Food is getting scarce in many of the markets in parts of the Gao region of northern Mali and stocks are likely to end in few weeks, according to international humanitarian organization Oxfam.

Communities have been facing shortages since last year’s drought and conflict and will struggle to afford or even to find enough food to eat if the Algerian border and roads remain closed and the north remains inaccessible.

“Communities are effectively cut off and if the situation continues then food stocks in the area will only last few weeks. Things are set to get worse for people who cannot or do not wish to leave and have been living in incredibly tough circumstances for almost a year,” said Philippe Conraud, Oxfam Country Director in Mali. 

The situation is acute in rural markets, in areas where people depend upon their livestock, and where a large part of Northern Mali’s population live. These markets, only supplied once a week, are no longer operating as usual and people are finding it difficult to sell their animals to get the cash they need. 

Many traders have moved their remaining stocks from Gao to villages and communes outside of the town. Many have left Mali completely.

As current fighting moves north there is a growing fear that Gao will be the next center of conflict – forcing more people to flee their homes into areas where there will be limited access to food, drinking water and medical care.

They face a precarious future with few options of escape as the main public transportation services to the South and neighboring Niger has been suspended since the past 10 days.

“Most people left in the area are those who cannot afford to leave. If people are to receive urgently needed aid then humanitarian organizations need to be allowed into the conflict-affected zones. Borders with neighboring countries should be kept open and critical supply routes for food accessible. If help does not arrive soon then we may be seeing the start of a major humanitarian emergency,” added Mr. Conraud.

Key findings of the Oxfam assessment:

• The food crises in 2011-2012 meant that staple food trade flows from the south (Bamako, Burkina Faso and Niger) were severely disrupted as early as October - November 2011. Staple cereals, such as millet, have not been available on local markets for nearly a year, and had been replaced since early 2012 by rice, couscous and wheat flour, mainly from Algeria. Oil and sugar are also imported from Algeria. Following military intervention in early January 2013, these food supplies have once again been severely disrupted by the closure of the main road to the south and the Algerian border, and limited cross-border trade with Niger.
• Many traders have moved and/or sold out their remaining stocks from Gao to villages and communes outside of the town. The majority has left Mali completely. For the first time since the conflict started, all the major traders of Gao are reported to have gone. They are directly – and possibly for the long run – affected by the current military operations. 
• The main markets in Gao town have been disrupted, and many others are closed. There were closed for four days following air strikes and are not well stocked. Gao three quarters of shops selling food are closed. These shops also supply rural markets in the area that are crucial for the survival of pastoralist communities – who are the vast majority of northern Mali’s population – outside of the main cities along the Niger river.
• Food prices have risen by nearly 20 percent since military intervention in early January. Before the intervention a 50-kilogram bag of rice cost $34. In just two weeks the price has risen to $41 and rice becomes increasingly rare.
• There is very limited cash circulating in the local economy. The banking system has been shut down since armed groups took control of northern Mali last year. Traditional methods of bringing cash into the north, including remittances from family members that many residents depend on, are not functioning. Those with money live in fear of being robbed. Lack of money also means that pastoralists, whose only source of income is to sell small ruminants, have nothing to rely on. Gao was already classified as one of the most food insecure areas of Mali before the current military intervention and is one of the areas with the highest malnutrition rates in Mali. Malnutrition among children under five already stands at 15.2 percent, which is the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization.
• Livestock herders are keeping their animals further away from the town to limit the risk of theft, but access to pasture areas and surface water is limited because of insecurity.
• Families usually buy most of their food, but their sources of income and purchasing power have diminished over the last year– in relation to rising food prices. The presence of armed groups has meant that many sources of income have been disrupted, and people are not able to earn as much money as before. In addition, most of the traditional coping strategies, such as selling assets or going into debt, have already been exhausted and households have nothing to rely on.

Oxfam and its local partners have been distributing blankets and mattresses, heaters and gas oil to help the new arrivals stay warm during the harsh winter. Significant funds are needed to reach more refugees before winter takes its toll.

An estimated 670,000 people have fled violence in Syria to neighboring countries since the onset of the crisis in March 2011. In the past week, there has been a sharp increase in numbers fleeing intensified shelling and fighting. On Thursday alone, 6,400 Syrian refugees arrived in Zaatari camp; while more than 30,000 people have crossed into Jordan since the beginning of the year. Some 16,413 refugees arrived in Zaatari camp in December 2012. In Lebanon, so far this month, more than 24,591 have been registered as refugees. 
Francis Lacasse, Oxfam’s Syria crisis response manager said:

“Families have arrived exhausted and traumatized. Some have faced bombs and bullets to get here. Now, they are trying to get through one of the most brutal winters in the last two decades with almost nothing. Most families have to rely on the generosity of relatives and neighbors. Along with local organizations, Oxfam is trying to help thousands of families through this difficult winter period, but we could do so much more if we had more funds.”

