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The World Bank and International Monetary Fund need to ditch the ‘trickle down’ economics of the past and lead the fight against inequality if they are serious about the new target to end extreme poverty by 2030.

Investors are targeting the world’s weakest-governed countries to buy land, according to new analysis published by Oxfam to mark today’s international day of action on land grabs.

After decades of underinvestment, governments in Africa are turning to partnerships with donor aid agencies and large companies or investors to develop the agriculture sector. But this so-called ‘mega’ public-private partnerships are unproven, risky and represent a dubious use of public funds to fight poverty and food insecurity. 

The devastation being wrought by typhoon Hagupit must break the stranglehold of complacency that has gripped the first week of climate negotiations at COP 20 in Lima, Peru said international relief organization 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.

Former UN Human Rights Commissioner and Irish President, Mary Robinson, a vocal advocate for a People’s Vaccine has joined calls of 174 former world leaders and Nobel laureates for a patent waiver at the international level. This was prompted by news that US President Biden is considering supporting a proposal at the WTO that would temporarily suspend Covid-19 vaccine patents. 

A group of over 100 millionaires and billionaires from nine countries published today an open letter to government and business leaders, calling for permanent annual wealth taxes on the very richest to help reduce extreme inequality and raise revenue for sustained, long-term increases in public services like healthcare. 

Today European leaders met in Brussels to agree an EU climate and energy package up until 2030.Leaders decided to curb C02 emissions by at least 40%, increase the amount of renewable energy in the mix to at least 27%, and set a non-binding target to reduce energy demand by at least 27%. In response to the announcement of the deal, Natalia Alonso, Oxfam’s Deputy Director of Advocacy…

The leadership of a handful of countries is masking the failure of the majority to deliver on their overseas aid promises, said Oxfam today in response to the publication of new figures for overseas aid spending by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  “While total cash flows have plateaued, overseas aid has, yet again, fallen in real terms over the last year and less of this money is finding its way to the poorest and most vulnerable…

EU finance ministers have today adopted the first EU blacklist of tax havens. The list includes 17 mostly small countries. The EU has also published an additional grey list of countries that currently qualify as tax havens, but have promised reforms.Reacting to the news, Aurore Chardonnet, Oxfam EU policy advisor on inequality and tax, said:“It is disturbing to see mostly small countries on the EU blacklist, while the most notorious tax havens got away on the ‘grey list’.“It seems the EU’s pressure has obliged some of the most notorious tax havens like…