Oxfam calls for radical change in way world deals with ever increasing numbers of people at risk of calamity   Governments and aid agencies have to tackle the politics and power at the heart of the increasing effects of climate change, rising inequality and people's vulnerability to disasters according to a new report published today by international agency Oxfam.   The report, No Accident: Resilience...

Poor countries are cutting back spending on agriculture and health due to the global economic crisis, according to a new report launched today. Despite poor countries' efforts to overcome the crisis by increasing their own revenue-raising efforts, less than 1 in 5 countries are spending the recommended level on agriculture and only 2 of 5 are spending what the World Health Organisation recommends on health.  Although...

International donors must help Mali to rebuild its ability to govern itself and stop its slide into economic ruin if it is to "win the peace" following the French-led military intervention, says Oxfam. The international aid agency publishes a report today called "Mali: A New Development Contract", as donors meet in Brussels to discuss their plans for the country's future. Marietou Diaby,...

In response to the announcement today from International Development Secretary Justine Greening that the UK will stop giving direct aid to South Africa in 2015, Oxfam's head of Development Finance & Public Services, Emma Seery, said: "Whilst South Africa should be in a position to fund its own development, there remains widespread poverty and inequality so UK aid is still a lifeline for poor people. "Today, UK...

Refugee numbers in neighbouring countries steadily climb The world risks failing the people of Syria as the scale of suffering increases and the humanitarian fall-out from the crisis worsens by the day, warned aid agency Oxfam today.  With nearly 7 million people in need of humanitarian help inside Syria, the organisation is calling on the UN Security Council to help improve humanitarian access by using...

Responding to the opening statements of Christine Lagarde and Jim Kim at the Spring meetings, Emma Seery, Oxfam spokesperson, said:    "We welcome the recognition by the IMF and World Bank that more needs to be done to help the poorest. It is no use low-income countries being on the economic fast track if the poorest don't get the benefits.   ...

Responding to the fall in poverty revealed by the Global Monitoring Report, Emma Seery, Oxfam spokesperson, said:   "The dramatic fall in extreme poverty shows this is a fight that can be won. But we should be under no illusions about the size of the task ahead.   "The sharp increase in the number...

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund need to ditch the 'trickle down' economics of the past and lead the fight against inequality if they are serious about the new target to end extreme poverty by 2030, Oxfam said today. The international agency called for concrete commitments to reduce inequality and said that the Bank's desire for 'shared prosperity' was worryingly...

  In a new report published today, international agency Oxfam says that the aid community needs to fundamentally change the way it deals with food crises in the region and help communities to better prepare for recurring emergencies.  The 2012 humanitarian response to the food crisis in the Sahel was bigger and better than previous crises, but millions of people still missed out on vital assistance, and remain vulnerable today,...

As thousands of Syrians continue to flee conflict every day, seeking safety in neighbouring countries, British aid agencies who are responding to the refugee crisis warn that the refugees risk being cut off from help as they seek shelter in Jordan's towns and cities.  According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan live in urban areas, outside of formal camp settings.  Aid agencies say...