In December, the United Nations estimated that the numbers of Syrian refugees would reach more than 1.1 million by June. But it is now predicting this figure will be reached much earlier because of the rapidly deteriorating security situation. Not all refugees register with UN refugee agency UNHCR, which means that the number could be much higher. In May 2012, there were just 70,000 refugees seeking safety in neighboring countries.

This month, the region experienced harsh winter weather conditions, with heavy rain and snowstorms sending temperatures plummeting to below zero. Many of those fleeing Syria have had to endure the bitter cold staying in makeshift, unheated buildings such as garages and sheds, unfinished buildings and self-built tents in informal settlements. Many shelters across Lebanon were flooded, forcing families to move, snow also blocked roads, leaving many areas inaccessible and disrupting delivery of aid supplies. In Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, home to nearly 60,000 refugees, tents collapsed or were flooded during strong winds and heavy rains.

New arrivals say they are struggling to stay warm and are especially worried about the health of their children, who have developed respiratory infections. In the last two months, some hospitals and clinics in Lebanon’s Beqaa valley have reported that the number of refugees being treated for respiratory infections and pneumonia account for up to 50 percent of their caseloads; with a figure of 35 percent in Tripoli, north Lebanon. Health workers say these figures are likely to increase since most Syrian refugees are staying in poor and overcrowded living conditions, which lack heating. Some 35 percent of the acute health conditions being treated by medical staff in Zaatari camp are respiratory infections and influenza-like illnesses. There have also been a number of deaths reported in Lebanon and Jordan, with several people being killed in fire accidents as they were trying to stay warm.

Oxfam said that the situation was likely to be worse still in Syria. The UN estimates that 4 million people – nearly one in five of the pre-crisis population – are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria. Even those who still have homes are suffering from the cold as they are often unable to heat their houses due to shortages of fuel and electricity. Many of the displaced are living in shelters with no winter clothes and no blankets.

Oxfam is currently working in both Lebanon and Jordan. The organization is trying to gain access to people in need in Syria through the UN and official channels and is also negotiating with Syrian organizations to deliver urgent humanitarian aid.

The UN and aid organizations are struggling to meet the needs of the growing number of families fleeing Syria’s conflict. In December, the UN launched its largest ever short-term humanitarian appeal, asking for $1.5 billion to fund its work within and beyond Syria’s borders. So far, this appeal is only three percent funded. A donor conference will be hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in Kuwait this Wednesday, January 30 to bolster the funds for the response to the crisis.

Oxfam’s Syria crisis response manager, Francis Lacasse, continued:

“The tragedy will be if families who fled for their lives seeking safety in a nearby country end up feeling they’ve swapped one misery for another, with their families struggling for support, feeling abandoned - left out in the cold to fend for themselves. We urgently need to bolster the aid response to get help to the growing numbers of people in desperate need. We’d urge everyone to be generous – from donor governments to individuals. With the right determination and resources, we can help make things better for Syrian families who have lost almost everything.”

Oxfam teams are planning to assist 120,000 people in Lebanon and Jordan.

Please click here to donate to Oxfam's Syria appeal.

With aid organizations already struggling to meet all refugees' basic needs, Oxfam says it is extremely concerned about the conditions faced by Malians who have fled their homes over the last year and are living in neighboring countries. Host communities in these countries were already struggling to deal with food shortages and the consequences of drought and food crisis last year.

With the escalation of the conflict, including an offensive by armed groups controlling the north, the recent intervention of French and Malian armed forces and with the UN mandated African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) operation set to be deployed, Oxfam is warning in a report published today that the already dire situation for tens of thousands of Malians could get much worse. 

Since January of last year, more than 147,000 civilians have fled northern Mali and found refuge in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. In its report, Mali's Conflict Refugees: Responding to a Growing Crisis, Oxfam says that Malian refugees also face a number of threats including forced recruitment by armed groups crossing from northern Mali. Even before the recent escalation in fighting, the report highlights that insecurity was increasing in host countries, leaving refugees and host populations at great risk. There are also thousands newly displaced people in southern Mali during the most recent outbreak of fighting – in addition to nearly 220,000 people displaced over the last year – and limited information from the north means there could be many more people who have left their homes but remain in territory held by armed groups.

