COVID-19

In reaction to the reprehensible attack that killed 13 civilians, including children, in the north of Yemen yesterday, Oxfam and seven other international agencies working in Yemen strongly condemned the attack.

In reaction to the postponement of the Sahel donor conference, which was due to take place on 18 June, Oxfam together with Action Against Hunger, CARE International, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Save the Children, warned of a "hunger pandemic" in the Sahel on top of multiple crises, particularly as a result of COVID-19, conflict and the onset of the lean season.  24 million people (included children) are already in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

This report describes some of the work that Oxfam International has done so far around the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Three months into the crisis, we have reached over 4.5m people and aim to reach 14m people by raising €100m. 

West Africa is struck by the coronavirus pandemic, as much by the virus itself as it is also struck by the impacts of measures put in place by governments to prevent the virus from spreading among the most vulnerable populations. But the region has a major asset: its youth who, in times of crisis, has chosen to mobilize and be part of the solution.

Recent funding gaps and other challenges in Yemen will put an additional estimated 5.5 million people in the war-torn country at risk of losing access to life-saving aid, such as food, cash and clean water this year, Oxfam and 23 international humanitarian NGOs said today, ahead of the Virtual Yemen Pledging Conference.

“The pharmaceutical industry’s attempt to rubbish the World Health Organisation’s initiative suggests that they care more for profits than people’s health," said Anna Marriott, Health Policy Manager for Oxfam, in response to the World Health Organisation’s call for governments to back a voluntary scheme to share trial data and patents relating to vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus.

Today, the European Commission presented a coronavirus crisis recovery package for the EU.

More than a million women and girls in Burkina Faso are facing increased sexual violence, hunger and water shortage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on top of the existing conflict, said Oxfam today.

Coronavirus is threatening us all. With each day, in every family, community and country, more of us are being personally affected by it. To beat the pandemic and avert harm to the lives of billions we must work together. We need to act across all countries and for every person. Fighting for some but not others is not an option. It only fuels risk for us all.