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Yemen Winter Survival Emergency Response | Your Support In 2022

Posted by: Samantha Andrades

55% of the population does not receive sufficient nutrition.

41.4% of children suffer from stunting, which reflects chronic malnutrition

6% of children die before their fifth birthday.

Woman with hygiene kit during distribution in Mahwa Almarkazi IDPs Camp, Taiz, Yemen
Woman with hygiene kit during distribution in Mahwa Almarkazi IDPs Camp, Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Wael Algadi/Oxfam

Response to Winter Survival Emergency

Thanks to supporters like you, families in Yemen, are receiving multi-purpose cash distributions. This support enables parents to purchase food, water, and fuel to enable them to provide food for their children, as well as other essentials such as bedding, winter clothing and hygiene items. Coats and footwear prevent huge suffering during the depths of winter, particularly for young children. 

The ongoing conflict in Yemen, now entering its’ eighth year, has forced millions of people to flee their homes. Life in a displacement camp is difficult. Residents face food shortages, poor healthcare facilities, lack of income and the constant threat of violence. Then when winter sets in - they must contend with the bitter cold in canvas tents. 

Hind* in distribution centre, holding cash card before receiving cash assistance from Yemen Humanitarian Fund through Oxfam.
Hind* in distribution centre, holding cash card before receiving cash assistance from Yemen Humanitarian Fund through Oxfam. Photo: Ahmed Al-Fadeel/Oxfam

This Christmas, supporters like you reached into their hearts and gave generously to end suffering and hunger.

Thank you for your kindness and good wishes to the people in Yemen.

We have shared, just a few, of the thoughtful messages we received from kind supporters like you below.

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Survival of the Richest: How billionaires are amassing eye-watering wealth amid crisis

Posted by: Christine Bale

Ten years ago, Oxfam first sounded the alarm at the World Economic Forum, about extreme levels of inequality. Since then, billionaires have almost doubled their wealth and astoundingly since 2020, the richest 1% have snatched-up almost twice as much as the rest of the world combined.

Hundreds of millions are facing impossible rises in the cost of living, and millions are reeling from the pandemic which has already killed over 20 million people. These crises all have winners. The very richest have become dramatically richer and corporate profits have hit record highs, driving an explosion of inequality.

The very existence of billionaires and record profits while poverty and inequality are both on the rise damning proof of a failing economic system. As a starting point toward reducing extreme inequality, the world should aim to dramatically reduce the wealth and number of billionaires between now and 2030, both by increasing taxes on the top 1% and adopting other billionaire-busting policies.

Food

To better understand the rise in energy and food prices, we need to look beyond the logic of supply and demand. Growing evidence points to corporate profits as a significant driver of inflation. Not only are companies passing increased input costs onto consumers, but they are also capitalizing on the crisis, using it as a smokescreen to charge even higher prices.

Oxfam’s analysis of 95 food and energy corporations found that they made $306 billion in windfall profits in 2022; 84% of this being paid to their shareholders, making the already rich, even richer. Governments could raise vital revenue to help fight inequality by implementing one-off taxes on excessive profits and wealth during crises.

Energy

The traditional explanation for soaring inflation is that it occurs when demand exceeds supply and pushes up prices, but this logic only partly explains the rising cost of energy and food. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia did lead to reduced gas supply which contributed to an increase in the global price of energy. In the case of food, prices were already rising sharply long before the war, and the interruption of grain supplies from Ukraine made this problem worse.

Food and energy corporations have maintained high prices without the threat of being undercut by competition, and as prices on their end fall, these savings are being passed to their shareholders rather than consumers. This greed-flation led to food and energy companies more than doubling their profits in 2022, paying out $257 billion to wealthy shareholders, while over 800 million people go to bed hungry every night.

Cost of Living Crisis

One constant of the last two-and-a-half decades has been the steady decline in extreme poverty. This progress has now ground to a halt as extreme wealth and extreme poverty have increased simultaneously for the first time in 25 years. 