“After nearly a year of assisting tens of thousands of people across four countries in extremely tough conditions, the aid community is struggling to meet their needs. It is paramount now that we ensure that aid will continue to be provided to people who are leaving everything behind,” said Mamadou Biteye, Oxfam West Africa Regional Director. “We call on countries neighboring Mali to continue to keep their borders open to allow refugees a safe haven, and for the UN to show the leadership that is needed to deal with the impact of this conflict on Malian refugees and their hosts.”

Oxfam also points to the difficulties in responding to the crisis over the last months. Host governments and communities, and humanitarian organizations have provided vital assistance to refugees, but the scale-up has been slow due to logistical challenges, limited experience of in-country humanitarian organizations in dealing with refugee emergencies, and a small UNHCR presence in the region in the early days of the response. Almost one year since the start of the conflict in the north of Mali “basic needs are still not uniformly covered, particularly with regard to nutrition, protection, and education,” according to Oxfam’s report.

“Operating a major refugee response in the Sahel region is extremely difficult and it is clear that it will become even harder if there is a significant influx of refugees into Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger. At the same time, in Mali, those who have not made it out also need access to life saving aid. All those involved in the conflict need to ensure that we have access to the areas where these people are,” said Caroline Baudot, author of the report.

The aid organization highlights child malnutrition rates in some refugee camps that are already well above the 15 percent emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization. For example in Niger, malnutrition rates among children under five years stand at 21 percent.
 
Oxfam says that ahead of a probable increase in refugee flows, aid groups need to rapidly adapt their programs to better support host communities and pastoralist refugees – who have arrived with tens of thousands of cattle putting further pressure on limited resources and igniting tensions with local communities. At some sites, the report says, refugees outnumber host populations, such as in Mauritania where in Bassikounou – a town of some 42,000 inhabitants – there are now 54,000 refugees at a nearby camp.

“What people want is to be able to go home. But refugees are clear that after decades of being displaced, they will not go back unless there is a lasting-peace in Mali. Ultimately, they tell us, the real causes of Mali’s conflict need to be solved before they return,” concluded Aime Lukelo, Oxfam’s Country Director in Mauritania.

Click here to download the full paper Mali's Conflict Refugees: Responding to a growing crisis. A summary document is also available here.

Known as Section 1504 or the Cardin-Lugar provision of the Dodd-Frank Act, the sunshine law will arm the public with information it can use to track the amount of money governments receive from oil and mining companies and help investors assess a company’s risk. In October, the American Petroleum Institute (API), a lobby group representing companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Foreign Trade Council sued the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following the issuance of final rules in August.

“From Equatorial Guinea to the United States, the Cardin-Lugar amendment sheds a powerful light on the murky world of financial flows between oil and mining companies and governments,” said Ian Gary, senior policy manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “Protection of the law is essential for resource-rich communities in poor countries around the world and here in the United States to hold governments to account.”

Senators Ben Cardin (D-M) and Carl Levin (D-Mi) joined recently retired Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind) in filing a joint brief highlighting the years of study and history of the legislation that became known as the Cardin-Lugar amendment and countering some of the industry’s arguments. In particular, the Senators stressed the industry’s demand that the SEC carve out exemptions for companies flies in the face of the plain language of the statute and the evidence presented during consideration of the proposed rule.

API can “point to no evidence that the final rule would actually conflict with the existing laws of any foreign country. Absent that evidence, there is no practical basis even to consider an exemption, and if the agency allowed exemptions, this would provide an incentive for foreign governments to subvert U.S. law by passing laws that prohibited disclosure,” stated the Senate brief.

Another brief signed by several Members of Congress, including ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters (D-Ca) and ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee Ed Markey (D-Ma) argues that the Cardin-Lugar amendment will ensure “potential investors will have access to, among other things, material and other information about the commercial, political, and legal risks companies may face.”

Oxfam’s intervenor brief highlights how the law will support stable and democratic governments while helping investors calculate a company’s risk. The brief further argues that API’s claims are without merit and that the SEC sensibly dismissed most of them in its final rule. Regarding oil industry claims of First Amendment violations, the brief says that oil companies have “no constitutional right to keep payments to foreign governments secret.”

“The oil industry lawsuit is based on a series of unsubstantiated claims,” said Gary. “As the Senate and House briefs emphasize, Congress was clear in the statutory language requiring public reporting of oil, gas and mining company payments at the government and project levels.”

The Senate brief also explains Congress’ judgment that voluntary payment disclosure through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was insufficient. The EITI is voluntary initiative implemented by countries whose governments sign-up to do so.

