News releases from Oxfam Ireland http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/index.shtml Oxfam's assessment of the damage of Saturday's earthquake to the south of Chile is now well underway. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/03-04.shtml Oxfam's team of humanitarian workers arrived in Santiago during the early hours of Tuesday morning spearheading the aid agency’s response to Saturday’s devastating earthquake. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/03-02.shtml Details on the impact of the earthquake on Chile are still emerging but Oxfam's emergency response team is now en route and set to arrive in country on Monday. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/03-01.shtml Go on! Go on! Go on! Will you not have a cup of Fairtrade tea! Yes, it’s that time of the year, Fairtrade Fortnight, when we take stock of what’s in our kitchen cupboards and what we buy every day as consumers. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/02-22.shtml World leaders are set to fail their first test on climate change since Copenhagen and put the world on track for almost four degrees of warming, said Oxfam International today, ahead of the 31 January deadline for countries to submit emission reduction targets under the Copenhagen Accord. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/01-29.shtml For updates on Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Appeal and Oxfam's relief work for the people of Haiti, visit oxfamireland.org/news http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/ Oxfam Ireland has today launched an appeal as it geared up its response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The extent of the devastation is still unclear but local officials are reporting a catastrophe of major proportions. Thousands are feared dead, millions are affected, and major buildings – such as the presidential palace – have collapsed. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2010/01-12.shtml Climate campaigners from Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam Ireland and Trocaire today called upon Brian Cowen to make Irelan's voice heard at the global climate negotiations taking place in Copenhagen this week. The Taoiseach is due to arrive in Copenhagen on Thursday evening and spend Friday at the negotiations. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/12-17.shtml The UN published a preview of the climate deal in Copenhagen today. The proposals do not include long term climate finance package to help developing countries tackle climate change and do not guarantee climate action. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/12-11.shtml Government cuts aid budget and breaks aid pledge http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/12-09.shtml The European Union is rumoured to be preparing just a token handout for climate action in poor countries with no guarantee that this money is on top of existing aid commitments, warns Oxfam International. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/12-10.shtml Rich countries could set off a chain reaction that leads to success in Copenhagen if they put forward at least $200bn per year in new public funds to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate, said Oxfam International at the UN climate summit in the city today. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/12-07.shtml Mary Robinson, Honorary President of Oxfam International, has called on governments to agree a fair climate deal at the global climate talks in Copenhagen. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-25.shtml Recent attempts by rich countries to postpone a binding climate agreement hit the rocks at a meeting of Environment Ministers in Copenhagen today, as vulnerable developing countries made clear that delay was not an option. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-26.shtml Oxfam today warned that EU countries must cut themselves loose from the US or risk losing a groundbreaking climate deal that has been two years in the making. The aid agency says a fair and safe deal can be struck in Copenhagen this year, but world leaders cannot wait whilst the US plays catch-up. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-06.shtml Oxfam today warned that EU countries must cut themselves loose from the US or risk losing a groundbreaking climate deal that has been two years in the making. The aid agency says a fair and safe deal can be struck in Copenhagen this year, but world leaders cannot wait whilst the US plays catch-up. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-06.shtml Boxer Kenny Egan recommends Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped 2009 for Christmas! http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-05.shtml Oxfam called on the US to join Europe in laying its climate finance cards on the table as international climate talks opened in Barcelona today (2 November). http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/11-02.shtml Oxfam said today that EU suggestions on how much to spend on tackling climate change is not enough to address the needs of developing countries. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-30.shtml Hundreds of miniature tents were on display in Dublin, Brussels, London, Berlin, and Madrid today to show EU Heads of State and Government what is at stake should they fail to agree a position on climate financing when they meet in Brussels tomorrow. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-29.shtml Oxfam is calling on Heads of State to pick up the pieces when they meet next week following the failue having failed to reach a deal on how to pay for climate action in developing countries today http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-20.shtml Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson, Honorary President of Oxfam International and former U.N. commissioner for human rights, will hear testimony from people living on the climate front line at a special tribunal in Cape Town today (5 October). http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-05.shtml International aid agency Oxfam today began tanking clean water into Padang, as part of the relief effort for the many people affected by last Wednesday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-04.shtml International agency Oxfam’s emergency team is at work in Samoa today responding to urgent needs. The immediate focus is to ensure survivors in remote rural areas have clean water and basic sanitation. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-02.shtml International aid agency Oxfam is sending emergency response staff to Padang , Indonesia, after a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Sumatra last night. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/10-01.shtml Today over 20 million people across East Africa face critical shortages of food and water following successive years of failed rains and worsening drought, Irish aid agency Oxfam Ireland has launched a public appeal to help alleviate the emergency. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-28.shtml Today, development and environment NGOs called on the Minister for the Environment to translate rhetoric into action for climate justice. Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam Ireland and Trocaire urged John Gormley to actively ensure that poor countries are not forced to pay for climate damage from the aid they receive from rich countries like Ireland and not just talk about it. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-26.shtml Today, Irish aid agency Oxfam Ireland called on the Taoiseach to use today's High Level Event on Climate Change in New York to show how Ireland will back a fair climate deal which supports poor countries to deal with climate change. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-22.shtml A new Oxfam report has today warned that at least 4.5 million children could die unless world leaders deliver additional funds to help poor countries fight the growing impact of climate change, rather than diverting it from existing aid promises. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-16.shtml Oxfam today warned that Europe's climate offer would seek to divert money already promised for education and health in poor countries and said funds to help developing countries to tackle climate change must be additional to aid - not instead of it. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-10b.shtml In a new report Oxfam warns that Kenya is facing a new urban timebomb, with millions of residents struggling for food and water and urges the government to invest more funds and resources for the most vulnerable residents of Nairobi’s slums. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-10.shtml Oxfam is calling on the international community to deal with the Somalia crisis and help end the war as thousands of Somalis have been forced to flee the violence and are now trapped in horrifically overcrowded or poorly managed camps in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia itself. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/09-08.shtml August 29 marks the 100 day countdown to the start of climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December. To mark the start of the countdown, Oxfam has produced a video staring Oxfam Global Ambassador and Hollywood actor Gael Garcia Bernal. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/08-28.shtml Opinion Piece on Climate Change, by Oxfam Ireland's Chief Executive Jim Clarken http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/08-23.shtml Opinion Piece on Climate Change, by Oxfam Ireland's Chief Executive Jim Clarken http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/08-23.shtml The Congo Advocacy Coalition urged Hillary Clinton, the United States secretary of state, who arrives in Congo today, to press the Congolese government and United Nations peacekeepers for more effective measures to protect civilians and to pursue justice for serious crimes. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/08-10.shtml President Barack Obama has named former president Mary Robinson as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/07-31.shtml Recently the leaders of eight of the leading industrial economies met at the G8 in Aquila , Italy . They had an opportunity to put their promises on aid back on track and give the global climate negotiations a much needed push. Once again however, the G8 failed to live up to the hype, leaving little more than empty dinner plates behind. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/07-30.shtml According to a new survey by Oxfam rape and torture are surging in eastern Congo as a result of the UN-backed military offensive. Oxfam says the results should be a wake up call to those in the UN Security Council supporting military offensive. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/07-14.shtml Oxfam Ireland launches new climate change campaign Oxfam Ireland today launched its new climate change campaign 'Climate Change destroys lives; let's face it', with the publication of a new Oxfam report outlining the devastating human cost of climate change and the need for urgent action by governments to stop runaway climate change. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/07-06.shtml As AU leaders meet to discuss peace and security on the continent, Oxfam reports that over 1.4 million people have fled their homes this year due to significant increasing violence in DR Congo, Sudan and Somalia. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/07-01.shtml Climate change in Malawi is pushing people further into poverty and women are suffering most, according to a new report from Oxfam today. Increase in temperatures and intense rain over the past 40 years has led to drought and flooding, causing shorter growing seasons, poor crop yields, food shortages, hunger and the spread of disease. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/06-16.shtml INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES SABOTAGING TALKS THROUGH INERTIA http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/06-12.shtml New Oxfam report says that rich countries have a ‘double duty’ to act on climate change http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/06-11.shtml Oxfam calls on people to Take a Stand on the Strand http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/06-11b.shtml EU Leadership or Losership? http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-28.shtml Global business poised to push governments on climate deal, says Oxfam http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-22.shtml Traumatised, exhausted and half-starved civilians who have fled Sri Lanka's conflict zone are being housed in camps without decent water and sanitation facilities and with inadequate food supplies, international aid agency Oxfam said today. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-18b.shtml The United Nations Security Council, visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo today, should press for urgent action to protect civilians, a coalition of 68 aid and human rights groups said. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-18.shtml As thousands of families continue to flee their homes in northwest Pakistan amid clashes between government forces and organised armed groups, Oxfam International has begun providing emergency relief to around 175,000 women, men and children in urgent need of assistance. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-13b.shtml he Congo government's UN-backed military plans against rebels in South Kivu are likely to lead to civilian deaths and widespread suffering, international agency Oxfam said today. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/05-13.shtml Famous for his portraits of celebrities like Kate Moss and Kylie, renowned photographer Rankin has joined forces with Oxfam Ireland to bring the faces of those caught up in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Dublin. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-30.shtml The charitable organisation 4 Seven's Feed the Nations will host an African-Irish music event entitled Feed Zimbabwe on 17th May at the Crawdaddy venue in Dublin to raise money for the money for the people of Zimbabwe. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-28.shtml Stark warning as Oxfam launches 10-year manifesto for tackling global inequality http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-27.shtml Atrocities are being committed against villagers in remote areas of Eastern Congo, where fighting between the Congolese army and the FDLR rebel group continues, said international agency Oxfam today. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-24.shtml According to a new report published by Oxfam today in six years time the number of people affected by climatic crises is projected to rise by 54 per cent to 375 million people. The Right to Survive says the world needs to re-engineer the way it responds to, prepare for and prevents disasters. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-21.shtml Oxfam Ireland is thrilled to announce that for the very first time it is recruiting a team of runners to tackle the ING New York City Marathon! http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-09.shtml Oxfam Ireland deplores today’s €100 million cut in Ireland's aid budget and calls for an immediate reversal of this decision. With this cut, our government's promise to the world’s poorest people rings hollow. This is the fourth cut in 10 months – demonstrating that the Irish Government sees the aid budget as a soft target. This cut will have a devastating impact on vulnerable people who are already struggling to cope with the crushing impacts of the global financial crisis, the food crisis and climate change. These are difficult times for us all but it is not the time to abandon our commitment to tackling poverty and injustice. Ireland's international standing will be damaged even further by this decision to turn its back on the world’s poorest when they need our assistance most” said Jim Clarken, Chief Executive of Oxfam Ireland. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/04-07a.shtml Oxfam International’s Honorary President Mary Robinson – former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – is today (17 March 2009) meeting the UK's Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch Brown, as a part of a high-level European lobbying tour to highlight the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where civilians have experienced an upsurge of violence in recent months. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/03-16.shtml Oxfam International’s Honorary President Mary Robinson – former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – is today (17 March 2009) meeting the UK's Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch Brown, as a part of a high-level European lobbying tour to highlight the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where civilians have experienced an upsurge of violence in recent months. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/03-16.shtml International aid agency Oxfam GB confirmed that, as of 4 March 2009, the Sudanese government has revoked its licence to operate in northern Sudan. The agency said it is appealing the decision and hopes the matter can be resolved quickly. The agency urged the Government of Sudan to allow it to continue its vital humanitarian efforts, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/03-05.shtml Oxfam congratulates pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline for breaking industry ranks and taking a major step toward helping poor people in developing countries by cutting the price of all its medicine to the world's poorest countries. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/02-18.shtml Oxfam is calling on the new government in Zimbabwe to urgently address the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and urges the government to actively engage with civil society to help rebuild Zimbabwe http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/02-10.shtml The cuts come at a time when the world’s poor will be hit hardest by the economic recession. It's highly disappointing that the government has targeted the assistance to desperately poor people for disproportionate cuts. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/02-03.shtml Oxfam is today calling for Israel to be pressed to open border crossings to Gaza to facilitate access to goods. Political will and long term investment by the international community is also urgently needed to tackle the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. http://www.oxfamireland.org/news/releases/2009/02-02.shtml