There historically have been progressive measures to curb excessive wealth and power of the super-rich during global crisis by increasing taxation of the richest. We can learn from Costa Rica that increased its top rate of income tax by 10 percentage points, from 15% to 25%, and Bolivia and Argentina introduced wealth and solidarity taxes on their richest citizens. This spirit of solidarity boosts public spending and to fight inequality and limit suffering of ordinary citizens

Wages

When economic crisis hits, ordinary working people are first in line for pay cuts and job losses. In 2020, COVID-19 sparked lockdowns and an unprecedented global economic slowdown. This led to working-hour losses approximately four times greater than during the global financial crisis of 2008, with women and racialized groups being the hardest hit.

Oxfam analysis shows that at least 1.7 billion workers worldwide will have seen a real-terms pay cut in 2022, making it more challenging to feed their families or keep the lights and heating on. We urgently need greater taxation of the ultra-rich and corporations as a measure to fight inflation and inequality.

Tax

Oxfam is calling on governments to take immediate measures to increase taxation on the richest, including permanent increases to tax on their incomes and capital, one-off taxes to end crisis profiteering, and taxes on their wealth that are high enough to significantly reduce inequality. It’s time to fight inequality by taxing the rich.

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Ireland’s two richest people have more wealth – €15 billion – than half of the Irish population who have €10.3 billion.

Posted by: Christine Bale

Today (Jan 16th) Oxfam publishes a report that shows for the first time in a quarter of a century the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting even poorer. Staggering inequalities are highlighted in “Survival of the Richest”, as elites gather in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.

Alarmingly, the report captures the acceleration in inequitable wealth distribution. Globally, over the past two years, the richest 1% have acquired nearly twice as much wealth as the rest of humanity — the 99% put together. This comes on top of a decade of unprecedented gains for the super-rich. (See Figure 1 in notes.)

In Ireland:

  • The number of Irish people with individual wealth of over €46.6 million (US$50 million) has more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, rising from 655 to 1,435 people.
  • For every €93.15 (US$100) of wealth created in the last ten years, €31.67 (US$34) has gone to the richest 1% and less than €0.5 to the bottom 50%. This means that the richest 1% have gained 70 times more wealth than the bottom 50% in the last 10 years.
  • The richest 1% of Irish people have 27% of wealth and the bottom own just 1.1%

Oxfam Ireland’s CEO, Jim Clarken, said: “This rising wealth at the top and rising poverty for the rest are two sides of the same coin, proof that our economic system is functioning exactly how the rich and powerful designed it to.

“It was 10 years ago when we first sounded the alarm about extreme inequality at the World Economic Forum and yet since then the world’s billionaires have almost doubled their wealth. As crisis after crisis hits the poorest people hardest, it’s time for Governments, including Ireland’s, to tax the rich. The very existence of billionaires while out-of-control inequality rises, is damning proof of policy failure.”

A wealth tax on elite Irish wealth at graduated rates of 2%, 3% and 5% above a high threshold of €4.7 million would raise €8.2 billion annually, with the potential to transform Irish public services in health, housing and education while also delivering on our international and climate commitments.

Internationally the money is even more urgently needed by ordinary people. Entire countries are facing bankruptcy, with the poorest countries now spending four times more repaying debts to rich creditors than on healthcare. Three-quarters of the world’s governments are planning austerity-driven public sector spending cuts — including on healthcare and education — of $7.8 trillion over the next five years.

Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, paid a ‘true tax rate’ of just 1% from 2014 to 2018. Aber Christine, a market trader in Northern Uganda who sells rice, flour and soya, makes $80 a month in profit. She pays a tax rate of 40%.

Where this has led is to the World Bank announcing that the world has almost certainly lost its goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. “Global progress in reducing extreme poverty has grinded to a halt” amid what the Bank says was likely to be the largest increase in global inequality and the largest setback in global poverty since WW2. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $2.15 (€2.30) per day.