The three briefs submitted yesterday follow the US Department of State’s declaration last week that Cardin-Lugar advances US foreign policy interests in increasing transparency and reducing corruption.

“Corruption and mismanagement of these resources can impede economic growth, reduce opportunities for U.S. trade and investment, divert critically-needed funding from social services and other government activities, and contribute to instability and conflict,” declared the State Department.

“We are heartened to see prominent members of Congress and the US State Department stepping forward to defend the rules promulgated by the SEC,” said Gary. “The oil industry should drop its last ditch effort to deprive investors and citizens of important information regarding billions of dollars companies pour into countries for oil and mineral projects.”

The movement for mandatory disclosure of these payments continues to grow rapidly outside of the United States. The European Union is expected to finalize rules complementing the US law early this year.

Note to Editors:

• House brief signed by Edward J Markey, Maxine Waters, Eliot L Engel, Jim McDermott, Gregory W. Meeks, Betty McCollum, Jim Moran, Earl Bluenauer, Andre Carson, Sam Farr, Peter Welch, And Barbara J Lee.
• Senate brief signed by Benjamin Cardin, former Senator Richard Lugar, and Carl Levin

Read the full briefs here:
Oxfam intervenor brief 
Senate amicus brief 
House amicus brief

Ms. Byanyima has held roles that reinforced the governance of the African Union, and she influenced the international agenda at the United Nations and through her leadership in many coalitions of civil society organizations. She is recognized for extensive work in peace-building, budget and electoral reform, and building social coalitions. She is also an authority on the gender dimension of climate change, economic policymaking, and social and economic equality. In her earlier career, she founded a still-thriving nongovernmental organization in Uganda and served three terms as a member of the Ugandan parliament.

Starting in April, Ms. Byanyima will lead Oxfam International, which offers strategic guidance, support, expertise and coordination across Oxfam. Oxfam works with people in over 90 countries to find effective ways to end the injustice of poverty. Through its 17 affiliates, Oxfam provides humanitarian relief in crisis, empowers poor and marginalized people to gain social and economic equality, and campaigns for a more just world.

Ms. Byanyima was selected after a global search, led by the Chair of Oxfam International, Keith Johnston, with the help of an international executive search firm.

“In an outstanding field of candidates, Winnie stood out as exemplifying Oxfam’s values and ambitions,” said Johnston. “She brings clear vision fired by her commitment to social justice, the toughness of an able negotiator and campaigner, and leadership based on her capacity to inspire and convene, in many circles, cultures and levels.”

“The world is witnessing a shift in global development, growing inequality, volatility on many levels, and mounting aspirations and impatience for change. Oxfam understands how this changing context means it must be strategic and adaptable in its mission to overcome poverty and reinforce peoples' rights,” said Winnie Byanyima.  “I am very proud to be invited to lead such an important organization as Oxfam, with its passionate commitment to social justice.”

Ms. Byanyima earned engineering degrees in aeronautics and in energy conservation and the environment in the United Kingdom, where she went as a refugee student during the repressive regime of Idi Amin in her native Uganda.

She was an engineer for Uganda Airlines before being appointed to the diplomatic service in 1989, where she represented Uganda in France and at UNESCO in Paris. She returned to Uganda in 1994 and served as a member of parliament until 2004, actively representing a poor urban constituency and developing expertise in parliamentary process and practice as well as forming the first parliamentary all-party women’s caucus. In that same period, she founded and led the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), a national NGO in Uganda to champion women’s equal participation in decision-making.

From 2004 until 2006, she established and directed a unit for women, gender and development at the African Union Commission as part of a mandate to improve the institution’s governance and equality. In 2006, she moved to the global stage as director of the gender team of the United Nations Development Program, working on crucial issues of development, climate change and economic policy through the prism of gender considerations.  In that role, she also co-founded a 60-member Global Gender and Climate Alliance of civil society, bilateral and multilateral organizations; and chairs UN-wide task forces on gender aspects of the Millennium Development Goals, and of climate change.

Ms. Byanyima will replace Jeremy Hobbs who decided last year to step down after serving as Executive Director of Oxfam International since 2001.  Under his leadership, Oxfam has become an ever more respected and effective global enterprise that has increased its impact through the closer coordination of its affiliates and its programs.

The hard-hitting ads superimpose DC insider buzzwords, such as “job creator” and “beltway outsider” with decidedly non-DC imagery—people surrounded by fishing boats in Ghana, a plant nursery in Tanzania, a roadway in Malawi. By showcasing community leaders and advocates in developing countries who have leveraged US foreign aid investments in their work, Oxfam’s ads create dramatic effects. The ads also highlight the measurable impact that can be achieved utilizing US foreign assistance when the US partners with local leaders who are engaged in fighting poverty and injustice in their own countries.

