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Latest Land Grabs Update

dave — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:10:46 +0000

Good news – an independent process has been announced to resolve complaints from communities in Uganda, where people claim they were kicked off their land as a result of a land grab.

Thousands of GROW campaigners have been pushing since October for justice on this issue, which involves the UK-based New Forests Company (NFC) – and this is an important first step in making sure people’s voices are heard. Oxfam welcomes NFC’s agreement to participate. Their sustained engagement will be crucial for the process to work.

What the process means

Towards the end of 2011, communities in Uganda, along with Oxfam, wrote to the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (or CAO) about the impacts of the land grab.

Why the CAO? Well, they handle complaints from communities affected by investments made by the International Finance Corporation (or IFC) – the World Bank’s private sector arm. And the IFC invests in a fund which has a stake in NFC.

This means that an impartial, independent body will now spend time reviewing the situation in detail, before proposing an agreed way forward.

And that’s an important first step towards justice for thousands of people in Uganda.

What happens now

As soon as more details emerge about the results of this process that we are able to share, we’ll post them here.

Because land grabs are one of the major issues GROW campaigners around the globe are determined to tackle.

And together, we really can make a difference.

African Nations Cup stars join Oxfam to avert food crisis

lisa — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:04:19 +0000

On the eve of the 2012 African Cup of Nations, more than 25 footballers including Seydou Keita from Mali, Charles Kaboré from Burkina Faso, Demba Bâ from Sénégal and Lawali Idrissa from Niger have spoken out in solidarity with millions of people facing hunger across their region. They are appealing to the international community to work together so that “We CAN avert a major food crisis”.

Mali and Barcelona football star Seydou Keita added: “If we act now we could save the lives of women and children who are always the first victims of food crises. If we act urgently, millions of children will be saved from malnutrition and will have the chance to grow healthily and to succeed at school.”

National teams from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal, are all determined to lift the cup for their supporters back home. They have called on governments and the international community to show equal determination to help protect millions currently threatened by a looming food crisis across the Sahel region, including over one million children threatened with severe malnutrition.

Footballers from these national teams have been photographed and recorded videos with the international agency Oxfam and its network of partner organisations which will be aired throughout the tournament calling for an early response to the coming crisis.

The region has seen poor rains in 2011, causing a 25 per cent drop in harvests compared with 2010, and pushing up food prices – almost doubling in some of the hardest hit areas. In some countries such as Mauritania, Chad and Niger, people are already been on the move months earlier than expected, and pastoralists are looking for new pasture for their livestock.

The region last saw a crisis in 2010, which affected 10 million people. The appeals of the footballers come on the back of statements by political leaders and governments in the region – including those from Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Mali who have promised to develop national emergency plans and have asked for international assistance.

“While the situation in the Sahel is serious, the worst is not yet inevitable if we act swiftly. We know about this coming crisis months earlier than we have in the past, meaning we can act now to save more lives and protect the livelihoods of many more people. This is why we are delighted that footballers across West Africa have spoken out in solidarity with their fellow citizens to call for early action to win the match against hunger”, said Oxfam Ireland Chief Executive Jim Clarken.

Media Contacts
Oxfam Ireland media executive Paul Dunphy on 0879058075.

Zero Hunger Goes Global

dave — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:23:36 +0000

The new head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, José Graziano Da Silva, previously led Brazil’s successful Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) programme. To find out more about this and other Brazilian initiatives, have a read of this Oxfam case study from 2010.

For a discussion on the new appointment, watch this Aljazeera clip, which features contributions from Oxfam’s Duncan Green:

Canada Pulls out of Kyoto

dave — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:46:06 +0000

Just days after the conclusion of the Durban Climate Conference, attention has fallen on Canada following the announcement this week by Environment Minister Peter Kent that Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol.

Minister Kent explained that the decision to do so will save the government an estimated $14 billion in penalties under the terms of the treaty for not cutting emissions by the required amount by 2012. Canada was one of the first countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol but was not on track to meet its legally binding targets.

Canada’s exit from the one existing agreement that legally binds some countries to emission cuts targets is seen as an affront to the nearly one billion people who struggle every day to feed their families in the face of increasingly severe droughts, floods, heat waves and storms.

Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent has announced to the press that Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol.

Enough To Eat: Women Food Producers Tell Their Stories

dave — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:44:08 +0000

As the world celebrates International Human Rights Day, the effects of climate change are undermining the most basic rights of women and vulnerable people in the developing world.

Through the stories featured in Enough to Eat, some exceptional women show us some of the impacts of a changing climate in the Western Cape of South Africa.

No related posts.

Latest News on Final Day of Climate Summit

dave — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:39:49 +0000

It’s here – the last day of the climate negotiations in Durban.

Regardless of the direction things turn, a spin operation from negotiators will be in full force to try to frame the outcome. The finger-pointing has already begun and many are doing whatever they can to avoid the blame-game if a workable agreement looks in doubt.

