United Nations

Oxfam welcomed a groundbreaking new report on access to medicines published today by a High Level Panel of the United Nations and called for the UN to work with governments to implement its recommendations without delay. 

The disappointing outcome document for the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants has today been adopted as a UNGA Resolution. It falls far short of what is needed to address the global displacement crisis or protect people on the move.

In response to reports that the UN has reviewed the participants of Yemen's conflict blacklisted in last week's UN report on Children and Conflict, Oxfam said: "It appears that political power and diplomatic clout have been allowed to trump the UN's duty to expose those responsible for the killing and maiming of more than a thousand of Yemen's children."  

UN report is yet more fresh evidence that countries such as the UK and US should halt reckless arms sales to all participants of Yemen’s war.

El Niño is a crisis of global proportions, seriously affecting 60 million people around the world, yet it is not getting international attention and there remains a huge funding gap of nearly $1.8bn. The appointment of Mary Robinson and Macharia Kamau as Special Envoys for El Niño by the UN is an encouraging step.

This global tax platform represents a step in a long road towards building a fairer and more transparent global tax system. The platform must be able to deliver tangible results and combat inequality, but most importantly, it must give the poorest countries a voice.

Oxfam today expressed deep concern about recent events that could exacerbate Western Sahara tensions and put the region on the brink of armed conflict. These developments include the expulsion from Western Sahara of 73 civilian peacekeepers. Parties must work to resolve 40-year-old conflict.

The fifth year of the Syria conflict has been the worst yet for people as warring parties have continued to wreak havoc, increasingly block aid and place more communities under siege.

Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima says she is “honored” at her appointment by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the first-ever High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

In response to the publication of the UN Secretary General's report ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit, Oxfam deems the focus on political solutions correct as the humanitarian system is overwhelmed.