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As many as 12,000 people could die per day by the end of the year as a result of hunger linked to COVID-19, potentially more than could die from the disease, warned Oxfam in a new briefing published today. The global observed daily mortality rate for COVID-19 reached its highest recorded point in April 2020 at just over 10,000 deaths per day.

The European Parliament’s compromise in capping the share of biofuels made from food crops at 6 per cent of the EU’s energy demand in transport by 2020 is disappointing, Oxfam said today.

As the Annual Meetings of the World Bank kick off in Washington this week, Oxfam welcomed the focus on inequality, but urges top officials at the institution to align their words with their actions if they are serious about combating inequality and poverty. 

Oxfam warned today that millions of people in East and Central Africa, already suffering due to flooding and the impact of coronavirus, are at risk of increased hunger and poverty as the region braces for the latest generation of locusts which are due to hatch in June ―just when crops are to be harvested.

In response to the COP28 decision to advance the establishment of a loss and damage fund, Lyndsay Walsh, Oxfam’s Climate Policy Advisor, said: “After 32 years of pressure and 27 COPs, we finally have a loss and damage fund. Despite the shortcomings in its structure, this is a very welcome step towards supporting people recovering from the severe and irreparable consequences of climate-fueled disasters. However, this isn’t the end of the journey."

The World Bank continues to steadily increase support for privatized education in lower-income countries despite mounting evidence that this approach is freezing out poorer children ―especially girls― and doesn’t mprove education quality. Oxfam’s new report "False Promises" says the Bank should immediately stop promoting Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) that expand private education.

Following the abuses revealed in the Panama Papers, world leaders attending the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week must seize the moment to take decisive action and help end the era of tax havens, said Oxfam today.

Oxfam India is providing humanitarian assistance in the form of non-food items such as fleece blankets as well as dry food rations to the flood affected and shelter-less and coordinating its efforts with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and through its partners in the affected areas.

Two rapid assessment teams have arrived in the two small southern Vanuatu islands hit hardest by Cyclone Pam to rapidly assess exactly what survivors of the disaster need.

One month after Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, water remains a high priority, with small islands dependent on rainwater most in need, Oxfam said today.