Climate finance action plan can set table for Paris deal, says Oxfam Lima, Peru – All countries must use the COP 20 Summit in Lima to resolve the impasse over “climate finance,” and make success possible at the critical Paris talks in December 2015, says Oxfam. In a new report, Breaking the Standoff, Oxfam details…

Number of billionaires doubles since financial crisis as inequality spirals out of control Rising inequality could set the fight against poverty back by decades(1), Oxfam warned today as it published a new report showing that the gap between rich and the poor is undermining poverty eradication efforts. Extreme inequality is bad for democracy, security, women,…

In a battle against the clock, with less than two months left in the window to curb the spread of the virus ravaging Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, there is still a crippling shortfall in military staff to provide the logistical support that is desperately needed. This includes building treatment centres, providing flights and both…

For immediate release More needs to be done to stop the spread of Ebola Oxfam is warning that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa will not be contained unless more is done to prevent new infections. The UN is planning to tackle the illness by treating people already infected with the disease, tracing their contacts…

DescriptionJoin the Oxfam BC team and commemorate World Food day with a Pailwalker. A Pailwalker is a walk in solidarity with the countless women and girls worldwide who walk a minimum of 6km a day to get water. WHEN : Saturday, October 18th at noon until we finish our 6km walk WHERE : Gathering point in front…

International agency Oxfam is planning to triple its Ebola prevention programme in Sierra Leone  Oxfam will be significantly stepping up its water and sanitation supply to Ebola treatment centers and community care centers, supply of hygiene materials and boosting its mass public information campaign. Oxfam has already helped over half a million people by providing water…

Today, more than 120 world leaders, corporate leaders and representatives from civil society met in New York for the UN Climate Summit. Created as a platform for international and national commitments to tackle climate change, the collection of announcements offered a limited approach to addressing the urgent threat of climate change. In response to this…

(Ottawa) Today, the Humanitarian Coalition launches a national joint appeal to raise funds for public health and disease prevention efforts in West Africa. This latest outbreak of the Ebola virus has so far infected more than five thousand people, with confirmed cases resulting in more than 2,500 deaths. Centred in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea,…

Ban Ki-moon Climate Summit at risk of failing to help stop climate change making people hungry (New York, Sept 19): The cost of weather-related disasters in the five years since global leaders last met to discuss climate change is almost half a trillion dollars ($490 billion) – three times more than for the whole of…

While OECD countries reduce inequality by more than 35% through taxation and social spending, in Latin America and the Caribbean this reduction is less than 10%. The global development organization Oxfam calls on the governments of the region to take appropriate measures to maximise the redistributive impact of the tax system and increase social investment.…

A billion-dollar flagship scheme to support private sector-led health care in Africa is bypassing poor people and concentrating instead on high-end urban hospitals catering mainly for the rich. Oxfam says that the “Health in Africa” initiative, run by the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) – the private sector arm of the World Bank Group – is…

Western and other rich countries should step up their efforts to resettle Syrian refugees, Oxfam said today after the number registered with UNHCR reached three million.[1] Urgent action is necessary in order to respond to a growing regional crisis caused by increasing displacement, insufficient aid and over-burdened infrastructure in neighboring countries, Oxfam added. Approximately 5,000…

Israeli and Palestinian leaders must seize the opportunity of the new ceasefire to end the violence once and for all. Lasting peace for all civilians will only be possible if Israel permanently lifts its restrictions on Gaza’s economy and people, Oxfam said in a new report today. “Recent history must warn everyone that this ceasefire…

Oxfam welcomes Kellogg’s climate action commitments following public pressure Kellogg today became the second global food giant to say it will take industry-leading steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions in its agricultural supply chains in line with climate science. This is in response to actions by more than 238,000 supporters of Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign.…

Statement from Anthony Scoggins, Director of International Programs for Oxfam Canada:  Oxfam Canada is in the news today – on the radio, television and even trending on social media channels. This flurry of public and media interest has flowed from a request from the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) for Oxfam to modify our "purpose as a charity" on papers filed…

Overcoming inequality and slowing global warming are imperative for achieving a world free from poverty and suffering, says an Oxfam report released today. “Making it Happen: Oxfam’s proposals for the Post-2015 Framework” comes ahead of the UN’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG) meeting in September. As the era of the Millennium Development…

Energy security, climate change and the global economy were among the main topics the G7 leaders addressed during the Brussels summit, but Oxfam says what’s needed is a stronger steer from leaders. Energy security and climate change Today G7 leaders backed the Rome G7 Energy Initiative adopted by their ministers last month, and stressed the…

Ahead of the World Economic Forum on Africa May 7-9, Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima said “inequality will endanger progress in Africa. Africa's precious resources must benefit ordinary Africans.” She said Africa’s economic profile was “schizophrenic”, with sharp growth occurring while stubbornly high numbers of people remain locked into poverty. The result is ballooning…

OECD’s current tax action plan is flawed because it excludes poorest countries The G20’s plan to tackle corporate tax dodging, devised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), needs a radical shake up so that developing countries can capture their fair share of foreign business activity, according to a new report published today…

The High Level Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation Meeting in Mexico to strengthen efforts to fight poverty has ended with renewed commitments to improve aid and cooperation—but it has also highlighted the slow start of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. “The High Level Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation Meeting in Mexico City was…

Global wealth inequality threatens economic and social viability Following Oxfam’s January report revealing that just 85 people owned the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population, Forbes has updated its “billionaires’ list”, showing that extreme inequality has worsened – just 67 people at the top now own half the wealth. Ray Offenheiser,…

Climate change could push back the fight against hunger by decades but our global food system is woefully unprepared to cope with the challenge, said Oxfam today.  The warning comes as governments gather in Japan to agree on a major new scientific report, which is expected to show that the impacts of climate change on…

Ottawa – On March 8, 2014 a dynamic group of local, national and international organizations will host the Feminist Games – an International Women’s Day celebration in Ottawa at the Library and Archives Canada. Over 400 people are expected to move to the sounds of DJ Jas Nasty, sample local treats and refreshing beverages and celebrate…

The G20 must take necessary steps to reform the international taxation system to stop wealthy tax dodgers, beginning at its Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting this weekend (22-23 Feb) in Sydney. Oxfam says that billions of dollars are lost each year in tax loopholes and avoidance. This gap must be plugged. Much of…

Bamako, Mali: Ahead of the Sahel Appeal to be launched by the United Nations on the 3rd February 2014 in Rome, 11 humanitarian agencies warn that northern Mali is set to face another serious food crisis unless funds are rapidly mobilized. More than 800,000 people need immediate food assistance, and across the country three million…