Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke today welcomed news of the imminent deployment of Australian health workers by medical company Aspen Medical to Sierra Leone to assist with the treatment of Ebola patients.
World leaders taking their seats at the G2O Brisbane Summit today must heed the call to pull together and act now to stop Ebola, before it’s too late.
Oxfam has today welcomed comments from Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey that the G20 needs to crack down on tax dodging if nations want to reduce poverty and turn rising inequality around.
Nine of the G20 countries have failed to deliver adequate support in the fight against Ebola, and summit host Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is yet to grasp the full economic significance of the outbreak, Oxfam said today.
Oxfam welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement that it has secured an agreement guaranteeing medical treatment and evacuation arrangements for Australian citizens responding to the outbreak in West Africa, as well as $24 million worth of additional support to respond to the crisis.
Today marks the half way point in the UN’s 60 day Ebola response plan to bring the outbreak under control by the end of November and while progress is being made, more needs to be done to contain the disease before this window closes.
In a battle against the clock, with less than two months left in the window set out by the UN to curb the spread of the Ebola virus ravaging in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, there is still a crippling shortfall in military staff to provide the logistical support that is desperately needed. This includes building treatment centres, providing flights and both engineering and logistical support.
International agency Oxfam is planning to triple its Ebola prevention program in Sierra Leone and needs at least $18 million to help 2.5 million people at risk of catching the disease.
The landmark Arms Trade Treaty, designed to control the trade in deadly weapons that fuel armed conflict around the world, will become international law before the end of the year, with seven countries today agreeing to ratify the international agreement at the United Nations, in New York.
The Australian Government has missed a prime opportunity to increase its humanitarian aid to Syria, failing to bring money to the table at a high level UN General Assembly meeting in New York yesterday.