Oxfam believes an international approach to taxing the super-rich is needed and we are calling for governments to introduce both permanent wealth taxes and temporary windfall taxes.

We want an end to crisis profiteering. Research shows that this is responsible for between 50%-80% of cost-of-living increases in the US and Europe.

We are calling for a tax on the wealth of the richest 1% percent at rates high enough to redistribute these resources. Oxfam believes that, as a starting point, the world should aim to halve the wealth and number of billionaires between now and 2030 and ultimately abolish this extreme inequality.

At home, Oxfam Ireland is specifically calling on the Irish Government to apply a wealth tax on elite Irish wealth at graduated rates of 2%, 3% and 5% above a high threshold of €4.7 million. This would raise €8.2 billion annually.

ENDS

Full report available here. Methodology available on request.

Contact: Clare Cronin, External Communication Manager: +353871952551

Notes to the Editor:

Wealth calculations

Oxfam’s calculations on wealth and inequality are based on the most up-to-date and comprehensive data sources available.

By combining data from Forbes, Credit Suisse and Wealth-X, a private company producing wealth data for market analysis, Oxfam has been able to assess wealth and inequality per country in much greater detail, to the top 1% and 5% and to count numbers of high-net worth individuals.

In Ireland Oxfam Found:

  • 8 billionaries
  • 1,435 individuals with €47 million
  • 20,575 individuals worth over €4.7 million.

While Ireland’s number of billionaires has dropped from nine to eight, the numbers of individuals in each of the other two categories above has more than doubled in the last decade, by 119% and 118%. All of these figures are adjusted for inflation.

By using Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth Reports and data, Oxfam has found:

  • The top 1% of Irish society owns 27% of wealth - (€232 billion)
  • The top 10% owns 64% of wealth (€547 billion).
  • The bottom 50% of Irish society owns only 1% of wealth (€10.3 billion).
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On Trial for Saving Lives: Drop the Charges Against Humanitarians

Posted by: Christine Bale

Seán Binder, Sara Mardini and Nassos Karakitsos will go on trial next Tuesday 10th January 2023 on the Greek island of Lesvos where they are charged with serious crimes including forgery, trafficking and espionage. They were on Lesvos to save lives but now face 25 years in prison. “If they are found guilty it could amount to criminalisation of search and rescue work,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

Seán grew up on the south coast of Ireland where he trained in search and rescue. Sara was a professional swimmer and is also trained in search and rescue. They each decided to use their skills and experience to join humanitarian efforts on Lesvos island where people fleeing to Europe were at risk of drowning. On Lesvos, they worked with Emergency Response Center International (ERCI), a registered NGO conducting rescue missions, giving people essentials like blankets and accompanying people in solidarity on their arrival in Europe. The organisation regularly cooperated with Greek authorities on missions in Greek waters and on Lesvos , making it all the more shocking when Sara and Seán were both arrested in August 2018 and accused of being part of a criminal organisation.

They were held in pre-trial detention for 106 days before being released on bail in December 2018. Four years later the trial is still hanging over them.

 

"All of these errors suggest that our right to a fair trial is being undermined. That’s why I'm here asking for respect of our rights and indeed respect for the rule of law ”- (Seán Binder December 2022)

 

Legal experts and human rights organisations all around Europe have sounded the alarm about this trial. Procedural flaws include: factual errors including claims that some of the accused participated in rescue missions on dates when they were not actually in Greece, indictments were not translated into a language the accused could understand, indictments were issued without clearly stating what offences individuals were charged with, and Sara Mardini was not allowed to enter Greece to be present at her own trial in 2021 although the right to be present at one’s own trial is protected in international ,European and Greek law.

After analysing the case, Human Rights watch called the accusations “baseless” and called on Greek judicial authorities to drop the charges.  