“People in America should know this: American foreign aid is working. With a small investment from partners like USAID, my organization has successfully advocated for improved health services in communities that previously had none,” said Martha Kwataine one of the civil society leaders featured in the ad campaign. “Last year, at least 10,000 more Malawians had access to basic health services as a result of our advocacy.”

Alongside Ms. Kwataine, the ads feature Emiliana Aligaesha, a farmer in Tanzania, Manuel Dominguez, the mayor of a Peruvian town and Nana Kojo Kondua IV, chief of a Ghanaian fishing town, all who are turning small aid investments to create a sound future for their nations and their communities.

“People like Martha, Emiliana, Manuel and Kojo are having dramatic impacts in their communities with the US as their partner. What they lack are the well-heeled lobbyists to fight for their interests in the ongoing budget battle,” said Gregory Adams, director of Oxfam America’s aid effectiveness program. “As an organization committed to fighting poverty and injustice, we have taken it upon ourselves to deepen the US government’s commitment to making aid more effective so that people can bring themselves out of poverty.”

Mayor Manuel Dominguez of San Martin Alao in Peru, also featured in the ad campaign, was committed to using his limited city budget as best as he could to tackle the problem of waste management in his city. However it was not until USAID began providing technical assistance to the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, that Dominguez succeeded getting significant funds from the Peru government.

“My people and I can stop pollution in our district. We just needed a partner. We know how to get it done,” Dominguez says.

Many people’s futures depend on less than 1% of the US budget that supports poverty-reducing foreign aid. These programs give the world’s poorest people the tools they need to help lift themselves out of hunger and poverty, help build a stable, inclusive global economy with new sources of prosperity and advance democracy and human rights. Strategic and effective aid investments also help make a safer world today and avert costlier interventions and humanitarian emergencies tomorrow.

“Foreign aid works best when it helps local people take charge of tackling their own problems—supporting them to build a dream, build a business, support their family, or help their community,” continued Adams. “It is precisely these kinds of programs that we must keep off of Washington’s chopping block.”

Oxfam calls on all military forces in the country, including French and Malian troops already engaged in combat, armed groups in northern Mali, and regional troops yet to be deployed, to respect international human rights and humanitarian law. This includes ensuring all necessary measures are taken to minimize harm to civilians, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2085, adopted in December 2012.

Oxfam’s Country Director in Mali, Michael Quinn, says: “Oxfam calls upon all military forces to ensure the safety of civilian populations and refrain from any actions that jeopardize the ability of humanitarian actors to provide assistance or the ability of civilians to receive it. 

“We urge all forces, including the French military, to take every possible precaution to ensure that military operations do not cause further harm to already distressed civilian populations, particularly women and children.

“30,000 people are already reported to have been displaced by recent combat, adding to the 345,000 Malians who have been displaced already over the last year. Further fighting will inevitably lead to greater numbers still, and the international community cannot turn its back on those most in need.”

While information remains limited, reports of the humanitarian consequences include 30,000 people estimated to have been displaced by fighting.

In the last 24 hours, nearly 500 new arrivals have been reported in the Fassala transit camp in Mauritania, with thousands more reported to be en route. The main camp in Mauritania, Mbera, already hosts 54,000 people. Refugees are living among populations that are themselves struggling to get by in the face of poverty, food insecurity and limited basic social services. Impoverished host communities, still recovering from a region-wide food crisis last year, now have to share scarce food and water.

In December, when adopting UN Resolution 2085, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, requiring all parties to adhere to applicable international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law, as well as take appropriate measures to reduce the impact of military action upon the civilian population.

Oxfam is calling for UN monitors to be urgently deployed and calls on the Malian authorities and France to regularly report to the UN Security council on civilian casualties and human rights violations by all parties, and measures taken to address these. At the same time, no effort should be spared to give high priority to finding a peaceful and lasting political solution to achieve long-term stability in Mali, as requested by the UN Security Council.

Oxfam is providing humanitarian assistance in the Gao region of northern Mali, as well as to Malian refugees in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. We are supporting populations in need to have access to basic food, clean water and public health related assistance. Oxfam’s programs aim to reach 59,250 people in Gao, and over 147,000 refugees and people in host communities in Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.

