Rachel Schaevitz

Already more than 1,000 migrants killed or missing in the Mediterranean in 2017

April 25, 2017

Already more than 1,000 people have been reported dead or missing in 2017 while trying to cross the Mediterranean in search for a life in safety and dignity, figures published today by two UN agencies show. Also today, the European Court of Auditors has criticized appalling gaps in the EU’s ‘hotspot’ approach for receiving migrants.

In response, Oxfam International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy and Campaigns, Natalia Alonso, said:

On the death of migrants in the Mediterranean:

“The people who try to reach Europe are often desperate in their search for a life in safety and dignity for themselves and their families. For many, risking their lives in unseaworthy boats is the only option to escape violence, disasters and poverty.

“So far, EU member states have relied on shutting down their borders. But this does not stop people from looking for safety, dignity and a better life. On the contrary, the lack of safe and regular routes to reach Europe pushes many to rely on smugglers and increases the suffering of people.

“EU member states must expand safe and regular alternatives for people in need, so they are not forced to risk their lives in search of safety and dignity.”

On the Court of Auditors report:

“The suffering of migrants does not stop with the dangerous sea crossing. This new report confirms how many people, are forced to live in inadequate conditions, with children’s welfare in many cases put at risk. Oxfam’s own research in Greece and Italy has shown how people in ‘hotspots’ are caught in legal limbo and confusion, with their basic human rights being trampled on.

“EU member states must rethink their approach to managing migration, moving away from detention and harsh conditions to providing fair and transparent asylum procedures, decent accommodation and better access to basic services such as healthcare.”

Notes to editors:

Per the latest update of the UN refugee agency UNHCR on 25 April, 1,092 people have died or gone missing this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean in search for a life in safety and dignity.
The ‘Missing Migrants’ project of the International Organization for Migration has recorded 1,089 migrants dead or missing per 25 April.
Oxfam, together with IRC and NRC, has exposed the sometimes horrific situation of migrants on Greek islands, many of them living in EU ‘hotspots’.
An Oxfam report on Italy showed last year that EU ‘hotspots’ have been operating without a clear legal framework, shutting people out of the asylum system and leaving them stranded and even more vulnerable.
Europe is also failing refugee and migrant children arriving through Italy, an Oxfam report exposed in September 2017.
Read more about Oxfam’s work with refugees and other migrants in Europe and across the globe.

World Bank & IMF must recommit to combating climate change, inequality

April 18, 2017

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund cannot allow political and economic shocks to hijack their ambitions to combat climate change and curb inequality, warned Oxfam.

In the wake of the growing wave of populist and nationalist sentiment, both the president of the World Bank and the managing director of the IMF have defended economic growth through international trade and pushed for new partnerships with the private sector.

Oxfam urges the Bank and the IMF to use these Spring Meetings to encourage sustainable, inclusive development through policies which tackle climate change, reduce inequality, and lift poor communities.

“Millions of lives are in danger of starvation; the world is feeling the effects of climate change; staggering wealth inequality is trapping people in poverty. The Bank and the IMF need to stand firm in the face of strong political winds and help the world find solutions to these huge challenges, “said Nadia Daar, the head of Oxfam International’s Washington office.

Oxfam is especially concerned over the looming and unprecedented threat of four famines, affecting about 30 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen. Oxfam International’s executive director, Winnie Byanyima, is finishing a mission to Nigeria and South Sudan, and will be attending the Meetings later in the week to ask the international community for urgent help.

The severe food insecurity and malnutrition in Somalia is partly due to a severe drought worsened by climate change. On top of this, news reports indicate the Trump Administration could decide this week whether to remain a part of the Paris Agreement. The global community should not only defend the Agreement, but speed up its implementation.

“The world celebrated a remarkable moment of unity with the Paris Agreement; we need to build on it, not break it down. We’re counting on leaders at the Meetings to double down on climate action,” said Daar.

Oxfam will also challenge and outline the risks of the Bank’s aggressive new emphasis on making development projects “commercially viable.”

“We’ve seen how poor families get left behind when the Bank turns to for-profit, low-fee schools,” said Daar. “Kim has to explain how the Bank will make sure their work with the private sector really helps communities, not just private investors.”

In past Meetings, IMF chief Christine Lagarde has spoken out against inequality and supported initiatives to crack down the abuse of tax havens by wealthy corporations and individuals.

“If the IMF wants to talk about growth, then it must also encourage big businesses and the rich to pay their fair share and discourage a global ‘race to the bottom’ on corporate tax,” said Daar. “Lagarde has to keep pushing for stronger international cooperation on taxes; otherwise, the world economy will remain hopelessly skewed in favor of a small handful of wealthy elites.”

US companies stashing $1.6 trillion off-shore

April 12, 2017

The 50 biggest American companies, including global brands Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, GE, Chevron, Wal-Mart, and Apple, stashed $1.6 trillion of US-based profits offshore – $200 billion more than the previous year – according to a new report by Oxfam.

High risk of cyclone hitting Vanuatu: Oxfam monitoring

April 8, 2017

Oxfam is closely monitoring after a cyclone warning was issued for Vanuatu, as numerous provinces brace for damaging gale-force winds and flooding.

