Press releases http://www.oxfamamerica.org These are the search results for the query, showing results 81 to 95. Haiti must redouble efforts to boost agriculture; cannot afford to fail http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/haiti-must-redouble-efforts-to-boost-agriculture-cannot-afford-to-fail Plans and programs to improve the Haitian agriculture sector since the 2010 earthquake have been insufficient, says international organization Oxfam in a new report. Efforts by the Haitian government and the international community have fallen short of revitalizing the sector, improving conditions for small-scale local farmers, or recognizing the important role of women in agriculture.

“Despite agriculture in Haiti suffering three decades of crisis and neglect, almost 60 percent of Haitians still rely on farming for their livelihoods,” said Yolette Etienne, Country Director for Oxfam in Haiti. “The government and the international community must put greater emphasis on coherent agricultural policies to revitalize production and create value to help Haitians get back on their feet and improve their living conditions.”

Oxfam’s new report, Planting Now (2nd Edition): Revitalizing agriculture for reconstruction and development in Haiti, surveyed representatives of the Haitian government, the international community, and local Haitian organizations. Ninety percent of interviewees stressed that agriculture is Haiti’s main production sector, contributing to a quarter of the GDP and creating 60 percent of available jobs. Yet trade and agricultural policies in Haiti have nearly wiped out the sector’s ability to provide stable livelihoods for Haitian farmers, leading to high levels of food insecurity throughout the country.

“We know the current system has major flaws. Short term projects to improve agriculture may seem effective, but they are not sustainable and will not bring vitality back to Haitian farming. The government must prioritize a long-term approach, allowing the Ministry of Agriculture to take the lead to promote local development that takes into consideration priorities of small scales producers,” said Etienne.

After the earthquake of 2010, the Haitian government developed a National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) to coordinate the efforts of different actors working to revitalize agriculture in Haiti. So far, donors have only funded 47 percent of the $790 million promised to implement the NAIP. The need for greater investment, active political leadership, and better coordination among some humanitarian donors and aid organizations, are necessary conditions for the NAIP to fulfill its function as an indispensable instrument for the growth of Haitian agriculture.

The plight of women is a good illustration of Haiti’s broken farming system. In rural Haiti, women are the head of nearly 40 percent of households and they are very actives in virtually all aspects of agriculture. They play a key role from production to commercialization of local products in local markets, to consumption, but their role is not valued and they are often victims of pay discrimination. The future sustainability of small-scale farming in Haiti depends on equality between women and men.

“There are many actors who feel they have the right answer for improving agriculture in Haiti. We all have a role to play, and coordination is essential. The most important step is to prioritize the NAIP at all levels and adopt a long-term program approach to sustainable agriculture. The Haitian government, international donors, aid organizations, as well as local farmers must work together to bring Haitian agriculture back to what it is – the most promising sector in Haiti,” said Etienne.

In Haiti, Oxfam aligns its work with the Ministry of Agriculture, local authorities and local communities’ priorities. Oxfam’s agricultural programs, carried out in close collaboration with local partners focus on strengthening the capacity of rice farmers in the Artibonite Valley; improving production and incomes for coffee farmers in the north, northeast, and south departments; developing and diversifying promising sectors; , improving agricultural innovation through technological training, improved irrigation systems, and watershed and soil erosion management; and improving agro-processing and commercialization capacities .

Oxfam works with numerous local partners, namely producers associations, cooperatives, and technical assistance structures. Our work in the agricultural sector is not limited to increases in production or productivity; it includes all aspects of advocacy to guarantee more transparency and accountability of the sector.

Click here for the full report or here for a summary.

]]> No publisher mhart 2012-10-15T15:38:57Z Press Release Oxfam to EPA: Rein in runaway food prices http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/oxfam-to-epa-rein-in-runaway-food-prices With food prices near record highs, more than 17,500 Americans joined relief and development organization Oxfam America in sending letters to the Environmental Protection Agency urging the agency to institute a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Oxfam and thousands of supporters called on the EPA to wave the mandate because it has contributed to the recent food price spikes that have exacerbated hunger for millions of people living in poverty here in the US and around the world. Oxfam warned the EPA that increasing hunger resulting from the corn ethanol mandate is not only a moral failure but also a threat to the US economy and our national security.

“This sharp rise in food prices is a threat to the economic and human well-being of people not just in the United States, but also around the world,” warns Oxfam’s letter.  “While concerns about high food prices are foremost about the spread of hunger and poverty, high food prices are also strongly correlated with political instability and have historically been a catalyst for mass protest in countries where legitimacy is already faltering.”

In 2010 and 2011, nearly 40 percent of the US corn supply was used in ethanol production, due to significantly expanded requirements of the RFS. Agricultural economists have estimated that the diversion of corn into ethanol production has resulted in an increase in corn prices of approximately 30 percent.

“Leadership is urgently needed to deal with runaway food prices that increase hunger around the world,” said Eric Munoz, policy advisor for Oxfam America. “We can all hear the alarm bells ringing; it’s time for leaders in Washington to finally do something about it.”

On August 20, 2012, the EPA issued a request for comment on letters from the Governors of Arkansas and North Carolina seeking a waiver of the volume requirements of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The comment period ended yesterday and now the EPA must decide on the waiver request within 90 days of receiving it, in consultation with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy.

/ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Link to letter signed by more than 17,500 Oxfam supporters: https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1347

Full text of Oxfam America’s letter to the EPA

October 11, 2012

Re: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-QAR-2012-0632
Comment on Letters Seeking a Waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard


Oxfam America appreciates the opportunity to comment on recent letters received by the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS.  As a humanitarian relief and development agency concerned with the impact U.S. policies have on people’s efforts to escape poverty, we are writing in support of the formal requests submitted by the Governors of Arkansas and North Carolina seeking a waiver of the biofuel mandates for corn based ethanol in the RFS. We are aware that additional requests have also been made by the governors of Texas, Georgia, New Mexico, Maryland and Delaware as well as 156 U.S. Representatives and 34 U.S. Senators, underscoring the severity of the situation at hand and the need for EPA Administrator Jackson’s consideration and action.

Under current conditions, the imposition of a mandatory minimum level of corn-based ethanol as an oxygenate fuel additive carries real, negative economic consequences, particularly for people living in poverty in developing countries and in the United States, including those in states petitioning for the waiver. We therefore request that Administrator Jackson exercise her authority under Section 211(o)(7) of the Federal Clean Air Act to immediately waive the biofuel mandate for corn-based ethanol.

Current pressures on cereal and food prices

According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor assessments, the current drought affecting the U.S. has reached historic proportions and has persisted past the summer, leaving 65.5 percent of the contiguous U.S. in varying degrees of intense dryness. America’s most beleaguered regions – the Central Plains and Corn Belt – give ample indication that corn harvests for 2012 will fall below projections made earlier this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October crop estimates indicate that corn yields are expected to be 17 percent below 2011 levels which would result in the smallest corn crop since 2006.

