Oxfam and partners at UNGA81
Oxfam leaders, experts, and partners are joining the UN 81st General Assembly and Climate Week in New York and available for interviews or comment. Oxfam is hosting and attending events, hosting partners and releasing reports and statements focused on the Secretary General race, a proposed International Panel on Inequality, humanitarian crises with a focus on Gaza and Ukraine, climate action, UN reform, gender justice, and more. Oxfam will be urging global leaders to reaffirm their commitment to tackling global challenges together, to invest and listen to frontline leaders and communities, and follow the words of this week with action that delivers real progress for a more peaceful, equal world for all.
Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar said:
“As leaders arrive for UNGA81, the UN is in a time of transition and growing pressures. The next Secretary General inherits a UN facing complex conflicts and humanitarian crises, eroding trust in global systems, growing inequality, extreme climate impacts, attacks on gender rights and justice, among others.
“This moment of inflection must be seen as an opportunity, and we are calling on world leaders and whoever takes up the Secretary General mantle to reimagine and reinvest in how we tackle these daunting challenges together. We are bringing voices from the frontlines of these crises to UNGA with direct asks – and they know better than anyone what people need and how best to deliver it. We are calling on leaders to use this time to share their commitments that will actually improve the lives of the millions caught in poverty and instability around the world.”
Spokespeople and areas of expertise:
Oxfam Staff:
Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director: civil society asks for the next Secretary General, Inequality and the International Panel on Inequality, UN reform, the post-2030 agenda, and situation in Gaza and West Bank
Abby Maxman, Oxfam America President & CEO: recent trip to Syria and Lebanon regarding the humanitarian situation and US policy implications, Impacts of US aid cuts for UN agencies and humanitarian programs, the latest developments in the West Bank & Gaza and other Oxfam humanitarian responses
Lars Koch, Oxfam Denmark Secretary General: Education, specifically the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Fund, Inequality, Tax and Debt
Brenda Mofya, Oxfam International Head of UN Office: Secretary General race, UN reform
Amina Hersi, Oxfam International Head of Gender Rights and Justice Advocacy & Campaigns: civil society asks for the next Secretary General, gender rights and justice
Max Lawson, Oxfam International Head of Inequality Policy and Advocacy: Inequality, International Panel on Inequality
Nabil Ahmed, Oxfam America Senior Director of Economic Justice: Inequality, International Panel on Inequality
Scott Paul, Oxam America Director of Peace and Security: Ukraine, Gaza and West Bank, humanitarian policy
Rachel Carle, Oxfam America Senior Advisor: Climate Justice
Laurel Pegorsch, Oxfam America Senior Advisor: Climate Justice
Ben Drolet, Oxfam UN SWANA (Southwest Asia/North Africa) Policy Advisor: humanitarian situation and latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank
Kira Boe, Oxfam Global Education Policy Lead: Education
Partners:
Anzhelika Bielova, Founder and President, Voice of Romni in Ukraine: Ukraine and civil society calls for the next Secretary General
Raja Khalidi, Former Director General, Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS): Gaza Reconstruction
Jose Reyeros, climate activist from Mexico and Make Polluters Pay campaigner: the intersection of ocean protection, youth movements and climate justice
For any requests for interview or information for events and products, please contact [email protected] or +1203-247-3920
Oxfam’s publications and events and engagements at UNGA81:
Sept. 17: Oxfam will publish a joint letter to the next Secretary General, signed by 74 feminist movements, civil society organizations, and activists, and counting. The letter calls for a feminist UN Secretary-General with commitment to representation, civil society participation, accountability, and the right to self-determination.
Sept 17: At 5:30pm, Oxfam and other civil society organizations will be hosting a media happy hour for a chance for experts and journalists to connect. (The event has reached capacity, but please get in touch for media attendance)
Sept 21: Oxfam America statement ahead of President Trump’s remarks at the High-Level Debate by Abby Maxman, President & CEO of Oxfam America
Sept 21: Oxfam will join leaders from Greenpeace, 350.org and the Make Polluters Pay coalition to deliver a petition demanding climate action to the UN Secretary-General’s office inside UNHQ
Sept 21: Abby Maxman, Oxfam America President & CEO, will speak at the event “Partners for Multilateralism” focused on humanitarian diplomacy, co-hosted by the European Union, Canada, and Kenya.
Sept 21: Abby Maxman, Oxfam America President & CEO will lead a discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting’s Humanitarian Response Working Session, focused on "The Future of U.S. Humanitarian Assistance”
Sept 21: Oxfam, along with other international and local civil society organizations working in Yemen will release a joint brief
Sept 22: Oxfam will launch the paper “Voices from the Frontlines: Messages for the Next UN Secretary General” featuring leaders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian Territory, Colombia, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Sept 23: Oxfam, will co-host the High-Level Event ‘Renewing Multilateralism: Security Council Reform through the IGN, Charter Review and Beyond’ with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Article 109 Coalition and TrustAfrica.
Sept 23: Oxfam will convene a roundtable on civic space and multilateralism with CIVICUS.
Sept 23: Oxfam leaders will attend the High-Level Event on an International Panel on Inequality (IPI) led by the governments of South Africa, Brazil, Spain and Norway, with Professor Joseph Stiglitz. The event is from 10:30-12:30 in the UNHQ ECOSOC Chamber. For more information or for media RSVPs contact [email protected]
Sept 23: Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director, will speak at a High-Level Event organized by Volker Türk - UN High Commissioner on Human Rights.
Sept 23: Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director, will speak at a High-Level Dialogue on Climate Action and the Just Transition organized by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Sept 24: Oxfam will co-convene a public side event “Tackling the Inequality Crisis: Why an International Panel on Inequality is Needed Now” with International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Fight Inequality Alliance and Pathfinders. The event is from 9:00-11:20am at the Open Society Foundation. For media attendance, contact [email protected]
Sept 24: Oxfam, Amano and other partners will host an “IIDEAS Summit” focused on Artificial Intelligence for Human Progress, Nature and Resilient Systems, Health Systems for the Next Generation, and Financing the Future (Invitation-only).
Climate Week: Join Oxfam and partner experts will be hosting and contributing to a series of events, pushing policymakers and corporate leaders to unlock genuine climate reparations, invest in small-scale producers, and enforce accountability across the global economy. You can find a full list of Climate Week events here: Oxfam | Climate Week NYC | Oxfam
Throughout the UN General Assembly and Climate Week, Oxfam will react to announcements, Heads of State speeches, and other developments.