hunger

The emergency response in Haiti is at a standstill following nearly 48 hours of heavy rains. Helicopters are grounded, ships moored and nearly all road access blocked. Oxfam, already responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, is now pushing for more and immediate international support.

The ongoing conflict with Boko Haram in West Africa has pushed the number of people facing the threat of severe hunger to more than 6 million according to the latest assessments, say 15 humanitarian organizations. 

This year’s G20 Summit will raise the stakes for the group to prove itself against growing doubts about its effectiveness – not least for people living in poverty, says Oxfam.

The Malawi government has launched a Humanitarian Response Plan for people affected by drought, but lives could be at risk unless more money is found soon.

As the blockade imposed by Israel approaches its 9th anniversary, it continues to devastate the lives and livelihoods of 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza. This collective punishment keeps people poor, denies them their rights and fails to make Israel safer, Oxfam said today.

The international community must act swiftly and decisively on the Malawi Government’s “declaration of emergency” where people are facing worsening hunger because of El Nino-related drought and country-wide crop failures.

Donors and Southern African governments must act swiftly, collaboratively, and generously in responding to the South African Development Community’s (SADC) announcement of a regional drought emergency triggered by El Nino, warn Oxfam, Save the Children and CARE.

South Africa is facing its smallest maize harvest since 2007 this year as record-high temperatures and drought continue to hit its agricultural sector. According the government’s Crop Estimates Committee, only 7.44 million tons of maize is likely to be harvested in 2016 - that’s 25 percent less than the 9.94 million tons reaped.

Time is running out for ministers meeting in Paris to boost adaptation funding levels by 2020 and agree to set new improved finance targets for both adaptation and emissions reductions from when the Paris deal comes into force in 2020, Oxfam said today.

Oxfam welcomes Pope Francis' message on human rights and justice for sustainable development, delivered at the opening of the historic Sustainable Development Summit in New York.