As the growing season for corn has now come to an end and fall harvesting has begun, it is unrealistic to expect that any improvement in current weather conditions at this stage could reverse or undo crop losses for the year. Evidence gathered by all measures now points to a tightening U.S. corn supply, sending stress signals to agricultural commodity markets that have responded with fluctuating corn prices, ranging from around $5.00 per bushel at the beginning of the summer to record high futures contract prices, closing at $8.02 in August. Prices are projected at up to $8.50 per bushel this fall according to the most recent forecasts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

However the drought alone is not entirely to blame for recent high corn prices; in fact, the RFS is significantly exacerbating the effects of the drought. Current mandates in the RFS which require 13.2 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply in 2012 and 13.8 billion in 2013 have been a driving factor in increased prices for agricultural commodities, corn in particular.

In 2010 and 2011, nearly 40 percent of the U.S. corn supply was used in ethanol production, due to significantly expanded RFS requirements outlined in the Energy Independence Security Act of 2007, which mandated an annually increasing production schedule of corn-based ethanol for blending into the US fuel supply.  In the years following implementation of these new requirements – more commonly referred to as RFS2 - research suggests that the redirection of corn out of the food supply and into corn-based ethanol production represented a loss of 3.3 percent of global grain production.   A spillover effect of this increased demand for corn has been an increase in food prices experienced most dramatically since 2008. Using the Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index as a benchmark indicator of global food prices, researchers have found that “corn ethanol is likely to be responsible for the underlying increase in the cost of food” during the 2008-2011 period.  Agricultural economists have estimated that the diversion of corn into ethanol production has resulted in an increase in corn prices of approximately 30 percent.   

The consequences of the increased demand for corn are being felt beyond the corn market; as demand for corn-based ethanol resulting from the RFS continues to influence the price of corn, the price of other food commodities such as soybeans and wheat are also affected. In July and August of this year, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported record global grain prices, shooting up 38 percentage points from June.  The expected poor harvest for corn in 2012 will likely further exacerbate this trend.

Consequences of high food prices for those living in poverty in the United States and globally

At present, the two states seeking relief from current and future mandates for corn-based ethanol rank 34th (North Carolina) and 45th (Arkansas) out of the 50 states in terms of percentage of the population living in poverty. These high poverty rates and the sharply increased cost of food have exacerbated food insecurity in these states. Consistently since October 2008 food price inflation has outpaced the general rate of inflation in the United States.  In September, the USDA announced that on average 14.7 percent of the US population reported being food insecure between 2009 and 2011. Arkansas was tied with Mississippi for the highest rate of food insecurity of any state over this period with 19.2 percent of the population reporting food insecurity; and in North Carolina 17.1 percent of the population reported being food insecure.

Hunger and food insecurity in the United States carry real economic costs and consequences in terms of increased healthcare costs, lost educational opportunities and increased costs to domestic charities to provide needed support. Recent analysis calculates these costs at $5.44 billion for North Carolina and $2.03 billion for Arkansas in 2010.  These conservative estimates- which do not include the additional spending for government nutrition programs (such as SNAP and the free and reduced cost school lunch programs)-demonstrate the substantial economic costs of food insecurity deriving, in no small part, from increased food prices resulting substantially from the RFS mandate for corn-based ethanol.

This sharp rise in food prices is a threat to the economic and human well-being of people not just in the United States, but also around the world, particularly in countries reliant on U.S. imports to meet their food demands.  In many developing countries today, cereals – including corn – are a dietary staple and represent over 50 percent of the daily caloric intake for millions of people.    In low-income countries that are net food importers, where the poor consume mostly unprocessed foods, hunger is an ever-present threat when food commodities markets are hit by shocks. In fact, at the height of 2008, the World Bank estimates that the sudden, sharp increase in food prices drove 44 million people into poverty. Oxfam documented the struggles of people affected by high food prices and our organization is often challenged to address the impact of high food prices on vulnerable populations.

In the Sahel region of West Africa, for instance, more than 18 million people are emerging from a prolonged “hunger season” caused by a toxic mix of high and volatile food prices, poor harvests and chronic poverty and vulnerability. Several of the countries affected by the current crisis, Senegal and Mauritania in particular, could face a double-shock if prices increase and remain high. Senegal is one of the largest importers of corn in the West Africa region  and corn contributes approximately 10 percent of the calories to the Senegalese diet.  Furthermore, because about half of the grain consumed in Mauritania comes in the form of wheat, which is largely import dependent, high wheat process have raised alarm bells for the World Food Programme, which is worried about the impact higher prices will have on hunger and poverty in a country already experiencing severe food insecurity.

The problems affecting populations in the Sahel are representative of communities and countries around the world. Research released this month from Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute has calculated the additional cost to Net Corn-Importing Countries from growth of U.S. ethanol production. In particular, from 2005/06, at the start of the RFS program, to 2011, increase demand for corn-based ethanol has cost net-corn importing developing countries $6.64 billion USD in increased import bills.  This added loss of domestic revenue further squeezes national budgets of the poorest developing countries and cuts into revenue that could have been used to pay for supplemental nutrition programs or emergency food reserves that protect vulnerable populations from food price shocks.

While concerns about high food prices are foremost about the spread of hunger and poverty, high food prices are also strongly correlated with political instability and have historically been a catalyst for mass protest in countries where legitimacy is already faltering. Research performed by the New England Institute for Science and Society has identified “a global food price threshold for unrest;” according to this analysis, food riots are more likely to occur when prices exceed “a FAO price index of 210.”  Currently, the price index for September stands at 216, and has gradually risen above 210 since July of this year.

Since 2007, food riots have broken out in more than 60 countries  and have occurred with heightened frequency during periods of record-breaking food prices such as in 2008, when food riots erupted from Europe to the South Pacific. The FAO food price index crossed the 210 threshold, for the first time, in February 2008.

The 2008 food riots are instructive as they reveal the contributing role new RFS2 requirements played in elevating corn prices and disrupting food markets at that time. RFS2 mandates for 2008 nearly doubled the total volume of U.S. biofuel production, from 4.7 billion gallons in 2007, to 9.00 billion gallons in 2008. As the new production requirements went into effect in 2008, all biofuel production that year was ethanol derived solely from corn. While global corn stocks were high for 2008, the significant uptick in the diversion of corn into ethanol production likely played a role in sending agricultural commodity prices and subsequently food prices soaring to then historic highs, prompting many of those affected to take to the streets. The world watched civil unrest erupt and spread across the globe.

