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Oxfam Aotearoa welcomes landmark UN vote to seek ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change

Oxfam Aotearoa congratulates Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) on their successful campaign to put the world’s Governments’ responses to climate change before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Oxfam Aotearoa’s climate justice lead Nick Henry said: 

“Well done to the New Zealand Government for standing with the Pacific at the UN today on Vanuatu’s resolution. This is what we want to see from our government. 

“To put this into perspective, the last comparable opinion was in 1996, when, after a long campaign from civil society, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion on nuclear weapons that was critical to nuclear disarmament and keeping the Pacific nuclear free. 

“The world’s governments, especially in rich countries, must urgently take stronger action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop the climate crisis getting worse. A strong opinion from the ICJ would help to hold governments to account on their obligations to act.” 

Spokesperson for PISFCC Solomon Yeo said: “Today we celebrate four years of arduous work in convincing our leaders and raising global awareness on the initiative. We commend the undying support of our Pacific civil society organisations, communities, and youth who, without their support, we would not have ventured this far.  

“The adopted Resolution is a testament that Pacific youth can play an instrumental role in advancing global climate action. This further solidifies why young people’s voices must remain an integral part of the process. Now the first stage is over, we look to join hand in hand with governments and partners in bringing the world’s biggest problem to the world’s highest court.” 

Oxfam Aotearoa and NZ Centre for Environmental Law says it looks forward to engaging with the government on its written and oral submissions to the court to make sure the Advisory Opinion sets clear expectations for states to act with urgency to stop the climate crisis.  

 

Notes: 

  • The UN General Assembly has voted to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on ‘the obligations of States in respect of climate change’. The resolution asks the ICJ to clarify the obligations of states to take effective action on climate change, as well as the consequences under international law for states that fail to act.
  • Here is the UN resolution text.

New offshore oil and gas permit a betrayal of the Pacific

“We’re deeply concerned to learn that just as Pacific leaders have launched a call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, the New Zealand Government has decided to grant a new fossil fuel exploration permit,” says Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry.

“This announcement makes a mockery of New Zealand’s commitment to climate action. It’s unthinkable that in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, the Government is taking action that reverses our progress on reducing climate pollution from fossil fuels. 

“The latest IPCC report has reiterated what we already knew: that even just burning the fossil fuels in known reserves would put us beyond 1.5 degrees of warming. We simply cannot go out looking for more. 

“Our government must stand with the Pacific and immediately end all oil and gas exploration on land and at sea. We call Minister James Shaw to endorse the Port Vila Call and demonstrate that we are a meaningful ally for climate justice.” 

Notes: 

Oxfam response to NZ Government’s announcement of an ETS review

In response to the NZ Government’s announcement of an ETS review, Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry said:

“The Government must urgently end fossil fuel production and stop pretending we can plant our way out of the climate crisis. Our government must set a clear direction for a just transition away from fossil fuels by ending all licensing of exploration for oil, gas and coal. While there is a role for pricing carbon emissions, we also need to see stronger government leadership to urgently phase out fossil fuel production. In addition, Government should negotiate with iwi and support a transition to nature-based solutions that restore native forests and wetlands as carbon sinks.

“This week’s IPCC report showed the urgent need to make deep cuts to carbon emissions to keep global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees. But a recent assessment from Climate Action Tracker showed New Zealand’s climate action is Highly Insufficient – just one step above their worst possible rating. If all countries followed New Zealand’s approach, we’d be on track for 3 or even 4 degrees of warming.”

Oxfam Aotearoa supports a review into the role of plantation forestry offsets in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme. Oxfam says it would like to see the Government prioritise equity in the review, including for iwi and Māori landowners who hold significant forestry assets.  

Popular NZ fashion brands get 5 star rating from Oxfam

Today Oxfam Aotearoa launched the world-famous campaign, What She Makes. The campaign is about asking fashion brands to pay the women overseas who make our clothes a living wage.

Oxfam Aotearoa engaged with four New Zealand founded brands, Glassons, Hallenstein Bros, Kathmandu and Macpac, and two international brands H&M and Lululemon. Today Oxfam released the results of the first step in the process: a credible commitment towards paying workers in their supply chain a living wage.

Glassons, Hallenstein Bros, and Macpac came out on top with a 5 star rating. H&M received 4 stars, Lululemon received 3 stars and New Zealand brand Kathmandu received 2.5 stars.

Oxfam Aotearoa’s What She Makes Lead Tracy Decena said:

“We want to create a race to the top between fashion brands – starting with a real, credible public commitment towards paying the women overseas who make their clothes a living wage. It’s encouraging to see New Zealand founded brands leading the race. Even though some brands did better than others, we want to acknowledge that every brand made some progress. Yet, there is much more to be done, and you can bet we’ll be there supporting and pushing these brands towards the end goal.

“The women making our clothes often work up to 12 hours a day and then extra overtime, but because they make as little as 65 cents an hour, they don’t have enough money for decent housing, food or healthcare – let alone any savings. We are working to change this.

