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More than $2.2 billion worth of arms and ammunition have been imported since 2000 by countries operating under arms embargoes, according to new figures released today by international humanitarian agency Oxfam.

Global sales of ammunition are worth more than $4 billion and are growing at a faster rate than trade in guns, yet there is virtually no regulation in place to control where the bullets end up.

Delegates from over 190 governments meeting at the UN-led Commission on the Status of Women this week in New York have the chance to take a critical step against the global scourge of violence against women.

The termination of the grain deal between Ukraine and Russia is mostly portrayed as hurting poorer countries. However, United Nations figures on the grain deal show that only 2.5 percent of the grain was destined for countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan, countries ravaged by conflict and climate change. Slightly more prosperous countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Tunisia and Bangladesh received 17 percent. Europe and China got most of the cake. The question is to what extent the grain deal has really improved the availability and affordability of food in the world's poorest countries, and in reducing hunger. As it turns out, while nearly 800 million people worldwide still go to bed hungry every day, the reach of the grain deal has been limited. Food-deficit countries ultimately benefit more from supporting small farmers and developing local food markets.

Pressure is piling on the G20 to lead a global push to increase taxes on the richest citizens back to past levels that most people believe were fairer and more useful for society. 

In response to Johnson & Johnson's and Novovax release of Phase 3 Trial results of their respective COVID-19 vaccines, Niko Lusiani, Senior Advisor with Oxfam America, said:  “Today marks yet another hopeful achievement in the fight against the coronavirus. Thanks to tireless scientific efforts, and funding from taxpayers like you and me, these two new vaccines could help turn the corner in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed that the virus is mutating is only reinforcing the need for mass-produced vaccines available to everyone, everywhere, as soon as possible." 

Today, the European Parliament voted through a non-binding report on the European Commission’s proposal to implement the deal on a global minimum tax at the EU level. EU Finance Ministers are expected to vote on a final agreement next Tuesday, 24 May. 

The shipping industry can do more to tackle climate change and raise billions of dollars to help poor countries cope with its devastating impact. A major meeting of the IMO – the international shipping regulators – is starting in London today.

The European Union’s suggestion today of global public financing worth €22-€50 billion per year for developing countries to tackle climate change falls short of what is needed.

The climate crisis is here – and the richest are fueling it. A fairer, more sustainable future is possible—but only if we make rich polluters pay.