Another wave of protests and riots in 2011, rippled across North Africa and the Middle East to become what is now referred to as the “Arab Spring,” revealing, among other things, how the failure to guarantee basic securities, such as an affordable supply of food, can topple governments. In 2011, the FAO food price index registered a record annual average of 228, the highest ever recorded since the index began measurements in 1990.  Experiences from the last two major food price crises of 2008 and 2011 confirm that the prospect of political unrest is likely and such unrest can potentially threaten the security interests of the U.S.

Need for waiver of the RFS mandate

]]> No publisher bgrossmancohen 2012-10-12T14:07:25Z Press Release Oil industry lobby groups sue US SEC to keep payments secret http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/oil-industry-lobby-groups-sue-us-sec-to-keep-payments-secret Washington, DC – International development and relief organization Oxfam America expressed extreme disappointment that the oil industry has decided to try to use the courts to keep investors and the public in the dark regarding payments to resource-rich countries. The American Petroleum Institute, a lobby group representing companies such as BP, Exxon, Chevron and Shell, filed a lawsuit against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday to overturn a US law that will provide valuable information to investors and help prevent corrupt government officials from squandering oil and mineral wealth in resource-rich countries.

The law, known as Section 1504 or “Cardin-Lugar” provision of the Dodd-Frank Act requires oil, gas and mining companies to disclose payments, such as taxes, they pay to foreign governments for the extraction of oil and minerals. After missing the Congressional deadline by more than a year, the SEC issued final rules on August 22, 2012 and companies are required to start reporting their payments for fiscal years ending after September 30, 2013. Oxfam America believes the SEC conducted a robust and lengthy input process, thoroughly addressing public comments and analyzing the economic consequences of the final rules.

“By approving final regulations for the Cardin-Lugar provision, the SEC acted to lift the veil of secrecy on billions of dollars that flow every year from oil and mining companies to governments around the world,” said Ian Gary, senior policy manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “The agency followed the letter of the law. Now it’s time for oil companies to comply with the final regulation, not fight it in the courts.

“We are greatly disappointed that the oil industry is trying to use the courts to bully the SEC and push for secrecy in their payments to governments.” said Gary. “We call on companies, such as BP, Exxon, Chevron and Shell, who are hiding behind industry associations to do their dirty work while espousing transparency rhetoric, to disassociate themselves from the lawsuit.”

In a recent review, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the rule promulgated by the SEC is legally sound. Investors worth more than $1.2 trillion weighed in with the SEC, asking the agency to quickly implement a final rule that followed the statutory language and Congressional intent. Several companies, such as Talisman Energy, Statoil, AngloGold Ashanti and Newmont Mining already disclose payments in every country of operation, in some cases at the project level as the law and final rule requires. The final rule does not require companies to disclose contracts or contract terms, nor does it require companies to disclose proprietary information.

“If payment disclosures hurt bottom lines, then leading companies like Statoil and Talisman Energy would not already be disclosing this type of information,” said Gary. “Any well-run company should already collect and account for this information and if systems aren’t in place for tracking payments, investors need to ask why.

“The oil industry loves to trumpet their contributions to society but when a new law requires them to tell the public exactly how much money they pay to governments around the world, they bring out the lobbyists and file a lawsuit,” continued Gary. “This lawsuit is wholly incompatible with the industry’s transparency commitments and embrace of payment disclosure through such initiatives as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.”

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the US Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the National Foreign Trade Council.

]]> No publisher jforres 2012-10-11T18:31:15Z Press Release Land sold off in last decade could grow enough food to feed a billion people – Oxfam http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/land-sold-off-in-last-decade-could-grow-enough-food-to-feed-a-billion-people-2013-oxfam Land the size of the California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico combined was sold off globally in the last decade, enough to grow food for the one billion people who go hungry today, says a new report, from international relief and development organization Oxfam America.

The Oxfam report, Our Land, Our Lives, shows that land deals tripled during the food price crisis in 2008 and 2009 because land was increasingly viewed as a profitable investment. With global food prices again hovering near record levels, urgent action is needed today to stop the threat of another wave of land grabs.

“An area of land the size of Chicago is being sold to foreign investors every two days in developing countries,” said Paul O’Brien, Vice President of policy and campaigns for Oxfam America. “Tens of thousands of poor people are being kicked off their land, often violently, without consultation or compensation. The World Bank can act today and prevent this from becoming one of the great scandals of the 21st century.”

The report was released a week before the World Bank’s first Annual Meeting since Jim Kim became its new President, and comes as Oxfam steps up its campaign to end land grabs. Oxfam calls on the World Bank to temporarily freeze its agricultural investments in land so it can review its advice to developing countries, help set standards for investors and introduce more robust policies to prevent land-grabs. Since 2008, 21 formal complaints have been brought by communities affected by World Bank projects that they say have violated their land rights.

“The World Bank needs to put its house in order,” said O’Brien. “But it is also in a unique position to help solve this crisis both as an investor in land and an adviser to developing countries.”

The Bank’s investments in agriculture have increased by 200 percent in the last 10 years, while its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, sets standards followed by many investors. The Bank’s own research reveals that countries with the most large scale land deals are those with the poorest protection of people’s land rights. Oxfam supports greater investment in agriculture and to small-scale farmers; however the unprecedented rush for land has not been adequately policed to prevent land grabs.

The report warns that more than 60 percent of investments in agricultural land by foreign investors between 2000 and 2010 were in developing countries with serious hunger problems. However, two thirds of those investors plan to export everything they produce on the land. About 60 percent of global land deals in the past decade have been to grow crops that can be used for biofuels.

“By implementing a temporary freeze and reviewing its approach, the Bank can set an example to all investors and governments and to help ensure that investors genuinely boost development in some of the poorest communities,” said O’Brien. “Investment should be good news for developing countries, but too often it consigns people to greater poverty, hunger and hardship.”

Oxfam urges Jim Kim to take leadership on this issue at the World Bank’s Annual Meetings in Tokyo on October 12-14 and send a strong signal to global investors to stop land-grabbing and to improve standards. Specifically, Oxfam is calling for:

  • Transparency – ensuring that information about land deals is publicly accessible for both affected communities and governments.
  • Consultation and consent – ensuring communities are informed in advance, and can agree or refuse projects.
  • Land rights and governance – strengthening poor people’s rights to land and natural resources, especially women, through better land tenure governance as set out by the Committee for Food Security.
  • Food security – ensuring that land investments do not undermine local and national food security.

“The World Bank’s mission is tackle global poverty so they have a responsibility to help stop this unbridled rush for land," said O’Brien. “As food prices spike and competition for food and natural resources intensify, land grabs are likely to accelerate. We must take urgent action to ensure that poor people’s rights are protected.”

/Ends

Notes to editors:
According to the International Land Coalition, 500 million acres of land was acquired in major deals globally between 2000 and 2010.
The same research shows that 260 million acres of land in developing countries was acquired by foreign investors between 2000 and 2010.

For more information see: www.oxfamamerica.org/landfreeze

For a video introduction to Land Grabs see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUXMPczM7D4&feature=player_embedded

]]> No publisher bgrossmancohen 2012-10-04T14:27:11Z Press Release American families, celebrity chefs fight hunger on World Food Day http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/american-families-celebrity-chefs-fight-hunger-on-world-food-day Celebrity chefs, religious leaders and families across the United States will team up with international relief and development organization Oxfam America to fight global hunger in honor of World Food Day this October 16th.  Renowned chefs including Jose Andres, Jamie Oliver and Lidia Bastianich are supporting a week of action organized by Oxfam America’s GROW campaign that will include events across the country.

“There is nothing more important to me than fighting for a world where everyone has enough to eat,” said Chef Jose Andres, Director and Chair of the World Central Kitchen. “I’m proud to work with Oxfam America’s GROW campaign to help make it easy for everyone to get involved and take action in their own homes and communities.”

Oxfam’s week of action will not only raise awareness, but will also bring about hundreds of solutions-oriented events large and small in cities and towns around the country:

  • Using recipes specially designed by prominent chefs like Mario Batali and Aarti Sequeira, hundreds of families will host meals that follow Oxfam's Grow Method, 5 simple changes to how we buy, prepare and store food to help fight hunger in our daily lives.
  • Restaurants in 15 cities will host meals that follow the GROW Method organized by Grubwithus, the social network for connecting real people in the real world over really good food. Visit: http://www.grubwithus.com/oxfam to find a restaurant in your town.
  • Chef Jose Andres will join Oxfam to host a special GROW Method lunch at the World Food Prize in Des Moines Iowa featuring women farmers from Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
  • Sex in the City’s Kristin Davis joins Oxfam America’s president Raymond C. Offenheiser at Google’s Los Angeles offices for a World Food Day themed Google Talk at Google headquarters.


Oxfam is providing World Food Day materials, including placemats, celebrity chef recipe cards, banners and stickers at no cost for those who would like to host their own event at http://www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday.

The GROW campaign aims to help American families connect to small scale farmers around the world to build a more fair and equitable global food system. World Food Day helps engage individuals, companies and governments in actions that will help achieve this vision.

“Nearly one in seven people around the world go to bed hungry every night, not because we don’t have enough food for everyone, but because of inequality in access to resources and opportunity,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “We have more power as individuals than we realize to change things.  World Food Day is the moment to seize this power and demand changes that will reduce inequality, fight hunger and help build a world where everyone has enough to eat now and in the future.”

/ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Find out more about World Food Day at: www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday

Check out Oxfam’s Grow Method at: www.oxfamamerica.org/growmethod

Restaurants hosting meals for World Food Day include:
Columbus, OH - Black Street Bistro
Minneapolis, MN - Red Stag SupperClub
Los Angeles, CA - Stella Rossa
San Francisco, CA - Source
Seattle, WA - Plum Vegan Bistro
Albuquerque, NM - Slate Street Cafe
Chicago, IL - Karyn's on Green
Austin, TX - Salty Sow
Madison, WI - Graze
Kansas City, MO - The Westside Local
Indianapolis, IN - Pure Eatery
Burlington, VT - Farmhouse Tap and Grill
Boston, MA - Garden at the Cellar
Philadelphia, PA - Audrey Claire
New York, NY- Sun in Bloom
For more details see http://www.grubwithus.com/oxfam

]]> No publisher bgrossmancohen 2012-10-03T19:11:38Z Press Release Hunger crisis threatens to derail Yemen’s development and stability http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/hunger-crisis-threatens-to-derail-yemen2019s-development-and-stability The hunger crisis in Yemen, which affects almost one out of every two Yemeni citizens, and is putting nearly one million children at risk of severe malnutrition, must be addressed immediately to put the fragile country on the path to a better future, eight international and Yemeni aid organizations said today. The call for more targeted emergency funding came as foreign ministers from the United States, UK, Saudi Arabia and other countries are set to meet with the Yemeni government at the Friends of Yemen donor conference in New York.

The aid organizations – Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Islamic Relief, CARE International, Merlin, International Medical Corps, Yemen Relief and Development Forum (YRDF) and the Humanitarian Forum – said that despite generous pledges of $6.4 billion made at a conference in Riyadh, the humanitarian response was still dangerously under-funded with the majority of pledged funds being allocated to infrastructure and macro-economic stability. This year’s UN appeal for $585 million for Yemen’s emergency needs is still less than half-funded. This shortfall could be closed with a fraction – just over 4 percent - of the funds promised in Riyadh. There is no reason for an under-funded humanitarian response, say the organizations.

Recent surveys have uncovered high malnutrition rates in Lahj in the south and Hajjah in the north, and organizations are now responding to needs in Abyan, which until recently was a no-go area wracked by fighting between the Yemeni government and insurgents. The aid organizations said that although longer-term funding was essential, it would not help Yemen achieve development and stability unless matched with immediate funding to tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Colette Fearon, Country Director of Oxfam in Yemen, said: “With each passing day, the crisis gets tougher. Children’s futures are at risk with some of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. Women tell Oxfam that their lives have got worse since last year's political upheaval. They can’t afford food or find work. Parents are pulling children out of school to beg, marrying their daughters early and selling what little they have just to get food today. They know this will make life harder in the future, but have little choice.  People cannot survive on promises, however generous. It would take a fraction of the money already promised to fully fund the UN appeal.”

The organizations urged donors not to repeat the mistakes of the past where funds were pledged to Yemen, but did not materialize. In 2006, five billion dollars was promised to Yemen, but in early 2010 less than 10 percent had been disbursed. They called on the Friends of Yemen to ensure a comprehensive strategy and accountable and transparent plan detailing how the money would be spent and by when, with clear indicators that national and international civil society could monitor. They said this would help ensure that humanitarian funding was quickly followed by investment to tackle the root causes of Yemen’s hunger crisis. 

Mohammed Qazilbash, Mercy Corps Yemen Country Director said: “The humanitarian crisis is staggering and Yemen needs immediate assistance to help the millions of Yemenis who are hungry right now. As world leaders gather to discuss Yemen’s future, we urge them not only to meet pressing needs on the ground, but to ensure that there is a plan in place to address the root causes of the crisis. Unemployment and high food prices mean that people cannot afford food today. By investing in the private sector, supporting market development, job training and youth employment programs, donors can give Yemenis a better future and break the cycle of hunger.”

The UN is expected to request another $92 million to address needs in Abyan in the coming months. The organizations said this could be covered with just over one percent of the $6.4 billion pledged.