“We encourage our supporters, fashion lovers, and anyone who believes poverty can be a thing of the past to join us by signing the pledge and demanding fashion brands to do better.”

 

The What She Makes Brand Tracker

For rating and rationale head to https://www.oxfam.org.nz/what-she-makes-brand-tracker/

Our ask of New Zealanders

Oxfam Aotearoa will be asking Kiwis to let brands know they want them to do better, and to stand with the women who make their clothes. They can start by joining the campaign and signing the pledge through: https://www.oxfam.org.nz/what-she-makes-sign-the-pledge/.

Our ask of the brands

The What She Makes campaign calls on clothing brands that sell clothes here in Aotearoa New Zealand to make sure the garment workers in their supply chains are paid a living wage. Oxfam Aotearoa will work with six brands: Glassons, Hallenstein Brothers, H&M, Kathmandu, Lululemon, and Macpac. We asked them to take the first step of their living wage journeys: commit to paying workers in their supply chain a living wage. We’ll work with the brands to get them to there, and publish their progress (or lack of progress) regularly.

Oxfam reaction: NZ wins Fossil of the Day award at COP27

Fossil of the Day award


Climate Action Network International has awarded the New Zealand government the
Fossil of the Day award at COP27 for opposing an agreement to establish a loss and damage finance facility this year. 

This comes less than a week after the Government repurposed $20 million of its existing climate finance for adaptation and mitigation, for loss and damage. 

Oxfam Aotearoa’s climate justice lead Nick Henry said: 

“This is one award not to be proud of. Our government blocking urgently needed action on loss and damage is frankly not what we expect from a government that says it’s at the leading edge of loss and damage funding.  

“Our government should be standing with Pacific nations at COP27 who are calling for a global fund to address the loss and damage they are experiencing due to climate change. This is a global problem that communities on the frontlines are experiencing right now. A decision is needed now, not in a year.”  

Oxfam in the Pacific’s project coordinator in Vanuatu George Koran says that it is indigenous communities who suffer from rich governments’ inaction: 

“We see the impacts of climate destruction across the Pacific, in Vanuatu and now even in Aotearoa. People in the most vulnerable situations, those who do not have the capacity to adapt, suffer the consequences. The New Zealand Government say they understand the urgent need for loss and damage funds, and yet, we are not seeing any real action. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul – we need new and additional funding from our neighbours to fight this crisis.” 

Henry said: “We call on the New Zealand Government to back-up their acknowledgement that loss and damage needs funding by supporting a new loss and damage finance facility. This will help ensure that finance to address loss and damage is accessible and sustained and is delivered in accordance with the principles of climate justice. New Zealand can pledge our $20 million allocation to the new facility.” 

ENDS

 

 

Aotearoa top 10 in global inequality index, but tax system’s inequality impact 136th

Oxfam Aotearoa communications and advocacy director Dr Jo Spratt said about the Commitment to Reducing Inequality index:

“The inequality index shows Aotearoa is doing pretty well overall, but there is still work to be done. The fact that rich and poor countries alike have exacerbated an explosion of economic inequality since the outbreak of the pandemic from 2020 is unacceptable.

“Billionaire wealth and corporate profits have soared to record levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, while over a quarter of a billion more people could crash to extreme levels of poverty this year because of coronavirus, rising global inequality, and the shock of food price rises supercharged by the war in Ukraine.

“Tax is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inequality. It is disappointing to see New Zealand’s tax system contributing to the gap between the rich and poor. Especially in these extraordinary times, tax is crucial to boosting government resources to support welfare systems and public services.

“An excess profits tax on supermarkets could be used to support the poorest households most hit by the increase in food prices. Excess profits and windfall tax revenues can help tackle the biggest challenges of our times like the explosion in inequality and the climate crisis.”

The 2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRI Index) is the first detailed analysis into the type of inequality busting policies and actions that 161 countries might have pursued during the first two years of the pandemic.

New Zealand ranks eighth overall, and seventh in the world on tax progressivity. The index found that New Zealand’s tax system is effective at collecting revenue; however, this comes at a cost as New Zealand’s tax system makes a direct contribution to an unequal income distribution. On this, New Zealand ranks 136th in the world. Oxfam says the Government has made some progress since 2020 by slightly increasing the top income tax rate, but needs to do more by taxing wealth and exploring better ways to tax corporate profits.

The table below shows New Zealand’s ranking on the key indicators that make up the CRI. 

INDICATOR

RANK

PUBLIC SERVICES

 

Education spending 

98

Social protection spending 

35

Health spending 

9

Public service spending average of indicators 

14

Public service implementation 

18

Public service impact on inequality (Gini) 

33

Progressivity of public services 

22

 TAX

 

Tax policy 

91

Tax productivity 

3

Tax impact on inequality (Gini) 

136

Progressivity of tax 

7

 LABOUR

 

Labour rights 

74

Women’s labour rights 

29

Minimum wage 

35

Labour policy average of indicators 

50

Coverage of labour rights 

36

Wage impact on inequality (Gini) 

53

Progressivity of Labour Legislation 

35

 OVERALL RANK

 

Commitment to reducing Inequality 

8