G20 Finance Ministers are expected to give the green light to a new round of negotiations on international tax reforms at a meeting in Fukuoka, Japan on 8 - 9 June, 2019, in line with OECD recommendations issued in May.
For the first time countries will debate proposals for fundamental reforms such as where a companies’ profits are taxed and whether to set a global minimum effective corporate tax rate.
Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland Chief Executive, said:
“This new round of global tax negotiations offers a unique chance to put a stop to corporate tax dodging and damaging tax competition. If they get it right this could mark the beginning of a new fairer tax era where poor countries are able to claim their fair share of corporate tax revenues – and release the funds they need to tackle poverty and inequality. Governments must not waste this opportunity.
“The UN has said that developing countries lose around $100 billion each year as a result of global corporate tax avoidance. This shortfall leaves developing countries without the revenue to provide the vital healthcare, education and infrastructure needed to tackle poverty and inequality. Women and girls are most effected by the lack of these services, as recently highlighted by a European Parliament report on taxation policies and gender equality.
“If we look at Ireland, our corporate tax rate has attracted international investment that generates much-needed jobs and prosperity. However, the parallel system of tax loopholes needs to be reformed because of the knock-on effect that it has on some of the poorest communities in the world.
“A global consensus has seen efforts to reform the global tax system take place at the OECD, where Ireland also participates. G20 Finance Ministers need to take the opportunity this weekend to get behind reforms that will usher in a new corporate tax era.”
• Oxfam teams on standby to respond to second recent devastating cyclone
• Oxfam Ireland works directly in Tanzanian districts likely to be affected
Thursday 25th April, 2019
Oxfam teams in Tanzania and Mozambique are ready for the potential impact of Cyclone Kenneth, with strong winds, heavy rains, flash flooding and storm surges expected to hit the region in the next 24 hours.
Tropical Cyclone Kenneth formed north of Madagascar on April 23rd and is expected to pass over the Comoros islands as it moves towards Mozambique and southern Tanzania, making land on April 25th. This comes in the wake of another devastating cyclone in southern Africa during March.
Oxfam Ireland Chief Executive, Jim Clarken, said: “Oxfam is ready to respond in the region and is monitoring this weather event which looks set to match the recent destruction by Cyclone Idai. We have already seen more than 700 deaths with 3 million people requiring humanitarian assistance due to Idai and Cyclone Kenneth will create similar problems on the ground.”
“Strong winds and rain have already been seen in Tanzania and people in Mozambique have been told to get to safer ground as flash and river floods are expected. It is rare that such a weather event would occur in this particular area, so we are working with the population to make sure that they are ready to protect themselves in advance.”
“Oxfam Ireland works extensively in Tanzania around economic empowerment, gender equality and gender-based violence, and this cyclone is likely to cause problems for our programmes being delivered in the Lindi and Mtwara regions. Not to mention the impact on livelihoods if damage to crops and other produce occurs,” stated Clarken.
During 2017 and 2018, Oxfam Ireland worked with thousands of people in Tanzania through projects worth €1.7 million including the provision of supplies and sanitation to refugees, supporting marginalised women to claim land rights, and income-generating enterprise development.
Families in Malawi report losing their homes and all source of income
Friday 22nd March 2019
Oxfam and partners on the ground in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe are urgently supporting families who have lost everything, including their food, shelter and only source of income as a result of Cyclone Idai.
With an estimated 2.6 million people affected after a cyclone, heavy rains and severe flooding devastated the southern African region, Oxfam is scaling up their response. They aim to reach 775,000 and have launched an appeal to meet the immediate needs of those affected by the disaster.
Daud Kayisi, Oxfam’s Communications Coordinator in Malawi, has been meeting with people in the Phalombe district, one of the worst affected areas in the country.
David said: “I spoke with a couple in Phalombe, Agnes and Alfred, who told me that their house has been entirely washed away. Now they have nothing. They don’t even have enough plastic sheeting to build a shelter where their home once was.
“In another village, Maria and her six-year-old daughter Grace told me about what happened when the water started rising. They thought that it would go away but it didn’t, and Maria’s house was washed away along with their livestock leaving them with no food, no clothing, no animals and no home.
“Maria used to keep 26 chickens and four goats to provide food for her family but to also cover the cost of her children’s education. This family and hundreds of thousands of others are now trying to survive but without any food, shelter or livelihoods.”