“Malnutrition rates in Hodeidah have exceeded the emergency threshold by 100 percent, so Islamic Relief is launching a health, nutrition and livelihood programs there, it’s aim is to save lives,” said Islamic Relief Country Director Hashem Awnallah, adding that the organizations is also targeting Abyan and Lahj, but “more resources are needed to keep current operations in place and reach out further.”

The call of the international aid organizations is echoed by Yemeni civil society. In a recent civil society conference in Riyadh, over 100 civil society representatives from across Yemen agreed that the humanitarian crisis should be a key priority for funding. The Yemeni diaspora is also campaigning for recognition of the hunger crisis through its Hungry4Change campaign.

Click here to support Oxfam's humanitarian response program in Yemen.

]]> No publisher mhart 2012-10-01T15:18:48Z Press Release Experts find increasing trend of oil and mining companies adopting human rights policies http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/experts-find-increasing-trend-of-oil-and-mining-companies-adopting-human-rights-policies Washington, DC – Oil and mining companies are increasing their stated commitments to human rights, including in some cases adopting policies in favor of securing community approval prior to projects moving forward, according to new research by international relief and development organization Oxfam America.

“Too often, communities have no say in the decision of whether to extract resources from their backyards and receive little information about these projects,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “With more than half of the world’s poorest people living in countries rich in natural resources, the increasing trend of companies incorporating human rights in their policies is encouraging.”

The research released today reviews the public policies of 28 oil and mining companies. Five of the companies surveyed (Inmet, Newmont, Talisman Energy, Rio Tinto and Xstrata with total market cap of $180.58 billion) have made explicit public commitments to Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), a number which has more than doubled since a 2009 Oxfam America report. Another eight companies (including Anglo American, BP, Repsol, and others) have made somewhat qualified or indirect commitments to FPIC. The report assesses stated policies but does not attempt to measure observance of corporate policies.

FPIC is considered the gold standard of policies since it requires communities to be adequately informed about oil, gas and mining projects in a timely manner and given the opportunity to approve (or reject) a project prior to the commencement of operations. FPIC is a right for indigenous peoples according to international law, and Oxfam America believes that it is also a best practice for sustainable development of any oil, gas, or mining project.

The report also finds that approximately two-thirds of the companies surveyed now have incorporated the concept of community consent or less strong concepts such as community support or social license in their policies regarding development activities, either directly or indirectly through their commitments to other standards. Some companies that only referenced consultation or community engagement in 2009 now have policies more aligned with community support or social license principles, including ExxonMobil, Total, Shell, and Barrick Gold.

With intensified conflicts over land, water and mineral rights, business as usual is simply not going to cut it,” said Offenheiser. “Companies need to work with communities to ensure they have a meaningful voice in the decision-making process and that projects are designed in ways that respect human rights.”

The change within companies in the last three years is likely due in large part to the intensification of controversies and conflicts surrounding oil, gas and mining projects coupled with new international lending standards set by the World Bank’s private sector lending arm - the International Finance Corporation. Total World Bank Group’s commitment to the extractive industries sector has averaged US$910 million per year over the last five fiscal years.

“In order for oil and mining companies to survive in the coming decades, they need to transform themselves from primarily resource extractors to development partners," said Offenheiser. "Companies that fail to implement the policies will be at a competitive disadvantage."

Frequently Asked Questions on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent

Q: What is Free, Prior, and Informed Consent?

FPIC is a dynamic process. It ensures communities receive adequate and timely information about oil, mining, and other development projects affecting them and their lands. It also ensures that communities have the opportunity to approve or reject projects. However, some governments and companies fear that FPIC implies a one-off procedure, a simple yes or no vote, but it’s really about giving all sides the opportunity to share their concerns. Within an FPIC process, for example, an oil company could learn that its planned pipeline is located on land considered sacred by the community. With that information, the company can choose to reroute the pipeline to another site, improving its relationship with local communities and in some cases even preventing conflict and revenue losses in the long-term.

Q: Is the right to FPIC protected by international law?

In short, yes. International bodies like the International Labour Organization through its Convention No. 169, Concerning Indigenous and Tribal People in Independent Countries, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) have recognized the right to FPIC in certain circumstances. For example, in 2007 the IACHR ruled that the government of Suriname had violated the Saramaka peoples’ right to collective property for awarding a timber concession on their lands without prior consultation. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples also calls on states to secure the FPIC of indigenous peoples for projects that affect their lands or resources.

Q: How does the private sector view FPIC?

Oil, gas and mining companies have started adopting FPIC into their own policies and standards. For the private sector, it’s a bottom-line issue and it also promotes responsible spending. When communities become unhappy and begin protesting a particular project like blocking off roads or shutting down production facilities, projects becomes riskier. That was the case for Newmont’s Yanaocha Mine in northern Peru. When the company decided to expand the mine without consulting the community, thousands of people staged demonstrations and blocked access to the mine for two weeks. During those two weeks, the company’s stock price fell 7 percent, a loss of more than $ 1 billion in shareholder value, according to calculations made by Oxfam.

Because companies in the oil and mining sector are especially vulnerable to financial and reputational risks, many of them such as Newmont, Rio Tinto, Xstrata, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, ConocoPhillips, Pluspetrol and Talisman Energy have made some type of commitment to securing community consent prior to launching projects.

Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) fund managers have also started highlighting the importance of FPIC as a way to ensure that the companies within their client’s portfolios demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and respect for indigenous peoples’ rights. In 2009, mutual fund company Calvert Asset Management Company removed Weyerhaeuser from the Calvert Social Index for failing to recognize FPIC in its relationship with the Indian Tribe Grassy Narrows First Nation of Ontario, Canada.

More recently, international financial institutions are requiring companies to implement FPIC as a condition of financing. In August 2011, the International Finance Corporation – the World Bank Group’s private sector lending arm – released its new sustainability framework. For the first time, companies receiving IFC financing will be required to consult and receive the FPIC of indigenous communities prior to launching development projects that could potentially impact them adversely. This is a significant move by the IFC. The new policy will set a global standard for companies and financial institutions to follow. This includes the 72 export credit agencies and private banks that commit to the Equator Principles-- a voluntary set of standards for identifying and managing social and environmental risk in project financing. The Equator Principles are based largely on IFC policies.

Q: Does FPIC work in practice?

The practice of FPIC is relatively new. Increasingly, governments, companies, and international financial institutions are embracing FPIC as a best practice and putting it to the test.