The hastily organized press conference from the US delegation is an early indication that their team is working hard to push back on the narrative that they have not been constructive parties to the negotiations. Mr. Stern’s vague signals in the direction of support for the EU roadmap yesterday were quickly parsed and promptly rolled-back suggesting nothing has changed in their obstructive stance. But the press coverage last night and this morning suggests that the US efforts served their purpose, at least for a little while.

Texts are rapidly closing and the shape of the agreement is slowly trickling out of the back rooms. Reports suggest that the Green Climate Fund text has been closed and just needs to be officially approved.

The interim secretariat of the Fund is likely to be based in Washington, D. C. at the Global Environment Facility unless things change dramatically over the course of the day. This is a victory for US negotiators who fought hard for this outcome. The key question remains whether ministers can pull a concrete source of finance out of the bag in final hours to ensure it does not kick off as an empty shell. Least developed countries are pushing hard for the fund to start with $30 billion in it. Some reassurance needs to be given now so that there is a clear pathway to fully fill it by 2020.

The critical question today is whether new deeper emission reduction targets are agreed and will apply within the timeframe set by science to avoid climate catastrophe. The US has felt the pushback on the ten-year timeout they pushed from the start of the negotiations, but they still have not recognized the need for new deeper targets before 2020.

Check back later for more…

Last 48 Hours – Tweet a Leader

dave — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:59:13 +0000

The climate negotiations in Durban are stuttering and there’s only 48 hours left.

There is little progress on agreement on the emission reductions needed to keep warming below 2 degrees. There is also a rumbling debate about how to fill the Green Climate Fund.

We need you to urge our leaders along the path to a sustainable planet. Together with Oxfam members across the world you can tweet at a range of the key players at the Durban UN Climate Summit.

So, if you’re on Twitter, here are some suggestions for you to tweet and the reasons why world leaders need to hear your messages:

To @StateDept Stop blocking #COP17 support for shipping pollution charges. Step up or step aside! #GROW OR

To @StateDept Stop blocking #COP17 emissions cutting initiatives. Step up or step aside! #GROW AND

To @SApresident maximise #COP17 presidency. Support shipping pollution charges now to fill the Climate Fund #GROW #southafrica

Increasingly the fate of the talks rests on discussions over the timeline for countries to increase their emissions cuts in line with the overwhelming scientific consensus. In the negotiations there has been a lot of scary talk about doing nothing until 2020 – which gives us little chance of keeping warming under 2 degrees. Large emitters, including the US, are pushing this distressing narrative. With just a few days left of COP17, the stakes are high.

On the financing side, talks are ongoing about ways to fill the Green Climate Fund. One exciting area that is emerging as a genuine possibility is a tax on shipping pollution, called a bunkers tax. We’ve estimated that this could raise in the region of $10 billion a year for the fund. We need to ensure that this makes it to the final agreement.

Take action and tweet the messages above.

There is still plenty of discussion to be had in the final days of COP17. With your support we’ll be fighting hard to secure money for the Climate Fund and more action on emissions reductions.

Countries Prepare Their Blindfolds in Durban

dave — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:47:30 +0000

Oxfam’s Conor Costello reports from Durban as the second week of climate negotiations continue:

Saturday 3 December was not a normal day for the population of Durban, South Africa. A climate march wound around the streets of the centre as somewhere between 10, 000 to 15000 people called for – in fact demanded – action on climate change. They brought the city to a colourful, vibrant and peaceful standstill.

Walking with, and sometimes carrying our gorgeous puppets – Mama Mhlaba (Zulu for Mother Earth) & Baba Manzi (Father Water) – I saw groups as diverse as the Rural Women’s Assembly and the Airport Workers Union marching side-by-side. All for the same ultimate goal – climate justice through urgent, fair and effective action on climate change.

Sadly however, it seems like our governments are not listening. As we enter week 2 of the negotiations here in Durban, there are very real fears that countries are blindfolding themselves to the reality of climate change. It seems like some powerful countries – led by the USA – are preparing to call a decade long ‘timeout’ on climate action. They want to have no new targets to lower emissions, or agreement on a legally binding deal, until 2020. This isn’t good enough.

Having said all this, it is important to remember that people are taking action on in their everyday lives. The amazing women we’ve met through the Rural Women’s Assembly, the farmers, artists and activists who travelled on the Caravan of Hope, along with millions of others, aren’t waiting for our leaders. The march on Saturday was a noisy reminder that people aren’t going to sit idly while our leaders close their eyes to climate realities.

To stay up to date with developments, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

VIDEO: Climate March in Durban

dave — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:33:42 +0000

Over the weekend, thousands of people took part in a peaceful march in Durban to demand action on climate change:

Weekend in Durban

dave — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:39:41 +0000

As the climate negotiations in Durban approach the weekend, check out this video showing how women in South Africa are already adapting to the effects of climate change: