Guatemala

With funds equivalent to just 2.9 percent ($35.7 billion) of their combined annual military spending, Group of Seven (G7) countries could help end world hunger and solve the debt crisis in the Global South, reveals new Oxfam analysis ahead of the G7 Summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy.

Ten of the world’s worst climate hotspots – those with the highest number of UN appeals driven by extreme weather events – have suffered a 123% rise in acute hunger over just the past six years, according to an Oxfam report published today.

As COVID-19 exposes vulnerabilities in the global food system, a new Oxfam report highlights the power of the world’s top ten food and beverage companies to create more equitable and sustainable supply chains that can help lift millions of food producers out of poverty and fuel economies. The comprehensive report, “Shining a Spotlight” assesses how companies have delivered on commitments made during Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign to implement stronger sourcing policies that impact climate change, land rights and women’s empowerment. 

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. 

Millions of people in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, already hit by damage from last month’s monster hurricane Eta, are now facing an even bigger crisis from Iota, a category five hurricane that made landfall overnight on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

Oxfam began delivery of humanitarian aid in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala to help those most affected by flooding and strong winds caused by Hurricane Eta, the most devastating weather phenomenon to hit Central America since 1998. Thousands of people are still stranded on the roofs of their homes or in elevated areas as rescue operations are very slow.

Oxfam expresses its profound sadness and condolences to Cecilia Mérida and the communities of Huehuetenango in Guatemala for the death of Rubén Herrera, a community leader, human rights defender, activist, and friend of many. 

"The IFC can’t simply wash its hands of responsibility for upholding its own policies. There must be reparations for the damages caused," said Christian Donaldson, Oxfam International’s Senior Advisor on International Financial Institutions, in response to he publication today of an independent investigation into a hydroelectric dam project in Guatemala that found the International Financial Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector arm, was negligent in preventing harm to indigenous communities.

Oxfam has expressed its concern for the vulnerable situation faced by the over 5,000 migrants who at this moment are walking in caravan through Central America towards the border with the United States.

More than 12,000 people have evacuated from their homes due to the eruption of Volcán de Fuego, which continues to spew fresh torrents of lava and rocks, thick ash and clouds of smoke. The official death toll stands at 99, but at least 197 people remain unaccounted for.