The Swedish development agency Sida has announced their decision to go ahead with a new three year humanitarian partnership with Oxfam. The €10.2 million partnership arrangement will ensure over 280,000 people in more than five countries will receive critical humanitarian aid.
Franc Cortada, Program Director for Oxfam International, said: “This funding collaboration will allow us to reach hundreds of thousands of people in humanitarian need. It will enable us to reach more people in emergencies as well as responding to ‘forgotten’ crises in countries like Western Sahara and Central African Republic, while supporting people forced from their homes by violence in countries like Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oxfam is grateful for its longstanding partnership with Sida, which has already helped millions of people in poverty and crisis.”
Sida had postponed the decision on the partnership to take time to review Oxfam's policies and practices around safeguarding.
“We have been working closely with Sida to respond to its concerns. We have opened our books and shared our commitment to root out sexual abuse wherever it occurs and we are absolutely determined to protect the communities we support, and our staff and partners," said Cortada.
Notes to editors
In a statement on Sida's website yesterday, Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, director of Sida's humanitarian aid said:
"We immediately contacted Oxfam and requested information about what measures they had taken since these events [Haiti 2011] took place. Oxfam has been able to show that they have strong rules and routines that works in practice. This decision is very important for the hundreds of thousands of people who get help from Oxfam. Fundamentally Oxfam is a good organization that does an impressive job. We know that they take these issues seriously."
Humanitarian funding from Sida for the next three years will allow Oxfam to respond to the crisis in Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo and Iraq, as well as people affected by sudden onset emergencies.
Contact information
Robert Höglund, Oxfam in Sweden: +46 722 49 88 22 | robert.hoglund@oxfam.se
For updates, please follow @Oxfam
In a statement on Sida's website yesterday, Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, director of Sida's humanitarian aid said:
"We immediately contacted Oxfam and requested information about what measures they had taken since these events [Haiti 2011] took place. Oxfam has been able to show that they have strong rules and routines that works in practice. This decision is very important for the hundreds of thousands of people who get help from Oxfam. Fundamentally Oxfam is a good organization that does an impressive job. We know that they take these issues seriously."
Humanitarian funding from Sida for the next three years will allow Oxfam to respond to the crisis in Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo and Iraq, as well as people affected by sudden onset emergencies.
Robert Höglund, Oxfam in Sweden: +46 722 49 88 22 | robert.hoglund@oxfam.se
For updates, please follow @Oxfam
