Press releases

In response to the release of the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian “Peace Plan,” Noah Gottschalk, Oxfam America’s Humanitarian Policy Lead said, “The Trump administration’s proposal isn’t a peace deal - it’s a roadmap to permanent occupation. By legitimizing ongoing rights violations and entrenching existing political divisions, it further dims the prospects for peace. It also undermines any remaining hopes for the United States to serve as a credible broker between Israelis and Palestinians in the future. Oxfam calls on Members of Congress and Presidential candidates to swiftly and adamantly reject this proposal.

Responding to President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos today, Amitabh Behar, Oxfam's representative at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, said: “Don't be fooled by President Trump's glowing self-review.  This was a speech for the billionaires that the President's agenda has propped up at the expense of millions of ordinary Americans."

The world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 percent of the planet’s population, reveals a new report from Oxfam today ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

As the G5 leaders meet at the Sahel Summit in France on 13 January 2020 to discuss their military response to the Sahel conflict, Oxfam and partners warn of insufficient humanitarian aid and protection of civilians.

Oxfam’s humanitarian work in Iraq is restricted due to heightened security concerns, road checkpoints and travel difficulties, following Iranian missile attacks on US military bases in Iraq overnight in retaliation for the US killing of the Iranian General Suleimani.

A day after the devastation wrought by Typhoon Phanfone (local name: Ursula), which made seven landfalls mainly in Central Philippines between December 24 until the afternoon of December 25, development agency Oxfam and its partners say there is an urgent need for humanitarian assistance.

On 22 December, at around 1am, Oxfam’s office in Al Dhale’e was hit by two RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades). One hit the roof, while the other hit the office gate. Neither of the guards on duty were injured and there were no other staff present. The offices of several other agencies in Al Dhale’e were also targeted at around the same time.

In reaction to recent developments at the UN Security Council regarding the cross-border resolution for Syria, Oxfam said:

“The UN Security Council failure to renew the cross-border resolution puts the lives of millions of Syrians at risk.  Families in great need, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times during the crisis, rely on the aid provided by UN cross-border operations. Without the resolution renewal, there is no realistic way of reaching hundreds of thousands of these families caught in fire, which risks leaving them abandoned at a time of great need.  Members of the Security Council must urgently return to discussions and ensure that all people in need across Syria can get humanitarian assistance in the most effective way possible.”

In response to Israeli military forces destroying a Swedish-funded EUR 53.000 Palestinian water reservoir in Einnoun, east Tubas in the Occupied West Bank, Oxfam Country Director, Shane Stevenson said: “This community has been left devastated, not knowing when the army will return to destroy their final remaining sources of fresh water. 200 families are scared and intimidated by these type of military incursions, which systematically deny Palestinians their basic rights, including the right to water.”

The Global Refugee Forum ended today with refugees making sure that their message to be fully included in all decisions about their futures was heard by world leaders.

Despite real strides taken to include more refugees at the Forum, where they have been represented on high-level panels alongside governments, business leaders, and UN agencies, only 2% of the total 3000 participants were refugees. World leaders must do more to bring real change and uphold their pledges to the 25.9m refugees worldwide.