COVID-19

Almost one million Rohingya people in the world's largest refugee camp are facing the added threat of a cyclone as the first cases of Covid-19 are confirmed, Oxfam warned today. The Cyclone, which looks likely to form off the coast over the weekend, could bring further suffering and destruction to the camps on top of a potentially devastating health crisis.

"In lieu of global cooperation and solidarity, pharmaceutical companies are being empowered to act as kingmakers ―deciding who lives and who dies― and using this new-found power to extract subsidies and potentially high prices for new COVID-19 vaccines," said Oxfam today in response to reports that French pharmaceutical company, Sanofi, will prioritize the US for any new COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 140 world leaders, experts and elders have made an unprecedented call for guarantees that COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, tests and treatments will be provided free of charge to everyone, everywhere.

Vaccinating the poorest half of humanity —3.7 billion people— against coronavirus could cost less than what the ten biggest pharmaceutical companies make in four months, Oxfam said today. 

Since 2015, the crisis in Burkina Faso has continued to deteriorate. A committed woman living in a dramatic security context, Naomie Ouedraogo Bicaba is shaking up traditional thinking to make her contribution to the return of peace. With the coronavirus pandemic, peace is more than ever a question of survival in the country.

Iraq is a fragile state with 4 million people still in need of humanitarian assistance and the coronavirus pandemic is likely to exacerbate vulnerabilities. In light of this, Oxfam’s work is more crucial than ever. Along with our partners, we work closely with local authorities and communities, as well as supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, vulnerable workers in the informal sector in the Horn East and Central Africa region have been hit hard and are being pushed on the edge of poverty. Read the story of Atsede, a mother of two, working as a vegetable street vendor in Ethiopia and fighting every day to bring food for her children.

The coronavirus outbreak is currently occupying the entire world - and requires prudent action. But good crisis management requires more than just scientific research. It also requires political and social responses. Feminism has already developed the ideas that can now close the gap of inequality which becomes even more obvious in times of crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread suffering in rich countries, overwhelming some of the best healthcare systems in the world. But with the disease now spreading to many countries with high levels of poverty and inequality, its impact could be catastrophic and disproportionally affect women. Urgent action is needed now.

The Coronavirus crisis could result in a catastrophic loss of life in poorer countries and push half a billion more people into poverty. This week, the G20 finance ministers, the IMF and the World Bank can offer an instant lifeline – by cancelling all external debt payments for 2020. This could save $40 billion immediately and support almost 500 million of the world’s poorest to survive this crisis.