A case study produced by Oxfam describes Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy successfully applying FPIC during a gas exploration project in the indigenous territory of Charagua Norte e Isoso, located in the Santa Cruz region. The Ministry consulted the community about the project and, prior to exploration, indigenous leaders signed an agreement with the Bolivian government documenting consent for exploration activities by the Argentine company Pluspetrol. The consultation process reached a positive outcome thanks largely to the willingness of the government to respect the use of traditional indigenous institutions and systems, provide complete and truthful information to affected communities, and approach the process with good faith.

]]> No publisher jforres 2012-10-05T21:16:06Z Press Release Worst flooding in more than 80 years affecting half a million people in Niger http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/worst-flooding-in-more-than-80-years-affecting-half-a-million-people-in-niger International aid organization Oxfam on Thursday warned that devastating floods in Niger are affecting more than 500,000 people, most of whose basic needs are not being met. Floodwaters in Niamey and surrounding regions have unrelentingly risen since rains began in July, destroying thousands of houses and over 7,000 hectares of crops. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that more than 80 people have already died from the floods.

Oxfam calls for a scale-up of aid efforts to assist the most vulnerable families affected by the floods and help them survive this crisis.

"Although rain is needed, this year’s excessive rains have destroyed thousands of houses and farmland, and families already struggling to survive have lost everything. These floods were the last thing the country needed," said Samuel Braimah, Country Director for Oxfam in Niger.

Earlier this year, drought across the broader Sahel region brought about a hunger crisis that continues to affect over 5.5 million people in Niger, and cholera has killed up to 96 people so far. Now, exceptionally high food prices, combined with the loss of crops to the floods, are diminishing Niger’s capacity to overcome its challenge to feed its own population.

To respond to the floods, Oxfam and its partners are distributing household kits including soap, mats and mosquito nets, and water and sanitation provisions to almost 40,000 people. Distributions are ongoing in Niamey, Tillabéry, Zinder and Maradi, and will be followed by assistance to rebuild their houses and earn a living.

"This is an urgent situation for everyone. As a temporary measure, schools in Niamey are sheltering flood victims, but thousands of students have to go back to school, and the beginning of the school year has already been postponed by two weeks," said Braimah.

In addition to the emergency assistance provided, a longer-term solution is needed for families to get back on their feet and avoid being flooded again in the future, pressing the need to support and enforce the government’s existing mechanisms to deal with crises.

]]> No publisher mhart 2012-09-25T15:50:54Z Press Release Oil and mining transparency revolution continues across the Atlantic http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/oil-and-mining-transparency-revolution-continues-across-the-atlantic Washington, DC – International relief and development organization Oxfam America applauds the European Parliament for following the US lead and voting in favor of European anti-corruption legislation, which would require oil, gas and mining companies as well as the logging industry to report what they pay to governments in countries where they do business.

The vote comes weeks after the United States implemented similar legislation, but in Europe the vote goes further by requiring both public and private companies to report their payments. Both laws require project by project reporting, do not allow exemptions and establish a payment threshold of €80,000 and $100,000. While the law has already gone into effect in the United States, the vote by the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) sends a strong signal for future negotiations between the Member States and the European Parliament to adopt a bold final law.

Ian Gary, senior policy manager with Oxfam’s oil, gas and mining program, said:

“The revolution for transparency in the oil, gas and mining industry is continuing across the Atlantic,” said Gary. “European Parliament’s action today coupled with the US law represents a real step forward in the fight against corruption and the resource curse in developing countries.

“Members of European Parliament and the United States have set bold examples by adopting positions that will champion the rights of the resource-rich poor by giving them project-specific information that will help them hold their governments to account,” said Gary. “Oil and mining companies should see this as an opportunity to push other countries to adopt similar legislation and work with civil society groups to ensure the transparency net is cast far and wide.”

Catherine Olier, Oxfam’s EU development expert, said:

“Members of the European Parliament have shown that they are serious about increasing transparency in all sectors by proposing to extend the legislation to the banking, construction and telecommunication industries. This boost in transparency is desperately needed to ensure that citizens of poor countries can finally start to benefit from the resources that have cursed them for so long.”

Notes to Editors

In 2008 Africa’s oil, gas and minerals exports were worth roughly 9 times the value of international aid to the continent ($393 billion vs $44 billion). And yet many countries have failed to turn natural resource wealth into lasting benefits.

• $300bn - $400bn: this is the amount of money from oil extraction that has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years in Nigeria, according to Nigeria’s corruption agency.

• $86,000: this is all that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s treasury received from mineral rights in 2006, despite an estimated $1 bn of mineral exports each year.

• Only half of the mining companies paid corporate tax in Zambia in 2008
Source: Eurodad report “Exposing the lost billions”

Examples of how ‘country by country’ reporting would help address tax dodging:
• Swiss mining company Glencore operating in Zambia (Mopani Copper Mine), page 29
• UK brewery SABMiller, operating in Ghana, page 31

Oxfam welcomed the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for finally publishing the rules, under the Dodd-Frank Act, a few weeks ago. These rules will provide important information to investors and citizens and help stem corruption in resource-rich countries. Citizens will be able to use this information to hold their governments accountable. The new US law requires over 1,100 oil, gas and mining companies – including many European-based companies such as Shell, BP and Total – to report how much they are paying not only at the country level but for specific local projects.

]]> No publisher jforres 2012-09-18T17:33:56Z Press Release NFL Superstars Team with Fans & Oxfam to Fundraise for Ethiopia http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/nfl-superstars-team-with-fans-oxfam-to-fundraise-for-ethiopia  

Inspired by their travels to Ethiopia with international relief and development organization Oxfam America, NFL superstar wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald kick off the 2012 NFL season with a campaign to help raise funds for and awareness of the drought in East Africa.

The players invite fans to join the effort through donations that could help an Ethiopian village fund medical kits, building tools, or other life-saving programs, or by joining the Oxfam community to learn more.  Participants will be entered into a weekly contest with prizes such as autographed memorabilia, game tickets, and more.

Boldin and Fitzgerald first teamed up with Oxfam to issue a public service announcement to raise the public profile of the ongoing drought conditions in East Africa. In March 2012, the players traveled to Ethiopia with Oxfam for a first hand account of the conditions affecting over 13 million people in the region.

In a joint statement, Boldin and Fitzgerald said, “We’re back home getting ready to start the season, but Oxfam is still there. They’re helping people rebuild their villages with wells, livestock, farming tools, and other much needed resources. We need you, our fans, to help make sure this life-saving work continues.”

“We’re deeply honored to be able to partner with Anquan and Larry,” said Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser. “They will only amplify the voices of the people they met in Ethiopia, and bring much needed attention to the region.”

Oxfam is on the ground in Ethiopia providing aid to more than 2.8 million people affected by the crisis in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, including rural pastoralists, small-scare farmers, the urban poor, and refugees.

The players appear in a :30 video promoting the “Ethiopian Village” which will be a part of a new media marketing campaign across the organization and player’s web pages and social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter (#TeamOxfam), and YouTube.