“Thanks to the determination of the Haitian people and their government and the generosity and solidarity of the public and governments around the world, a lot of tangible progress has been made. However, major challenges remain to rebuild Haiti after the earthquake and overturn decades of collective neglect and weak governance. Basically, it’s three steps forward and two steps back,” said Andrew Pugh, Oxfam´s Country Director in Haiti.

Approximately 358,000 people are still living in over 500 camps scattered around Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas. Their access to basic services, such as sanitation, health care, and education, is very limited and they are extremely vulnerable to any future shocks. 

“At its peak after the earthquake around 1.5 million people were living in some 1, 500 displacement camps around the city, so the numbers have decreased steadily in the past three years. Progress has also been made in reconstruction with many thousands of homes built, nearly all the rubble cleared, and ongoing construction of roads and outdoor lighting,” said Pugh.

The government made efforts in the last year to lead the process of reconstruction. It proposed a return and relocation plan that helped more than 53,000 people move back into neighborhoods, through cash grants, rental subsidies, and stepping up investments in neighborhoods to improve basic services. The government also established a housing policy, but the land available for reconstruction of homes is still insufficient and investment in basic services remains inadequate.

“What continues to be needed is a comprehensive, realistic long-term resettlement plan led by Haitians for Haitians. The international community has an important role to play, but it has to be a supportive role not an alternative role,” said Pugh.

While Haiti slowly recovered from the aftermath of the earthquake and the outbreak of cholera, which began in October 2010, it was hit by two tropical storms in 2012. Tropical Storms Isaac and Sandy aggravated the chronic vulnerability of people already living in precarious situations.

“With ongoing and recurrent challenges, the government and international community must do all it can to ensure that all of those who remain in camps are supported to relocate to secure housing with access to basic services,” said Pugh. “The Haitian government with the support of the international community must have a strategy to lessen the impact of future disasters that threaten the lives and livelihoods of both urban and rural families.”

The ten NGOs call on the Security Council to give high priority to finding a peaceful political solution to achieve long-term stability in Mali, while ensuring that any military action would come with strong measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

“The deployment of a military operation could have significant humanitarian consequences as many families have already been badly affected by fighting and the severe food crisis. We fear any intensification of violence could affect the civilian population with an increase in humanitarian needs and the continued displacement of people. Throughout its decision-making process, the Security Council must make sure that any military planning includes humanitarian consideration to minimize harm to civilians at all stages,” said Michael Quinn, Country Director of Oxfam in Mali.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a total of 412,000 persons were forced to flee their homes. This figure includes some 208,000 refugees who are currently hosted in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mauritania, the Niger and Togo. An additional 204,000 Malians have been internally displaced and live in tough conditions, reliant on humanitarian assistance as well as the solidarity of host communities.

“Women and children are among the most vulnerable groups when military operations are launched. In some parts of Mali we already have alarming reports of sexual violence against women and girls and we ought to protect the rights especially for women, children, persons with disabilities and elderly who are the most vulnerable,” said Chance Briggs, National Director of World Vision Mali.

The 10 organizations are calling on the UN Security Council to implement a series of recommendations including:

1. Give high priority to negotiating a peaceful solution to the crisis, while linking any authorization for the deployment of armed forces to a clear and feasible long-term strategy focused on strengthening social cohesion and inclusive governance in Mali.
2. Require that any military force authorized by the Security Council would receive training on international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law and would take all measures necessary to prevent harm to civilians and their property during hostilities.
3. Ensure the authorized forces would report to the Security Council in a timely and transparent way on steps they take to comply with international law and mitigate civilian harm.
4. Call upon donors to increase their support for humanitarian assistance to meet urgent needs, currently estimated at $214 million, and be prepared to provide further support as necessary.
5. Ensure the UN leads humanitarian contingency planning and requests sufficient additional funding to meet all the needs of affected civilians, including additional needs arising as a result of military operations.

Signatory organizations: CARE International, Christian Aid, Handicap International, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council, Refugees International, Tearfund, World Vision International.

Oxfam’s Unwrapped gift-giving campaign encourages shoppers to look for deeper meaning in the gifts they give, reminding shoppers that “You Are What You Give.”  Shoppers can have a card mailed to recipients or send an electronic card to recipients.

“We all start the new year off with resolutions, some of them are easier to keep than others,” said Stephanie Kurzina, vice president for fundraising and communications at Oxfam America.  “This one is a slam dunk – give a pig through oxfamgifts.com and you can help fight poverty and help change a life in 2013.”

Oxfam’s Unwrapped catalog offers items that symbolically represent the organization’s lifesaving work, and each purchase is a contribution toward Oxfam’s many programs that help people living in poverty throughout the world.

