Oxfam reaction to the highest number of global refugees since World War II

Reacting to the largest number of displaced people in world since the Second World War, Shannon Scribner, Oxfam’s Acting Head of Humanitarian Campaigns said:

“The figure of 51.2 million people forced from home is a brutal reminder of the human cost of this new era of conflict that the world finds itself in today.  We can no longer afford to let innocent people pay the price for this alarming lack of peace and security.

“Governments across the world must take this figure as a wake-up call and make a concerted push for peace as well as contributing funds to a severely overstretched aid system.  At the same time, aid agencies also have a role to play in making the aid they give effective and value for money at a time when so many people urgently need help.”

Last year Oxfam reached six million people with life-saving aid. Oxfam is working in some of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies, including Syria, South Sudan, Central African Republic and it now has a team on the ground in Iraq.