A report published today by the Select Committee on international development has urged the UK government to increase funding to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and to do all possible to commit funds earlier than 2013.
Oxfam’s head of development finance, Anna Marriott, said: “We urge the UK government to listen to the findings of this report and commit to doubling the amount of money they give to the Global Fund. This funding should enable the Fund to strengthen national programmes and health systems to fight these three deadly diseases.
Hundreds of thousands of poor people will go without life-saving medicines and many more children will miss out on school because of the first cuts in global aid since 1997, Oxfam warned today as the OECD published its annual report showing how much donors give to poor countries.
Oxfam said the figures showed the importance of the UK sticking to its commitment to meet the target of giving 0.7 per cent of national income in aid next year. The OECD’s figures show a surprise fall in UK aid of $100m in real terms or 0.8 per cent between 2010-11.
This briefing papers describe some of the lessons learned from two recent experience-sharing events: i) a visit to Niger (and Mali) organised by Oxfam GB and USAID for government and NGO representatives from Ethiopia, Uganda and Somaliland; and ii) the 'making rangelands secure' learning route to find effective and sustainable solutions that support the different land uses in dryland areas.
Lessons from Borana, Oromia and Harshin, Somali Regional States, Ethiopia
This Study on Ethiopia's Land Fragmentation in the drylands of the Horn of Africa and its effects on pastoral resilience. This is having a highly negative impact on pastoralism as an effective production system in these predominantly drylands areas,and increasing the vulnerability of those who rely on pastoralism for their food and livelihood security.
Organization Name Independent consultant
Author Name Fiona Flintan , Boku Tache and Abdurehman Eid
The European Union (EU) has launched a €2.2 million programme to support farmers dealing with olive and olive oil production in the occupied Palestinian territory including Area C. The project will improve the livelihood and food security of poor rural families by supporting both the institutional development of the Ministry of Agriculture in creating a business-conducive environment in the sector and producers along the whole olive and olive oil value chain.
New bombing raids and a build up of troops along the border of Sudan and South Sudan over the past few days threaten to escalate what is already a significant humanitarian crisis in the newest country in the world.
Almost six months of conflict along the border is affecting 1.4 million people, but this new escalation threatens to force more people from their homes and cause yet more devastation for ordinary people, Oxfam said.
As rains continue to lash the flood ravaged Sindh province in Pakistan, international aid agency Oxfam warns of a severe risk of a public health crisis if clean water and sanitation is not urgently provided. According to the National Disaster Management Authority more than 100,000 adults and 500,000 children are at risk of contracting diseases if the international community does not provide immediate assistance.
Oxfam supporters in England donated £100 million to Oxfam in a single year
New figures released by Oxfam today reveal that last year people in England donated £100 million* for the charity’s work fighting poverty worldwide.
These figures come on the same day that Oxfam teams up with PayPal to bring back the groundbreaking 100% giving initiative, first launched in February. This sees PayPal covering the running costs on every donation made to the charity via PayPal in September, giving generous people in England a chance to push their pound even further.
Boeing 747 freighter carrying Oxfam and UNICEF cargo flies from Stansted
British Airways is flying a relief aircraft full of emergency supplies and equipment to East Africa, where over 12 million people are at risk from famine, disease and drought.
(Port au Prince) - Oxfam has launched an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct against a small number of Oxfam Great Britain staff in Haiti. Staff members have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, which is expected to be completed by September.
Oxfam GB Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said, “Oxfam never tolerates misconduct by our aid workers. We will take forceful and immediate action pending the outcome of the investigation.
Understanding how gender relations shape women’s and men’s lives is critical to disaster risk reduction (DRR). This is because women’s and men’s different roles, responsibilities, and access to resources influence how each will be affected by different hazards, and how they will cope with and recover from disaster. Unequal power relations between women and men mean that, despite the incredible resilience and capacity for survival that women often exhibit in the face of disaster, they also experience a range of gender-specific vulnerabilities.
Actress Kristin Davis has been visiting the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya with Oxfam, to see the devastating impact of the drought. More than 10 million people are facing desperate food shortages in the worst food crisis of the 21st century.
8 July 2011, Rome - From mega-emergencies, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the floods in Pakistan, to headline-grabbing humanitarian crises, such as the conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire or Libya, the international community has stepped up to help those impacted by disaster and tragedy over the last few years.
Unfortunately, "slow-onset" humanitarian crises, such as the worsening drought in the Horn in Africa, have not received the same attention, leaving millions of women, men and children vulnerable to devastating hunger and malnutrition.
Oxfam’s Alun McDonald reports from the Toghdeer region of Somaliland:
For years the villagers of Waridaad have sat and sipped cups of sweet, milky tea in Khadija Acoil’s wooden teashop. There they take a break from work, escape the burning midday sun, and chat about the latest village news.
Adan Kabelo, the head of Oxfam GB’s work in Somalia, writes from Lower Juba in southern Somalia, where a devastating drought and ongoing conflict has left people facing starvation:
On the edge of Dobley town, there are hundreds of desperate people. Crowded together in makeshift shelters under the bare branches of acacia trees, they have come from all over southern Somalia – by foot and donkey cart – to try and cross the border into Kenya. Some have walked for two weeks to get here, and hundreds more people arrive every day. All of them have virtually nothing to eat.
The latest UNHCR registration figures (14/6) for refugees in Liberia are 50,928 individually registered and 137,093 influx-emergency registrations (no change from last sitrep).
The EHAP for Liberia is 45% funded ($65.9 million out of $147 million requested). Pledges and contributions to the CDI EHAP are now at $45.4 million or 25% of the requested $179 million. Trends over the last month would indicate that funding is slowing down.
Oxfam GB is operating in the counties of Maryland and Grand Gedeh. As of 14 June, Oxfam is supporting over 12,700 refugees with essential water, sanitation and hygiene activities, and has reached 10,200 Liberians in host communities with seeds and tools and seed protection ration (food) distributions.
Oxfam’s regular monitoring processes have found financial irregularities in an Oxfam programme for flood relief in Sindh, Pakistan.
Oxfam takes transparency and accountability extremely seriously. As a result, an independent, external financial investigation is currently taking place. Oxfam will not be making any further financial commitments until the investigation has been completed.
Oxfam GB is operating in the counties of Maryland and Grand Gedeh. As of 2 June, Oxfam is supporting over 12,000 refugees with essential water, sanitation and hygiene activities, and has reached 10,200 Liberians in host communities with seeds and tools and seed protection ration (food) distributions.