All gift contributions are general donations to support Oxfam America’s mission of fighting poverty, hunger and social injustice in over 90 countries around the world. Gifts are fully tax-deductible.  For more information on how to gift better this holiday season, visit oxfamgifts.com.

Camera-ready art, a video featuring Aziz Ansari and Oxfam America spokespeople are available to the press.

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Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. To learn more, go to OxfamAmerica.org.

Close to three years after the earthquake, around 358,000 people live in 496 camps scattered around the capital. Three quarters of these camps are on private property, which includes schools and churches. An estimated 78,000 living in the camps located on private land are currently under threat of eviction by landowners, gangs or local authorities. While some people living in public and state-owned land were part of return-relocation programs, alternatives solutions for people living on private land are few and security remains a serious concern for all 358,000 people living in temporary camps.

“The Haitian government has shown important leadership on the return and relocation of internally displaced people. However, it needs to address the issue of people under threat of forced evictions. Thousands of people are in very precarious situation and at risk of finding themselves on the street with nowhere to go. The government should ensure the security and protection of displaced people against violence, intimidation and unlawful threats to evict families,” says Andrew Pugh, Oxfam´s Country Director in Haiti.

In a briefing note, Salt in the Wound, published today, Oxfam welcomes the Haitian government’s efforts to help families leave camps in order to move to back to their neighborhoods. However, it also calls on the Haitian government and landowners to halt forced evictions and work toward a practical solution that balances the needs of camp residents and landowners. On the anniversary of the human rights declaration, Oxfam denounces the violation of rights of the more than 60,000 people have been forcibly evicted from 152 temporary sites since July 2010.

Oxfam has worked since July 2010 in collaboration with the Platform of Haitian Organizations of Human Rights (POHDH) to mediate potential conflicts, ensure that residents are not being evicted with nowhere to go, and training people in camps to know their rights. The organization has done mediation and negotiated with dozens of landowners. After three years, many landowners also have a right for their properties to be returned to them, according to Oxfam.

Women are more affected by forced evictions, the survey found, especially those who are heads of household (36 percent of all households surveyed).

In the briefing note, Oxfam calls on the international community to provide more support to the Haitian government to help the victims of the 2010 earthquake leave the camps. All stakeholders involved in the future of Haiti, including donors and the United Nations, must give a higher priority to this issue on their humanitarian agenda.  

*Oxfam-Quebec commissioned a survey in 16 camps in the commune of Delmas. The methods to collect the information included interviews with camp committees, focus group discussions, assessment of needs and other participative methods. The survey is entitled Viv Tankou Moun, Oxfam-Quebec, December 2012. An executive summary of the survey results is available here.

Key priorities include getting clean, safe drinking water to disaster-hit areas; establishing basic sanitation facilities; and providing cash and starting cash-for-work projects to help families buy food, clothing, and other shelter needs.

Water treatment supplies and hygiene kits are being sent to the worst-hit areas in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental provinces, where around 505,000 people were severely affected.

The seven-month emergency response targets 12,000 families. It is the biggest rural response the organizations have ever mounted in the Philippines.

“The needs are enormous. It will take a very long time to recover from the impact of this disaster,” said Paul del Rosario, Oxfam’s humanitarian program coordinator in the region. 

“In the short term, we need to get people urgent help – basic shelter and access to safe water and food. In the medium to longer term, we need to support families with livelihoods. Farming communities were the worst hit and it could take many years for them to fully recover.”

The HRC, supported by Oxfam, will initially target the devastated towns of New Bataan, Compostela and Laak, in Compostela Valley province; Baganga (where the typhoon first made landfall), Cateel and Boston in Davao Oriental province and Lingig in Surigao del Sur province after carrying out rapid technical assessments.

“Our emergency teams are in place and we sent water treatment supplies, water and hygiene kits and emergency shelter supplies to the affected areas,” said Kevin R Lee, HRC lead and executive director of A Single Drop for Safe Water. “There have been some logistical challenges with roads, bridges, and communication lines affected, but items are getting to where they’re most urgently needed.”  

The teams are also looking at repairing and rehabilitating damaged water systems and setting up waste disposal systems.

According to the latest figures (December 10) from the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), 647 people died during the typhoon, with 780 people still reported as missing. More than 302,000 people are still staying in temporary evacuation centers.

Note: The Humanitarian Response Consortium, supported by Oxfam, is made up of A Single Drop for Safe Water (ASDSW); the Kadtuntaya Foundation Inc.(KFI) ; People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network (PDRRN) and Rural Development Institute of Sultan Kudarat (RDISK)

“A goat is the perfect gift.  Goats produce a ton of milk, they’re very hardy, and they have dope goatees,” says Ansari, as a goat, in the 30 second animation.