Brussels Conference is latest international event to fail the people of Syria

April 5, 2017

Five international organisations working on the Syria crisis – Oxfam, CARE International, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children – have called for more international action as world leaders met in Brussels at a conference to discuss the Syria crisis. Ministers, international organisations, and humanitarian workers discussed supporting Syrians inside the country and those who have crossed the border to become refugees.

On Idlib: Yesterday’s appalling attack on civilians in Idlib shows the ongoing horror for people inside Syria and lays bare the mirage of the nominal ‘ceasefire’. People in Syria need more than the words of concern and condemnation which we heard today – there must now be an immediate impartial investigation into the attack, and parties responsible must be held to account. The long line of atrocities against civilians in Syria must be brought to an end. The attack is an urgent wake-up call that shows why talk of returning refugees to Syria is at best premature, and in fact outright dangerous.

On aid: Last year in London, governments made unprecedented pledges to support refugees and Syria’s neighboring countries, and provided additional and multiyear funding to deal with the crisis. The follow up at Brussels has not matched this yet, and we expect pledges to be significantly lower than last year.

Governments had the opportunity today to build on the commitments at London, to provide the legal protections refugees need, better education opportunities, and decent work for millions in neighboring countries, as well as increase humanitarian and development funding to help make this a reality. Rich countries had the opportunity to show solidarity and share responsibility for refugees by increasing resettlement and other admissions. Practically, none of these opportunities were taken.

London was an important first step, at Brussels the international community stood still.

On participation of Syrian and national organisations: Syrians and Syrian organisations deliver the bulk of the assistance inside the country, often at great risk to themselves and their families. Yet they have to a large extent been prevented from meaningfully contributing to the conference preparation and deliberations. The EU’s new Syria strategy announced recently recognises the importance of an increasingly threatened Syrian civil society for the future of the country. But the EU needs to practice what it preaches, and this conference was a major missed opportunity.

On reconstruction: After years of heavy bombardment and deadly clashes, Syria will need massive support for reconstruction, so the international community is right to be thinking to the future. How this happens, and when, is of critical importance. International support should be conditional on a political solution being agreed, respect for human rights and protection of an independent civil society. Absent these conditions, a move towards reconstruction assistance risks doing more harm than good.

Five million refugees: a quarter of Syria’s population fled across the borders

March 30, 2017

Oxfam and three Syrian organisations called on the international community meeting in Brussels next week to recommit support to Syrians forced to flee, as more than five million Syrians — or a quarter of the country’s pre-war population — have crossed the border and registered as refugees in neighbouring countries since 2011.

‘Syria, a country rich with history and traditions, is haemorrhaging its population, its medical workers, engineers, teachers, farmers. If the world doesn’t act immediately to pressure warring parties to stop the bloodshed, protect civilians, and give Syrians a chance to return home and rebuild their lives in a country at peace, we will have lost all our humanity,’ said Dr. Abdolsalam Daif, Turkey Country Director for Syria Relief and Development (SRD).

While half of the total pre-war population of 22 million have had to flee their homes, a quarter has crossed into Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq, in an attempt to look for safety. When broken down, that is an average of 2,500 people crossing the border every day for the past five years.

‘When people talk about refugees, they imagine UN run camps. The reality is only 10 percent of Syrian refugees live in camps. The overwhelming majority are in informal settlements established on agricultural land in Lebanon, in cramped flats in Jordan, and in housing with basic necessities in Turkey. They need jobs, education and healthcare. They need to be able to access services and markets, to contribute to the communities hosting them, and not strain overstretched societies. This can only happen if we all — donors, local authorities, national and international humanitarian agencies — step up our joint efforts,’ said Dr. Ahmed Tarakji, Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) President.

Though Syria’s neighbours have further restricted their borders since 2015, the relentless fighting and dim hopes of peace continue to force Syrians out of their war-torn country, either by being smuggled into Lebanon at the risk of their own lives, or living in limbo in makeshift camps at the Turkey and Jordan borders with little to no humanitarian aid available.

“It is inexcusable that some of the richest countries in the world are turning their backs on Syrians forced to flee from bloodshed. A staggering 5 million Syrians are now refugees – more than the total population of countries such as Ireland or New Zealand.

“The international community seems intent on watching on as millions of people are stuck between the rock that their country has become and the hard place that exile offers them. Oxfam calls on rich countries to show their support for Syria’s neighbours that have welcomed these refugees and to resettle at least the most vulnerable 10 percent most of Syrian refugees by the end of 2017,” said Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International Executive Director.

“Despite all the attempts to seal Syria’s borders, this sad milestone shows how desperate people are to flee the violence and persecution in the country. The international community can’t just pretend everything is ok and start sending people back to danger because it is politically convenient,” added Byanyima.

Organisations such as SAMS and SAWA for Aid and Development (SAID, Sawa Foundation) are providing support to refugees in Syria’s neighbouring countries. SAMS organises medical and surgical missions to the region to provide healthcare to Syrians. They also support psychosocial programmes, such as art and play therapy, treatment of anxiety and speech disorders in children, as well as the psychological wounds of victims of arrest and torture.

SAID aims to improve the living conditions of refugees in need in Lebanon by providing them with material, logistical and psychological support and helping them become self sustainable and independent. Sawa is present in 16 informal settlements in Lebanon and fully supports 20,000 refugees.

SRD provides health care, shelter and protection services, food and non-food items, and higher education to people inside Syria. The organization has distributed over 34 million dollars worth of aid to over 2 million Syrians to date.