Policy update

For a Safer Tomorrow - Protecting Civilians in a Multipolar World

2008-09-30T16:27:01Z

On September 29th Oxfam published a new report which suggests the major shift in global power provides an opportunity to protect all civilians from genocide and other atrocities. For a Safer Tomorrow - Protecting Civilians in a Multipolar World warns that the world will be less safe for all unless emerging and existing global powers work together better to prevent atrocities and ensure the safety of people caught up in armed conflict. A new US President, the re-emergence of Russia, the rise of China and India, and a stronger European Union and African Union creates a different world order which must do a better job protecting people whose lives are threatened by conflict. During the recent crisis in Georgia, there was much debate about the impact on world politics but less about the civilians caught in the fighting and forced to flee their homes. "Ensuring the safety of civilians has got to be the overriding priority in any conflict, including the 'war on terror'. For far too long, governments have agreed that civilians must be protected but when it comes to the crunch - and peoples' lives are at risk - too often narrow, self-interest takes priority. As we have seen from Afghanistan to Iraq, civilian casualties can ferment existing anger and feelings of injustice, and contribute to a continuous cycle of violence and revenge," said the report author Ed Cairns of Oxfam. For a Safer Tomorrow is based on Oxfam's experience responding to the world's conflicts for more than 60 years. It reviews the protection of civilians in current and recent conflicts, and examines the implications of the shift in global power. It sets out an agenda to protect civilians through local, national and regional action with far more consistent international support.

EU reduces 2020 biofuels target

2008-09-14T16:34:00Z

Members of the European Parliament voted on 11 September to substantially reduce the EU's targets on biofuels . The vote by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, to reduce the EU's ambitious target that 10% of transport fuels should come from biofuels by 2020. The committee voted to keep the 10% target, but that only 6% should come from biofuels, and the remaining 4% should come from new technologies that posed less of a threat to food security and the environment. We would have liked it to go further by dropping biofuels altogether from the renewable energy directive (PDF), which promotes the use of renewable energy from sources including biofuels. However the MEPs included a welcome clause for a review into the social impacts of biofuels before there are any further increases. This is especially important given the links identified between biofuels and escalating food prices. Whilst not the ideal outcome, the European Parliament has made important progress. It is now up to EU member states to follow the European Parliament's lead, and to place the needs of poor people and the environment before those of powerful industrial and agricultural lobbies, rather than seek to water down the MEPs' proposals. Robert Bailey, Oxfam biofuels policy adviser

Climate Wrongs and Human Rights: Oxfam's "groundbreaking" new report

2008-09-12T13:06:16Z

On Tuesday (9 September), Oxfam released a new report, Climate Wrongs and Human Rights: Putting people at the heart of climate-change policy, which argues that in failing to tackle climate change with urgency, rich countries are violating the human rights of millions of the world's poorest people. While economics and enlightened self-interest can create powerful reasons for urgently tackling climate change, the irrefutable case for acting is not just because it pays to do so, but because rich countries cannot keep violating the human rights of individuals. The Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean comprising 1,190 coral islands. The low level of the islands, was hit by the tsunami in 2004, makes them particularly sensitive to sea level rises. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the country's president, writes in the International Herald Tribune, about how the sea is now perceived as a slowly encroaching threat to the Maldives, and the effects of climate are slowly killing the coral reefs and the diverse ecosystems that they support. He welcomes Climate Wrongs and Human Rights, calling the report "groundbreaking", calls on leaders of the rich industrialized nations to take quick action. They must show that they are not content to allow countries like the Maldives to disappear beneath the waves, and stop making a trade-off between human lives and rights, and economic growth.

AIDS 2008 in Mexico

2008-08-08T15:56:02Z

Oxfam's focus at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City this week (3 to 8 July) is the need for predictable financing for health care, and the aggressive legal manoeuvring by the pharmaceutical industry makes vital medicines unaffordable for poor people and countries. Fifty per cent more than the amount currently pledged by G8 nations for HIV and AIDS is needed to meet the goal of universal access by 2010. You can read reports from Oxfam policy advisers at the conference on the Oxfam International blog. Oxfam has also released a report, Failing Women, Withholding Protection, on the potential for the female condom to play a larger role in HIV prevention. The female condom is the only female-initiated method which provides protection from HIV infection, as well as preventing pregnancy. The report argues that the investment needed to increase the choice of available female condoms, to lower prices, and to expand production, is highly feasible, through the collaborative action of donors, governments, civil society organisations and the private sector.

Climate change and poverty in Uganda

2008-08-04T10:54:19Z

Oxfam's new report, Climate change and Poverty in Uganda, examines the climate impacts in Uganda on agriculture, on pastoralism, health and water. People in Uganda, whose contribution to global warming has been minuscule, are feeling the impacts of climate change first and worst. The report also sets out detailed recommendations for adaptation, including calling for funding from rich country governments, which have special responsibilities to ensure that good adaptation plans don't fail to be implemented for lack of money. This international adaptation finance must not come out of existing aid commitments made for poverty reduction, but must be new and additional finance. Turning Up the Heat followed a month of research in Uganda by Oxfam's John Magrath. You can read his blog of the visit in our Climate Change and Poverty blog. The report was launched on 17 July in Kampala, and received heavy coverage in the Ugandan media, including New Vision, one of the two main newpapers.