It’s not too late to give a last minute gift that can make a long-term difference.  Cards will be delivered by December 25 for orders placed before midnight on December 13.  Shoppers also have the option of sending an electronic card to recipients.

“If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, you can still head over to oxfamgifts.com to cross those final names off your list without even standing up. No wrapping paper, ribbons, or fighting for the last sweater at the mall required – and you can rest assured that your gift will help a family fight poverty and hunger,” Ansari says.

Oxfam’s Unwrapped catalog offers items that symbolically represent the organization’s lifesaving work, and each purchase is a contribution toward Oxfam’s many programs that help people living in poverty throughout the world.

While you can “be a goat for only $50” according to Ansari, there are over 70 life-changing products to choose from at oxfamgifts.com, ranging from $12 manure to $5,000 help a village recover from a disaster.

All gift contributions are general donations to support Oxfam America’s mission of fighting poverty, hunger and social injustice in over 90 countries around the world. Gifts are fully tax-deductible.  For more information on how to gift better this holiday season, visit oxfamgifts.com.

Camera-ready art, a video featuring Aziz Ansari and Oxfam America spokespeople are available to the press.

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Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. To learn more, go to OxfamAmerica.org.

Oxfam, with funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, partnered with Swiss Re, The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), the Relief Society of Tigray, Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution, Nyala Insurance Company, and Africa Insurance Company to start HARITA in 2007. Last year, The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Oxfam expanded HARITA, now known as the “R4 Rural Resilience Initiative" to help poor farmers protect their crops and livelihoods from the impacts of climate variability and change, including drought.

“In the history of weather index insurance programs, this is the first-ever set of large payouts directly to small scale farmers in Ethiopia,” said David Satterthwaite, senior global micro-insurance manager at Oxfam America.  “Until now payouts have been for small pilots. But at this new scale, we are proving that weather insurance can be a successful and market-ready financial product.  These kinds of products are the new face of development: They empower people to take chances and build a better future for themselves.”

“With today’s changing climate, crop insurance has become a critical tool in building the resilience of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.  “With this first significant payout, we clearly see the impact of innovative insurance products that can reach the poorest small holder farmers by utilizing the most current technology.  We can provide farmers with no better form of food security than by empowering them to protect themselves from the impacts climate change.”

“We used to be blocked because it was too expensive, if not impossible, to get drought and crop loss data in time to help the farmers,” said Dan Osgood, an economist at IRI.  “This payout was triggered by rainfall estimates measured by the same cutting-edge satellite technology used by NASA and NOAA, but engineered together with Ethiopians to target their risks and vulnerabilities.  This allowed us to calculate the payouts just as crops were beginning to suffer, so farmers will get the money when they need it most."

In many rural areas, disaster often strikes poor farmers hard, forcing them to make choices that drag their families deeper into poverty. To survive, they might have to sell their tools for cash to buy food, or take their children out of school to save on fees. With weather insurance, farmers can protect the investment they make in their crops, and feel confident in taking out loans for fertilizer and better seeds to improve their harvests.

The R4 project has scaled from 200 households purchasing insurance in one village in 2009 to more than 18,000 enrolled households in 76 villages this year. Farmers have been able to purchase insurance with cash, or for the first time, partially with cash and partially with labor. As a progressive step toward building a commercial insurance market in rural Ethiopia, R4 is strategically expanding to areas where farmers are capable of paying for insurance with cash, while continuing to serve the poorest and most vulnerable farmers through government’s Productive Safety Net Programme, using the project’s innovative Insurance-For-Work (IFW) model. The products are priced at commercially viable rates for both, cash-paying farmers as well as for farmers purchasing through the IFW program.

“Access to finance and risk management is pre-requisite for financing investments into better farming technology, hence increasing incomes. With this in mind Swiss Re engages in developing solutions for small holder farmers around the world,” said Christina Ulardic, Head Market Development Africa, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions. "We are glad to see that the product developed for the Ethiopian farmers does what it is designed for; financially compensating farmers during years of adverse weather conditions."

This innovative public-private partnership is expanding from Ethiopia to Senegal over the next four years.  R4 enables poor farmers to strengthen their food and income security by managing risks through a four-part approach—improving natural resource management (community risk reduction), accessing microcredit ("prudent" risk taking), gaining insurance coverage (risk transfer), and increasing savings (risk reserves).

/ENDS