In the wake of the declaration of a climate emergency last week, campaigning organisations like Oxfam have been hopeful the government would move faster on new policy measures to reduce emissions, as well as to support countries most impacted by climate change with vital funding so they can cope and adapt.

Meanwhile, a new analysis from Oxfam published today reveals New Zealand’s carbon emissions are disproportionately adding to the climate crisis when compared to the emissions of the majority of the world’s population.

It shows many communities experiencing the consequences of climate change first and worst are far less responsible for emissions than the average New Zealander. It also highlights that current emissions levels are not consistent with our commitment to limit global heating to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius for humanity’s best chance of survival:

New Zealanders’ carbon footprint is more than 13 times that of the global poorest 50% (9.3 vs 0.69 tCO2/year).
The consumption of New Zealanders produces 4 times as much carbon emissions as the consumption of citizens of the Pacific Islands (8.6 vs 2.2 tCO2/year), where climate breakdown is being seen in rising sea levels, ferocious cyclones and disrupted weather patterns.
The per capita footprint of New Zealanders is over 4 times the 1.5C-consistent target for 2030 (9.3 tonnes vs 2.1 tonnes of CO2). This means that the average footprint will need to be reduced by at least 77% in less than a decade if we are to address the climate crisis.

Oxfam has been calling on the government to greatly enhance its 2030 emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, and to double New Zealand’s climate finance contributions to fund mitigation and adaptation efforts in poorer countries.

A Pacific leaders’ meeting this evening, which New Zealand is expected to attend, has also been convened, where the leaders of the climate-vulnerable islands will demand urgent worldwide action.

Oxfam New Zealand’s Campaigns Lead Alex Johnston said: “Our outsized contribution to climate change is unacceptable, and the government has to be doing everything it can to get emissions down, and increase climate finance for those on the frontlines of climate change.

“If we want to go into regional and global forums such as the ones in coming days with our head held high, we have a long way to go. This government has the right intention to take action, but isn’t going far enough. To start with, we should dramatically upscale our 2030 emissions reduction target, and double our climate finance contributions within a rising aid budget.

“This builds on the urgency for what we have to do not just to be consistent with 1.5 degrees, but to go further than that to address our outsized contribution to the problem. It is a matter of global equity,” said Johnston.

Oxfam in the Pacific Regional Director, Raijeli Nicole said: “We know that climate change is not an issue we can afford to drag our feet on. New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, answered the Pacific region’s global call to action when she recently declared a climate emergency.

“We hope the New Zealand Government can back its commitment with inclusive and just policy changes that reflect the seriousness of the issue and their obligations under the Paris Agreement. The Climate Ambition Summit this Saturday provides the perfect platform for New Zealand and the international community to significantly step-up its efforts on climate change for the future of our region and of humanity.”

Notes to editors:

Two recent Oxfam reports ‘A Fair 2030 Target for Aotearoa’ and ‘Standing With The Frontlines’ showed how far away New Zealand’s current targets are from doing its fair share for keeping to 1.5 degrees; and what New Zealand ought to be providing in climate finance to support developing countries to adapt to the impacts they are facing and mitigate their emissions.
Data for the carbon footprint of New Zealanders is taken from Stats NZ, who use OECD estimates.
Data for the carbon footprint for the poorest 50% of the global population and for consistency with 1.5 degrees was taken from ‘The Carbon Inequality Era’, a September 2020 report by Oxfam International and the Stockholm Environment Institute, which assesses the consumption emissions of different income groups between 1990 and 2015.
The estimate of the consumption emissions for the Pacific Islands assumes that the consumption emissions are 1.5 the production emissions. This is based on the comparison of consumption and production emissions of other developing island states. Production emissions are taken from the Carbon Atlas.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Kelsey-Rae Taylor on [email protected] or +6421 298 5894.