 

“Dragging the case on for year on year so that prosecution is effectively a form of persecution” - (Seán Binder, December 2022)

 

If one thinks back to August 2018, and all the things that have happened in the world since then it is shocking to imagine passing this length of time with the possibility of imprisonment hanging over one’s head. The first trial hearing was in November 2021, but it brought no closure or certainty as it was adjourned because the prosecution had filed the case before the wrong court, which held that it was not competent to try the case. The case was referred to the Appeals Court of the Northern Aegean, also on Lesvos and it is there that the trial begins on Tuesday 10th January 2023. But even then only one portion of the charges will be addressed. The charges have been broken into misdemeanour and felony charges and the latter, the more serious charges that carry a longer sentence, are not the ones for which they will be tried in January. It is unacceptable for these humanitarians to be left with such serious charges hanging over them and all charges should be dropped.

 

“A guilty verdict, which could put them in prison for 25 years, would set a dangerous precedent of making criminals of people who support the rights of migrants and refugees across Greece and the European Union. It would lead to more deaths at sea and could see others put behind bars for human rights work.” - (Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.)

 

Unfortunately, cases like this are not isolated, nor are they even uncommon nor restricted to Greece.

Oxfam and our partners the Greek Council for Refugees have raised concerns that the criminalisation of refugees and those who support them is part of a broader policy of deterrence. Last year a number of cases were acquitted in Greek courts showing the criminalisation to be unlawful but the consequences on the refugees’ personal and family life were horrendous.

Chios: acquittal of a young Syrian man accused of providing water and food to refugees

On 4 June 2022, a 23 year old Syrian man was arrested for providing water and food to 11 newly arrived asylum seekers who had landed on the coast of Chios. The young man was accused of “facilitating the illegal residence of third-country nationals in Greek territory and complicating the investigations by the Greek authorities”. On 16 June 2022, the Criminal Court of Chios acquitted the man.

Samos: acquittal of father over son’s death on boat journey to Greece

In November 2020, a boat carrying 24 people began to sink as it approached the Greek island of Samos. The Greek coast guard were called but did not arrive until the next morning. Tragically, a six year old child drowned. His father, a 26 year old who had fled Afghanistan, was then charged with endangering his child’s life and faced 10 years in prison. On 18 May 2022, the Criminal Court of Samos acquitted the father.

Seán has said that as bad as it was to have been in pre-trial detention for over 100 days “it isn’t as bad as some of the experiences that others have had who are in prison and are not unfortunately listened to”. Humanitarians doing rescue work are criminalised, people arriving on boats are criminalised, lawyers assisting asylum seekers are criminalised. The UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, carried out an official country visit to Greece in June 2022 and reported that human rights defenders face criminalisation, smear campaigns and live in fear because of “their legitimate, peaceful work for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.”

At stake in this case is the freedom and life chances of people who came to Greece to help and never dreamed that for this act they could face prison. At stake in this case is the rule of law within the EU, the right to cross a border looking for refuge (The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is legally binding on all EU member states and Article 18 guarantees the right to ask for asylum), the future of search and rescue and humanitarianism in Europe. 

Join us to show solidarity with the humanitarians – Monday 9th at 6.30pm.

Together we will hear from activists and advocates on the ground in Greece, compile messages of solidarity and participate in a photo mosaic of solidarity demanding the charges be dropped. 

Join us on zoom here

This short but very important event is being organised by Oxfam Ireland and Comhlámh. Come show your support and send a message of solidarity to humanitarians: Join us on zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89494316916

#DropTheCharges

#FreeHumanitarians

You can send a message of support to Seán here: 

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/sean-binder

You can read more here:

 

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We are #OneWorld | Irish Aid Works

Posted by: Christine Bale
Every day you are part of Ireland’s efforts to tackle poverty, inequality, discrimination, conflict and climate change worldwide. Through Ireland’s overseas development programme, Irish Aid, the Irish people contribute a small portion of their taxes to support development and humanitarian work carried out by organisations like us at Oxfam Ireland.
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