Press releases

Cyclone Yasa landfall in Fiji yesterday, carrying destructive winds of up to 345km/h, heavy rain and storm swells, has flattened homes and left major devastation to roads, and vegetation. More than 600,000 people in the South Pacific island nation are now affected, thousands of which are already in evacuation centers as the tropical storm disrupted access to essential utilities including water supply and sanitation facilities, as well as food.

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” reviewed government programs used to inject additional money to help people and found none of them were adequate to meet everyone’s needs.

Responding to the 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.” 

The news that the Sanofi/GSK vaccine will not be ready until the end of 2021 is a bitter blow for poorer nations. Sanofi-GSK was set to provide nearly one third of COVAX doses – the global vaccine purchasing facility upon which many of the poorest countries depend. 

Today’s proclamation by United States President Donald Trump asserting the sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara undermines ongoing UN led peace processes and denies the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

Over 50 million people are in need of immediate food assistance in the Horn East and Central Africa, with numbers expected to rise significantly as the region braces for harsh, climate fuelled La Niña conditions, said Oxfam today. The warning comes as world leaders prepare to meet for a virtual Climate Ambition Summit.   

Commenting at the close of the EU council meeting where leaders agreed on a new EU 2030 climate target and discussed the EU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Evelien van Roemburg, head of Oxfam’s EU advocacy office said: "The new, more ambitious, EU 2030 target still falls short of what is needed and what is fair. The EU must take urgent practical steps to deliver above and beyond this target."

Oxfam reports every six months against its Safeguarding and Culture Improvement Plan. The latest report covering the period April to Sept 2020 is published today.

The United Nations Environment Programme's 20202 report shows that the over-consumption of a wealthy minority is fuelling the climate crisis, yet it is poor communities and young people who are paying the price.

Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in ten people against COVID-19 next year unless urgent action is taken by governments and the pharmaceutical industry to make sure enough doses are produced.