New coalition formed to address low wages in the tea industry
A new coalition of tea companies, non-governmental organisations and certification organisations said today that systemic problems are locking-in low wages for tea workers. The coalition is committed to working with other key stakeholders, including tea producers, governments, retailers and trade unions, to find a solution. A new report, Understanding Wage Issues in the Tea…
Read MoreOxfam calls for improved humanitarian access to Syria as needs escalate
Refugee numbers in neighbouring countries steadily climb The world risks failing the people of Syria as the scale of suffering increases and the humanitarian fallout from the crisis worsen by the day, aid agency Oxfam is warning. With nearly 7 million people in need of humanitarian help inside Syria, the organization is calling on the…
Read MoreOxfam reaction to the Savar building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Oxfam country director in Bangladesh, Gareth Price-Jones said: “The Savar tragedy is a reminder of the hidden cost of cheap clothes. Controversy surrounding the garment industry is well-documented and in Bangladesh there have been some improvements in recent years. In 2010, the government raised the monthly minimum wage from 1662 takas (less than $22) to…
Read MoreMondelēz International agrees to address women’s inequality in chocolate production
The biggest chocolate maker in the world, Mondelēz International, has agreed to take steps to address inequality facing women in their cocoa supply chains following pressure from consumers as part of the international aid agency Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign. Today’s announcement by Mondelēz International comes on top of commitments last month by Mars and…
Read MoreColdplay and Oxfam Launch Crowdsourced Video to Demand an End to Landgrabs
The injustice of land grabs is highlighted in a pioneering new crowdsourced film featuring thousands of Coldplay fans, Oxfam activists and others, including rock band Wolf Gang and actor Dominic Cooper, star of Mamma Mia and Captain America. The campaign video was launched today by Coldplay and Oxfam. The film shows people from Argentina and…
Read MoreIn the wake of 2012 food crisis, Oxfam calls for radical shift in efforts to tackle hunger in the Sahel
The aid community needs to fundamentally change the way it deals with food crises in the Sahel region and help communities to better prepare for recurring emergencies, Oxfam says in a new report. The report, Learning the Lessons, says the 2012 humanitarian response to the food crisis in the Sahel was bigger and better than…
Read MoreSyrian refugee crisis appeal
Some 1.3 million refugees have fled violence in Syria into neighbouring countries since the onset of conflict in March 2011 and four million have been displaced inside Syria itself. Oxfam and other agencies are working tirelessly to provide services to the constant influx of new arrivals. United Nations and relief agencies are experiencing a funding…
Read MoreOxfam calls on Canada to sign and ratify the landmark Arms Trade Treaty
Following an overwhelming vote at the United Nations, Oxfam called on the Canadian government Tuesday to quickly sign and ratify the Arms Trade Treaty in Parliament. The landmark vote today at the United Nations for the first-ever global arms trade treaty sends a clear signal to gunrunners and human rights abusers that their time is…
Read MoreLandmark generic medicines victory
Oxfam hails ruling for putting human rights before excessive profits. The Indian Supreme Court's ruling against a patent protection petition filed by multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis is a huge victory for public health, says Oxfam. The court has “put public health before commercial profits” by dismissing the Novartis application to patent the anti-cancer medicine Glivec,…
Read MoreArms Trade Treaty within sight though Iran, Syria and North Korea block consensus
Call on Canada to vote for treaty at General Assembly and sign on without delay Campaigners expressed their ‘immense frustration’ with the consensus process after Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea blocked agreement Friday of the Arms Trade Treaty. Despite a courageous last minute attempt by Mexico,…
Read MoreOxfam food company campaign delivers win for women cocoa farmers
After more than 60,000 people signed petitions and took action to urge chocolate companies to do the right thing for women cocoa farmers, Mars and Nestlé have today made commitments to begin to tackle the inequality, hunger and poverty faced by women in their cocoa supply chains. Mondelez International, which controls 15% of the global…
Read MoreFinal text of Arms Trade Treaty needs radical changes
If the Arms Trade Treaty is to save lives, the draft text must be radically changed, Oxfam and other campaigners said Monday. The text going into the final week of negotiations falls short of what the majority of member states demanded, and looks like a deal cooked up largely by major exporters, the Control Arms…
Read MoreCIDA, Foreign Affairs merger and budget cuts jeopardize poverty reduction goal of aid
Canada's contribution to reducing poverty in developing countries will be undermined by the proposed merger of the Canadian International Development Agency and Foreign Affairs department, Oxfam Canada said Thursday. Reacting to the federal budget announcement, Oxfam said the merger raises concern that the allocation of aid will be driven by Canada's self-interest in foreign policy,…
Read MoreSyrian Refugee Crisis
In just six months, the number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration with the United Nations refugee agency has increased from 120,000 to one million. Jordan and Lebanon have had the greatest influx of refugees, and Oxfam is working in both countries to support people who have had to leave their homes in search…
Read MoreOxfam Canada Aid to Mozambique
Oxfam Canada is contributing $45,000 in emergency donations for relief in the region of Mozambique most severely damaged by recent floods. Thanks to members of the United Steelworkers in Canada for their generous $20,000 donation. The support will go to Oxfam programs designed to help farmers plant crops and to minimize the risk of cholera…