Oxfam Ireland’s Chief Executive Jim Clarken said: “People are not only trying to survive after essentials like food and shelter were washed away but they are also facing into rebuilding their lives from nothing – our teams on the ground are meeting people who have lost everything, including their livelihoods and sole source of income after the devastation of Cyclone Idai.
“We’re there and responding to immediate needs first. One priority is to distribute water purification kits and hygiene supplies to stop the spread of deadly disease – we’re extremely concerned about the overwhelming amount of water that has collected on land which makes it difficult to ensure safe sanitation.
“We will be providing essential aid, including shelter packs and ready-to-eat food to 525,000 people in Mozambique, 200,000 in Malawi and 50,000 in Zimbabwe.
“We’re urgently appealing to the public to be generous by donating at oxfamireland.org, or in any of our local shops. Every single donation will go a long way to providing vulnerable people with life-saving support. Thank you.”
Oxfam and partners are scaling up their response to urgently reach hundreds of thousands of people after a cyclone, heavy rains and severe flooding devastated regions in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Cyclone Idai made landfall on Thursday (14/03/2019) close to Beira City, in central Mozambique, forcing thousands from their homes and has destroyed much of the region’s infrastructure, making access extremely difficult for those providing humanitarian relief.
Oxfam teams are assessing the needs of people who have been reaching internally displaced persons (IDP) camps by land via boats and the international agency will be prioritising shelter and sanitation in response to the large-scale evacuation.
A longer-term response will take some time to evaluate, but with an estimated 2.6 million people affected across the region, Oxfam is aiming to reach 775,000 people across the three countries. Oxfam is looking to help 525,000 people in Mozambique, 200,000 in Malawi and 50,000 in Zimbabwe.
Oxfam has launched an emergency appeal to meet the immediate needs of those affected by the disaster, with Oxfam Ireland urging the Irish public to donate to its Cyclone Idai Appeal.
Oxfam Ireland’s Chief Executive Jim Clarken said: “The full scale of this disaster is still not known and we need to act now. Oxfam is scaling up its response to reach people with essential aid including shelter packs, ready-to-eat food, water purification kits and hygiene supplies to keep people, who have been forced to flee their homes from devastating flooding, safe and healthy.
“Anyone who has seen the distressing images and videos coming from southern Africa in recent days will know that this is a major disaster and we’re expecting the death toll to rise significantly. The overwhelming amount of water that has collected on land gives us great concern regarding shelter and sanitation as disease will inevitably spread, putting people at an even greater risk.
“In response to what has been described as one of the worst weather-related disasters in the Southern hemisphere, we’re urgently appealing to the public to be generous by donating at oxfamireland.org, or in any of our local shops. Every single donation will go a long way to providing vulnerable people with life-saving support. Thank you.”
ENDS
Spokespeople are available in the region and in Ireland. For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Following on from the devastating impact of Cyclone Idai in Southern Africa, Oxfam’s local humanitarian teams have been assessing the damage caused by this deadly weather event.
The most affected countries include Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with estimations of 1,000 casualties at this early stage. This figure is likely to grow significantly as the real scale of the destruction is understood.
People trudge through a muddied path to safer ground in Chimanimani, about 600 kilometers southeast of Harare, Zimbabwe. Credit: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP/REX
These rising numbers of people to internally displaced persons camps are already putting a strain on limited water supplies.
There are additional concerns that sanitation will soon become a problem and food assistance will need to be brought in to provide extra immunity to the people affected.
Oxfam teams are assessing the needs of people in all three countries. They are reporting extensive damage to homes, crops, roads and bridges, and communications.
Some areas have been rendered inaccessible because roads, bridges and phone lines have been washed away.
Oxfam teams will be prioritising shelter and sanitation as part of a large-scale evacuation of the worst affected areas.
We urgently need your help to reach people in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe who have been affected by Cyclone Idai. Please give what you can today. 100% of your donation will go to our emergency response.
The coming hours and days will be absolutely critical to our life-saving efforts.
You can help
•A donation of €50/£40 can give a month's supply of clean and safe drinking and cooking water for families in need
•A donation of €100/£90 can provide a hungry family with enough money to buy food for 3 months
•A donation of €125/£100 can give sanitation to 120 people to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases.
