Syria crisis: Funding urgently needed to provide assistance to over 1.4m Syrian Refugees   With temperatures set to soar up to 40˚C in the coming weeks, international agency Oxfam has warned that the warmer weather will increase health-related risks for Syrian refugees.  The aid agency says the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, women and young children, are already facing serious health risks due to...

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,...

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...

  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,...

In reaction to commitments made by G8 Foreign Ministers to address the issue of sexual violence in conflict, Oxfam acting-CEO, Penny Lawrence said:   "We welcome the G8's commitment to addressing the issue of sexual violence in conflict and putting the issue firmly on the global agenda.  Women worldwide suffer unimaginable violence as a result of persistent inequalities and beliefs that leave them exposed...

Jordan's water supply system, already under severe strain, is being stretched to the limit by the large influx of refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, warn two of the British aid agencies who are members of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which is responding to the refugee crisis.  Jordan, one of the most water-poor countries in the world, is currently hosting more than 363,000 Syrians who have fled conflict in their...

A serious food security crisis is developing in the Gao region of northern Mali due to a shortage of cereals on the market, rocketing food prices and restricted access, warned international aid agency Oxfam today. In a recent survey conducted between January and February 2013 in the circle of Bourem, an area in the Gao region where Oxfam carries out programmes, the agency found that up to 80 per cent of adults have reduced their...

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 are fleeing Syria every day, 36 per cent more than...

A framework for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to be signed today, will fail to end the suffering of millions of people in the east of the country unless concrete actions are now taken to ensure leaders stick to the deal and tackle key issues of land, ethnicity and development, international agency Oxfam said today. The agency said the agreement is a positive step at a critical moment, but falls short of what is needed...

Fears new fighting may be on the horizon after tens of thousands displaced in Jebel Amir gold-producing area    KHARTOUM - Tens of thousands of people who have fled fighting in the largest displacement in Darfur in recent years face a severe shortage of clean water and sanitation services, Oxfam warned today. The agency called for a key road to be opened and for authorities to allow a full assessment of needs by humanitarian aid agencies...