/Ends

Note to Editors:

 

###

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.

]]> No publisher ebhatti 2012-09-13T14:22:43Z Press Release Improved harvest forecast for Sahel region: Good news but governments and UN should not take the foot off the gas http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/improved-harvest-forecast-for-sahel-region-good-news-but-governments-and-un-should-not-take-the-foot-off-the-gas International aid organization Oxfam and leading West African farmers network ROPPA today welcomed the initial forecast of an improved harvest in the Sahel region but warned governments and the UN that the food crisis is far from over and an increase in aid is still needed to help farmers and herders overcome the triple challenge of recurrent droughts, persistent poverty and political instability. The forecast was made today by a group of West African regional bodies monitoring food security and UN agencies including the World Food Program.

“This initial forecast of a better harvest is welcome news but governments, the UN and aid organizations should not see this as an excuse to take the foot off the accelerator. For millions of people, the food crisis is far from over. Food prices remain sky high, incomes have been exhausted and millions will continue to require support to recover. It would be madness to walk away at the first sign of improvement. We would lose the hard fought gains made so far, and undermine the ability of people to get back on their feet and build a future,” said Al Hassan, Food Security Policy Coordinator for Oxfam in West Africa.

While initial estimates for the coming harvest appear to be above average, and would allow an improvement for many people across the region, not all areas are faring well. In Mali, the government estimates that production this year could be reduced by 20 to 30 percent. Even in a good year, 20 percent of the population go hungry and 230,000 children die from hunger-related causes.

“Many farmers are thankful for better times ahead, but many others were unable to plant successfully or have seen their crops hit by flooding. To exit this food crisis, farmers will need seeds, tools and fertilizer to help them grow crops this coming winter as well as support to increase yields for years to come. Then we have to stop this crisis from happening again. The needless loss of life and suffering should spur governments to start proactively addressing the root causes of these problems,” said Djibo Bagna from ROPPA.

Although rainfall has been good in most areas, it has been poor in pockets of Niger, Chad and Senegal, while serious flooding has also hit some zones, destroying, for example, thousands of hectares of land in Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Senegal. There remains poor pasture for livestock in parts of the north of Senegal, in the south-east of Mauritania, in the east of Burkina Faso, the north-east of Nigeria, the region of Mopti in Mali and the regions of Tillabery and Tahoua in Niger.

Many farmers have not been able to take advantage of the rainfall due to the current food crisis. Required emergency aid to agriculture was only 24 percent funded, and aid organizations have only been able to provide enough seeds, tools and fertilizers to less than half of the 9.9 million people targeted.

Food prices also remain extremely high across the region. In August, the price of millet was 62 percent higher than the last five years’ average in Niamey, Niger and 73 percent higher in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In Bamako, Mali was 96 percent higher than the last four years’ average.

There is also the threat of a locust invasion in parts of the region, especially in Mali where control efforts are more difficult by security concerns. The risk will be especially higher from mid-September to October, when swarms could form, migrate and threaten the crops.  

Continued instability in Mali and increased stress on displaced people and host communities inevitably provide additional challenges and needs. Rice production in northern Mali could be at just 30 percent of a normal year and in some areas half of all livestock could be lost in due to insecurity preventing migration, a lack of animal feed and veterinary services.

Oxfam and ROPPA said this is the third large scale food crisis to hit the region in less than a decade. To prevent the next drought from becoming a humanitarian emergency, donors need to support investment in the capacities of small scale producers, social welfare programs and food reserves that would enable rapid responses to future crises and help communities manage volatile food prices.

]]> No publisher mhart 2012-09-07T14:55:21Z Press Release Impact of climate change on food prices is underestimated http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/impact-of-climate-change-on-food-prices-is-underestimated Climate change will increasingly drive extreme weather shocks that will cause more dramatic spikes in future global food prices, according to international relief and development organization Oxfam America. Future extreme weather events, like the US drought, could spike prices drastically with devastating consequences for the poorest people in the world.

In a new report, Extreme Weather, Extreme Prices, Oxfam shows that the full impact of climate change on future food prices is being underestimated.  Current research only tends to consider these gradual impacts of climate change on food prices, such as increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns.

“Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns hold back crop production and cause steady but significant price rises,” said Heather Coleman, climate change policy advisor for Oxfam America.  “But extreme weather events – like the current US drought – can wipe out entire harvests and trigger dramatic food price spikes in just a few months.”

Oxfam’s research looks at the impact of extreme weather scenarios on food prices in 2030 and it finds:

  • Even under a conservative scenario another US drought in 2030, the price of corn could rise by as much as 140 percent over and above the average price of food in 2030, which is already likely to be double today’s prices.
  • Drought and flooding in southern Africa could increase the consumer price of corn and other coarse grains by as much as 120 percent.  Price spikes of this magnitude today would mean the cost of a 55lb bag of corn meal—a staple which feeds poor families across Africa for about two weeks—would rocket from around $18 to $40.
  • A nationwide drought in India and extensive flooding across South East Asia could see the world market price of rice increase by 22 percent. This could see domestic spikes of up to 43 percent on top of longer term price rises in rice importing countries of such as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.

The research warns that in 2030, the world could be even more vulnerable to the kind of drought happening today in the US, as dependence on US exports of wheat and corn is predicted to rise as climate change increases the likelihood of extreme droughts in North America.

“We will all feel the impact as prices spikes but the poorest people will be hit hardest because they often spend up to 75 percent of their income on food,” said Coleman. “The world needs to wake up to the drastic consequences we will all face because of climate inaction.”

The report also warns that climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa are likely to have an increasingly dramatic impact in 2030, as 95 percent of grains such as corn, millet and sorghum that are consumed in sub-Saharan Africa could come from the region itself.

“As emissions continue to soar, this year’s extreme weather provides a glimpse of how food production could suffer in a warming world,” said Coleman. “Our planet is boiling and if we don’t act now, hunger will increase for millions of people on our planet.”

Oxfam’s report comes as the US Department of Agriculture releases its household food security report and as United Nations talks aimed at tackling climate change close in Bangkok. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is also due to publish an update tomorrow on how the worst US drought in sixty years is impacting on global food prices.

“We have no more time to waste,” said Coleman. “The US and governments around the world must take immediate action to address volatile food prices and slash rising greenhouse gas emissions, reverse decades of under investment in small scale agriculture in poor countries, and help poor farmers build their resilience to a changing climate.”

Read the full report at: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/extreme-weather-extreme-prices

]]> No publisher bgrossmancohen 2012-09-13T18:07:18Z Press Release Peruvian government stands up to US lead company http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/peruvian-government-stands-up-to-us-lead-company International relief and development organization Oxfam America applauded the Peruvian government for rejecting last week US-based lead processing company Doe Run’s proposal to continue operating in the town of La Oroya, ranked one of the 10 most contaminated places in the world.

