aid

More money is urgently needed to ease the humanitarian suffering in Yemen but aid alone is no substitute for reviving efforts to bring about peace, Oxfam said today as ministers will gather in Geneva tomorrow for a high level pledging event.

The number of people in need as a result of Yemen’s conflict continues to rise, but the international aid response has failed to keep up. Aid alone, however, cannot solve Yemen’s crisis. All sides and their international backers should stop the de-facto blockade and the conflict that are pushing Yemen towards famine.

Aid donors increasingly seek to inject private-sector resources into development by ‘blending’ official development assistance (ODA) with private finance. There is little evidence of the development impact, and projects often do not align with country ownership, transparency and accountability.

This briefing note presents a preview of key findings from Oxfam-commissioned research in Lebanon and Jordan and concludes that for assistance to succeed in its aim of helping both refugees and poor host communities there is a need for increased democratic ownership, transparency and accountability in donor and government aid policies. 

One month since famine was declared in two areas of South Sudan, it is a race against the forthcoming rains to save lives Oxfam warned today. 

On 4 February 2016, the international community agreed on a ‘comprehensive new approach’ to address the Syria crisis at the London Conference. Nearly one year on, this report sets out what needs to be done to ensure that people’s lives are positively and measurably impacted by the funding disbursed so far.

Gaza's dairy sector has been severely damaged by Israel’s separation policy, blockade and three rounds of hostilities. However, there are opportunities for the sector to grow and reduce its dependence on external markets.

“This is great and sorely needed news at a time when the world faces a sobering set of challenges," said Nick Galasso, interim head of Oxfam International's Washington office.

"The outcome of the Nairobi summit signals a renewed commitment to development effectiveness that is critical to ending poverty. Rich, donor countries must get behind this agenda, not undermine it, especially as our world faces huge, unprecedented humanitarian challenges," said Oxfam International's executive director, Winnie Byanyima. 

At a time of great need, aid and other forms of development cooperation are at risk. Representatives from donor countries and developing countries alike will meet at the end of 2016 to discuss the way forward. The direction they take has the potential to affect millions of lives, for better or worse.