Press releases

The international community has betrayed the people of Gaza by failing to back their words with effective action to secure the ending of the Israeli blockade which is preventing reconstruction and recovery.

By the fifth anniversary of the 2004 Asian tsunami, 26 December 2009, international agency Oxfam will close the last few remaining tsunami aid projects having helped approximately 2.5 million people.

The UN climate talks must be rescued from the shambles of Copenhagen by revolutionizing the way the negotiations are carried out so that a deal can be delivered in 2010 and the chaos witnessed in Copenhagen is never repeated, said Oxfam today.

As hopes for a legally binding deal faded in the last negotiating hours of the climate summit, Robert Bailey, Senior spokesperson for Oxfam International said: “It is shameful that after two years of blood, sweat and tears, we didn’t finish the marathon on time.

The ‘climate deal’ on the table in Copenhagen today is a triumph of spin over substance says Oxfam International. The deal – which has been announced by the US, India, China and South Africa - has not been endorsed by the EU and many other countries.

As the US, Ethiopia and European Union coalesce around a climate finance package of $100 billion, Oxfam is calling for rich countries to provide at least $200bn a year in new money to help poor countries adapt to a changing climate and reduce their emissions.

Gordon Brown has shown today that the UK is still prepared to fight for an agreement that ensures aid budgets are protected. With safeguards against aid raiding absent from the talks of late, it’s encouraging to see this critical issue back on the agenda.

Oxfam International is heartened by Secretary Clinton’s commitment to significant financial resources of $100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to help developing countries weather the negative impacts of climate change.

November rains that were expected to ease the hunger crisis in East Africa have failed yet again in some of the worst hit areas. Millions of people face at least another six months of hunger and destitution.

Oxfam International warned that world leaders have just two days to prevent failure at the climate talks in Copenhagen – poor countries will not sign a weak deal.