Press releases

Next week, Members of the European Parliament will vote on a report that paves the way for the EU to require companies to protect human rights and the environment in their global value chains by law. MEPs must back this report.

In response to the Virtual High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Situation in Yemen, Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen said:  “Donors’ pledges to Yemen fall woefully short of what is desperately needed. Torn apart by six years of brutal conflict, with two thirds of the population reliant on food aid to survive, and thousands facing famine, Yemen desperately needs a ramping up not a reduction in aid." 
 

Responding to a press release issued by the G20 Presidency today signalling support for a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), Nadia Daar, Head of Oxfam International's Washington DC office, said: “After nearly a year of deadlock and pandemic, Oxfam is encouraged that the G20 is paving the path toward an issuance of International Monetary Fund (IMF) SDRs to boost global liquidity".  

In reaction to the UNFCCC NDC Synthesis report launched today, Oxfam's Global Climate Policy Lead, Nafkote Dabi, said: “Today’s report findings are appalling. The combined climate plans submitted account to a dismal 1% emissions reduction, far below the 45% reduction needed to limit global warming below 1.5 degrees, and avoid disastrous impacts on vulnerable communities."
 

After almost five years of deadlock, EU governments in the Council finally backed new EU rules on corporate tax transparency today. The proposal requires multinationals to publicly report on what profits they make, how much tax they pay, and where they pay it.

In reaction to Israel’s announcement to sending surplus vaccines to the Czech Republic, Hungary, Honduras, and Guatemala, Oxfam in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Acting Country Director Dina Jibril said: Israel’s deal to exchange surplus vaccines for UN votes and embassies, while the vast majority of almost 5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are left to wait for the potentially life-saving vaccine is shameful and shortsighted. 

Commenting on the 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen, said: “The number of Yemenis in need is truly overwhelming, but we must remember that behind each of these statistics, there is a story of individual human suffering. 

Max Lawson, Oxfam Head of Inequality Policy, responds to the G7’s limited progress on ensuring poor countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines, Max Lawson, Oxfam Head of Inequality Policy.

Nadia Daar, Head of Oxfam International's Washington DC office, responds to the World Bank’s announcement today that it has appointed Mr. Makhtar Diop as the new CEO of its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Nearly two out of every five families in Yemen buy food and medicines using debt, according to Oxfam research published today.