After months of debate, the government rejected a proposal by Doe Run Peru, a subsidiary of US-based Renco Group, to receive another extension for environmental remediation commitments it made when it purchased the smelter from the Peruvian government in 1997.  The smelter is now temporarily in the hands of a liquidation company, which has reopened part of the plant in compliance with Peruvian government environmental regulations. In the meantime, Doe Run Peru’s creditors are seeking a new operator to take over permanent operation of the smelting complex.

“We are heartened to see Peru’s government standing up for the health of children and workers in La Oroya,” said Keith Slack, global manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “The government should now ensure that plans are put in place to control toxic pollution to prevent putting the town’s children at risk again.”

According to government studies in 2011, blood lead levels in children have decreased in the two-year period that the smelting operation has been closed due to a financial dispute.  A 2005 study conducted by St. Louis University, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, concluded that 97 percent of the children in the town under age six had elevated blood lead levels.

While the lead smelter may have a new owner, the battle is far from over. Renco Group has filed a $800 million lawsuit against Peru, claiming the government violated the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement. The company filed the arbitration case in December 2010 as one of the several tactics the company is using in their attempt to pressure the Peruvian government to grant Doe Run Peru reprieve from its environmental responsibilities

In April of this year, 18 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner expressing their concerns regarding the behavior of Renco Group and its subsidiary, urging US government to refrain from supporting the company in its trade dispute with Peru.

“We believe that the poor environmental record of this company reflects negatively on the image of the United States in Peru and Latin America and jeopardizes the credibility of American efforts to promote responsible foreign investment,” said the letter.

In a separate letter to Peru’s Congress, Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), expressed his concerns over the lead smelter in La Oroya. Carnahan’s district is home to a lead smelter operation owned by the same Doe Run Corporation and its parent, Renco Group. Similar to the smelting operation in Peru, children and families living near the facilities in Herculaneum, MO have been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead. In 2010, Doe Run reached an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency to pay $65 million for violating environmental laws, as well as a $7 million civil penalty to pay for environmental remediation.

“The US government should not support companies like Renco Group who misuse investor-state provisions in trade and investment agreements,” said Rocio Avila, program officer for Oxfam America’s oil gas and mining program. “Renco group should listen to the Peruvian people and drop the lawsuit immediately.”

]]> No publisher jforres 2012-08-28T15:07:44Z Press Release Widespread suffering from hurricane Isaac, Oxfam plans cholera prevention work http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/widespread-suffering-from-hurricane-isaac-oxfam-plans-cholera-prevention-work PORT-AU-PRINCE — Tens of thousands of people in Haiti were hit by flooding, landslides, and wind damage as tropical storm Isaac passed through the Caribbean country late Friday night.

Oxfam's Country Director, Andrew Pugh, said: "The worst hit areas are in the east and southeast of the country, but we're recording damage across the board. Isaac didn't deliver the devastating body blow we expected on Friday, but we're still seeing widespread suffering for it's poorest people."

The picture emerging from Oxfam's emergency team assessment is a long list of minor impacts throughout the country that add up to giant setbacks for its most vulnerable citizens.

Oxfam Communications Officer Stephania Musset, said: "For thousands of families, Isaac is still a horrible ordeal. I saw busloads of children without parents still arriving at shelters, and heard from a woman who lost her child as they ran terrified from their flooded home in the middle of the night."

The international agency continues to plan needs assessments in different parts of the country to tailor its response to needs, and ensure it is supporting government-led efforts. Oxfam is also planning a comprehensive cholera prevention push in several areas to reduce the risk of outbreaks such as those that have plagued the country since the earthquake in 2010.

Oxfam Program Director, Yolette Etienne, said, "We're worried that people without clean water are drawing from contaminated rivers. We're also seeing people staying in homes with waist-high water. If steps aren't taken now—including clean water, latrines, and health promotion—the impact of this storm could prove deadly."

Many of those worse affected by the storm are among the 400,000 still living in tent camps, two and a half years after the earthquake that leveled Haiti's capital.

Oxfam Program Director, Maurepa Jeudy, said: "If you're living in a tent, it only takes a puff of wind to blow your house down. Many people who already had little once again lost all. Now they need basics such as soap, toothbrushes, sheets, and blankets, but what they really want is a lasting solution in place of more flimsy tents. This storm is a chilling reminder that Haiti's recovery has a long way to go."

Oxfam is supporting a citizen's watch group that is monitoring Haiti's reconstruction effort and calling for urgent solutions for the 390,000 people still exposed to storms like Isaac that regularly visit Haiti.

]]> No publisher Ablejwas Caribbean Haiti cholera public health 2012-08-30T21:14:38Z Press Release Haiti dodges eye of storm, but camp dwellers still at risk from flooding and cholera http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/pressreleases/haiti-dodges-eye-of-storm-but-camp-dwellers-still-at-risk-from-flooding-and-cholera Thousands of people living in refugee camps in Haiti remain at risk from flooding and disease, according to international aid agency Oxfam, despite the Caribbean island appearing to have avoided the worst of tropical storm Isaac.

Initial assessments of the aftermath of the storm, which cleared the island’s landmass in the early hours of Saturday morning (25th August), suggest the damage has not been as great as was feared.

There have been media reports of four deaths, but there is no evidence at the moment of major damage to infrastructure or significant casualties.

Camps in the capital Port-au-Prince, such as Jean Marie Vincent, have been flooded, as well as towns in the south of the island, including Les Cayes, Jacmel and Nippes. There are reports of electric pylons collapsing and power outages and some disruption on the roads.

However, with exceptionally heavy rainfall forecast in the wake of the storm and with nearly 400,000 Haitians still living in refugee camps after the massive earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince in 2010, people remain highly vulnerable to the threat of flooding, landslides and water borne diseases, especially cholera.

Oxfam emergency teams are now heading out to the affected areas of the island as soon as possible, allowing workers to carry out more in-depth assessments and to provide aid to those who need it in the form of clean water, hygiene kits and public information about sanitation.

Jane Cocking, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Director, said: “The storm may have passed but living conditions in Haiti remain so challenging for so much of the population that it’s far too early to say the threat is over. People in Haiti have so little that they are incredibly vulnerable to the risks posed by flooding and disease. They remain in desperate need of our help.”

The aid agency is accepting donations to help support its emergency work in Haiti, which is often cited as the poorest country in the western hemisphere with four in five of the population living on less than $2 a day.

]]> No publisher Ablejwas Caribbean Haiti cholera public health 2012-08-30T21:16:09Z Press Release