Press releases

“This declaration is yet another shameless blame-shifting exercise from an industry that has chosen to prioritise obscene profits over human life throughout the pandemic”, said Anna Marriott, Oxfam Health Policy Manager & Policy Co-Lead for the People’s Vaccine Alliance.

Food inflation in some East African countries outstrips the global average leaving millions hungry, while food billionaires increased their wealth by $382bn over the last two years.

In response to the results of the vote on a UN resolution continuing to allow cross-border aid into Syria, Oxfam’s Head of Office in New York, Brenda Mofya said: “The UN Security Council’s decision to renew the cross-border resolution for only six months is deeply disappointing and could potentially leave more than four million people in northwest Syria without the assistance they depend upon to survive when the harsh winter months arrive."

In reaction to FAO’s new “State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2022” report, stating that as many as 828 million people were hungry in 2021, an increase of 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanna Saarinen, Oxfam Food Policy Lead said: “It is deeply concerning that global hunger has been spiralling since 2019 and is now at such devastating levels around the world. This is happening not because of a shortage of food but rather as a consequence of a broken food system further undermined by conflicts, the effects of the COVID pandemic and worsening climate change. 

Responding to news of the $4.5 billion pledge made by the G7 leaders to tackle global hunger, Max Lawson, Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam said:

‘Faced with the worst hunger crisis in a generation, the G7 have simply failed to take the action that is needed. Many millions will face terrible hunger and starvation as a result.’

Less than half (49 per cent) of the 2.1 billion COVID vaccine donations promised to poorer countries by G7 countries have been delivered, according to new figures published today by Oxfam and the People’s Vaccine Alliance.  

As the G7 leaders meet in Germany, crises of extreme inequality, unprecedented food and energy price inflation, accelerated by the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, are converging to create a catastrophe for the world’s poorest people.

The G7 must pursue windfall taxes on excess corporate profits including from those making huge returns from surging food and energy prices. The revenues can be used to fund an end to global hunger and to tackle climate change, says Oxfam.

Today, the European Parliament voted on its position on a carbon border tariff for companies exporting to the EU (the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism). In response, Chiara Putaturo, Oxfam EU Tax expert, said: “Forcing the poorest countries to pay this tariff is unfair. Europeans are responsible for double the carbon emissions as those in the poorest half of the world since 1990. This decision allows rich countries to pass the buck to those least responsible for the climate crisis.

Monsoon rains - the worst in 122 years- have inundated major rivers in northeastern Bangladesh and submerged thousands of houses, impacting 4.3 million people. The worst is yet to come as flooding worsens and access to impacted areas is hampered, warns Oxfam today.e