Read MoreA last push for an effective global arms trade treaty
Next week the world’s diplomats convene in New York to hammer out the final details on a global treaty to keep weapons and ammunition out of the hands of criminals, abusive regimes, and others who would misuse them. It is painfully obvious why the Arms Trade Treaty is needed. The steady supply of weapons from…
Read MoreUrgent call for tighter rules on arms trade in final treaty
Oxfam report cites loopholes which must be closed to save lives Oxfam Canada urges the Canadian government to ensure the global Arms Trade Treaty is a robust agreement that covers ammunition and closes loopholes to save innocent lives. A new Oxfam report details loopholes that must be closed in final negotiations. “Canada has achieved its…
Read MoreTime for an action plan to end violence against women
by Michèle Taïna Audette and Robert Fox Many women around the world live in daily fear of violence. In South Africa, every six hours a woman is killed by her partner. In Guatemala, two women are murdered on average daily. In Canada, thousands of women suffer serious physical assaults by their current or former partners…
Read MoreMars, Mondelez, Nestlé are leaving women farmers behind
On International Women’s Day Oxfam urges chocolate companies to address gender inequality in their supply chains. An investigation into four countries where Mars, Mondelez and Nestlé purchase cocoa has shown that many women farmers face discrimination, unequal pay and hunger, leaving the companies’ social policies exposed as weak and needing work, says international agency Oxfam.…
Read MoreKey UN women’s conference must act to end violence against women
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, said international aid agency Oxfam. The agency said the two-week conference must go beyond discussing agreements made some 20…
Read MoreSyria crisis spiraling out of control: flood of refugees overwhelming aid effort
Aid money pledged must be quickly released to address urgent needs, says Oxfam Syria’s humanitarian crisis is spinning out of control, leaving relief agencies overstretched and struggling to cope with a massive surge in refugee numbers and with promised funds still yet to arrive on the ground, warns international aid agency Oxfam. Some 5,000 refugees…
Read MoreYes, the G8 still matters
Yes, the G8 still mattersThis year the G8 can begin the end of world hunger by Ben PhillipsOxfam Campaigns Director In the nineteenth century, many families fled to Canada from the Irish Famine, and many of those who couldn't make it ended up in mass graves like one in Ardess, Fermanagh, whose stone tribute reads…
Read MoreTen biggest food and beverage companies failing millions of people who grow their ingredients
The social and environmental policies of the world’s ten biggest food and beverage giants are not fit for modern purpose and need a major shake-up, says international agency Oxfam. The “Big 10” food and beverage companies – that together make $1 billion-a-day – are failing millions of people in developing countries who supply land,…
Read MoreLand investors targeting poorly governed countries to avoid red tape, warns Oxfam
Investors are targeting the world's weakest-governed countries to buy land, according to new analysis published on Oxfam's international day of action against land grabs Thursday. Oxfam's GROW campaign is calling on the World Bank to lead the fight against land grabs. The analysis reveals that over three quarters of the 56 countries where land deals were…
Read MoreOxfam Expresses Support for Idle No More
Oxfam Canada stands in solidarity with Idle No More, and with all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples working peacefully to implement treaty and other indigenous rights. Oxfam welcomes the transformative leadership exercised by women and youth within the Idle No More movement. Canadian treaties were negotiated to establish the foundation for a lasting, peaceful…
Read MoreSituation for Malian refugees set to worsen as fighting escalates
The aid effort to help over 147,000 Malian refugees could be overwhelmed as conflict escalates, unless there is a significant shift in the way aid operations are carried out, international agency Oxfam warned today. With aid agencies already struggling to meet all refugees' basic needs, Oxfam says it is extremely concerned about the conditions faced…
Read MoreOxfam calls for civilian protection and humanitarian access as Mali conflict escalates
International aid agency Oxfam is extremely concerned that the recent intensification of fighting in Mali, which includes the intervention of French military, could worsen restrictions on humanitarian access and lead to a significant increase the humanitarian needs of populations across the country and in neighbouring states. Oxfam calls on all military forces in the country,…
Read MoreWinnie Byanyima appointed to lead Oxfam International
Winifred (Winnie) Byanyima, a grass-roots activist, human rights advocate, senior international public servant, and world recognized expert on women's rights, has been appointed Executive Director of Oxfam International – a role that provides strategic direction and coordination for the worldwide confederation of Oxfam affiliates. Ms Byanyima has held roles that reinforced the governance of the…
Read MoreFragile progress in Haiti three years on, but more needs to be done
Three years after the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January 2010, hundreds of thousands of people are still living under tents and tarpaulins and the country and its people continue to be very vulnerable, international agency Oxfam warned today. “Thanks to the determination of the Haitian people and their government, and the generosity and…
Read MoreCampaigning for Positive Changes for Indian Women in 2013
Campaigning for Positive Changes for Indian Women in 2013 Oxfam India strongly condemns the brutal sexual assault and subsequent death of a young woman in Delhi and calls for an immediate systemic response to the increasing trend of violence against women in the country. It also calls for broader reforms around women’s empowerment through concrete…
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