The global food-price crisis, and how to prevent it

2008-07-09T09:51:02Z

Globally, food prices have risen by an average of 83 per cent over the last three years. This is due to a number of factors, including bad weather, increased demand from fast-growing economies, population growth, demand for biofuels, and high oil prices, which force up transport costs and fertiliser prices. This has led to poor people eating less food or less nutritious food, and poor households cutting back on health care, education, and other necessities. Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as women often put men's consumption first. Food prices are likely to remain high and volatile because of high oil prices and rising demand for cereals, linked with steady growth in worldwide consumer demand and extremely rapid growth in demand for biofuels, underpinned by generous subsidies and tax breaks in the US and EU. In addition, climate change is expected to lead to more unpredictable weather and climate-related disasters, further disrupting supply. Action is urgently needed to deal with the current crisis and to find durable solutions to hunger and poverty. The current situation primarily affects poor people, but also offers an opportunity for hundreds of millions to find their way out of poverty. In a recent briefing note, The Time Is Now, Oxfam concluded that collective action is essential to devise solutions that are equitable and sustainable for the global population. This crisis represents an enormous challenge for the world's multilateral institutions, but also a genuine opportunity to deliver long-overdue reforms to the food and agriculture system. If those institutions fail to rise to the challenge, the cost will be measured not just in lost lives and human suffering, but also in lost legitimacy. Rich-country governments must show the poor nations and communities of the world that they are determined to agree the changes necessary to funding and policy in order to help poor and vulnerable people put food on the family table. Support to small-holder agriculture in developing countries must be at the centre of the response. An obvious and easy quick win would be to dismantle support to biofuels, in the form of targets, subsidies, tax breaks, and tariffs (the combined value of which last year was about $15bn - the same amount that Oxfam has estimated is necessary in immediate assistance for those worst affected by the food crisis), particularly as the scientific evidence continues to mount that these 'green' fuels actually contribute to global emissions. Oxfam urges world leaders to ensure that short-term, immediate needs are guaranteed in the coming weeks, and to formulate a comprehensive plan of action, including the policy shifts and investments necessary for durable solutions to hunger and poverty.

From Poverty to Power - Oxfam's major new study on poverty

2008-07-08T12:30:03Z

Every ten years or so, Oxfam produces a serious, in depth study on global poverty, and presents aruguments for the best way to tackle it. Following The Oxfam Poverty Report, published in 1995, From Poverty to Power, written by Oxfam's Head of Research, Duncan Green, challenges the view that progress in developing countries is predominantly driven by changes in rich country behaviour. It seeks to demonstrate that change happens from the bottom-up, driven by effective states that are held to account by active citizens. You can buy book, and find a wealth of background papers, case studies, media resources, and video and audio clips on the From Poverty to Power official website. Duncan also writes an engaging From Poverty to Power blog.

European trade agreements fail to live up to their promises

2008-02-15T15:59:27Z

December 2007 was the deadline for the negotiation of new trade agreements between Europe and 76 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. Oxfam has been campaigning on these agreements since negotiations started in 2002 to ensure that they give developing countries a fair deal. Unfortunately, the negotiations haven't lived up to their promises. Europe insisted that the ACP countries negotiate a far-reaching free-trade agreement that included many provisions that ACP countries continue to resist in World Trade Organisation talks and don't want to have included in a bilateral deal with Europe. By September 2007 it was clear that, with the exception of the Caribbean, which broadly agreed with Europe's approach, far-reaching deals would be impossible to conclude, as there were such deep disagreements between the two sides. Europe agreed to postpone talks until 2008 on some of the contentious issues but insisted that the essence of a deal be concluded by December 2007. If deals weren't done, Europe threatened to raise tariffs on ACP exports to EU. This would have effectively closed Europe's markets for ACP exporters overnight, causing many businesses to collapse and destroying jobs in some of the world's poorest countries. In the face of the threat of collapse in their main export sectors, a series of ACP countries concluded deals with Europe just days before the deadline. ACP Ministers were very angry about this unfair pressure, and on 13 December 2007, they issued a strongly worded declaration condemning it. They exclaimed that 'the EU's mercantilist interests have taken precedence over the developmental and regional integration interests'. Oxfam is deeply concerned that the new deals will undermine development and regional integration, particularly in Africa. In 2008, Oxfam will continue to campaign to ensure that the worst aspects of these deals can be renegotiated and that no more pressure to widen their scope is brought to bear on ACP countries. Read Oxfam's opinion on the deals in the Guardian's Comment is Free column

Gaza situation worsens as Israel cuts supplies

2008-02-06T09:26:34Z

The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly. Oxfam is concerned that Gaza's water and sewage systems may completely collapse as a result of Israel's ongoing blockade. Sewage is already flooding the streets in some areas because the Israeli government has refused to allow entry of spare parts for repairs to pumps and other equipment, while at the same time severely restricting supplies of fuel. For several weeks, Israel has not allowed sufficient quantities of food aid and medicines to meet the most basic needs. United Nations agencies have been prevented from delivering urgently needed supplies. The situation has not improved following the closure of the Rafah border crossing, and the decision by the Israeli Supreme Court to permit cuts in electricity and fuel supplies. The Palestinian suicide bomb attack, in Dimona, could lead to an escalation of violence which would further undermine the humanitarian situation. Oxfam condemned the recent suicide bombing in Israel. All parties have a responsibility to protect civilians. Oxfam has been advocating with national governments, the EU, and Arab Leagues to press for the protection of civilians on all sides and ensure that the international community takes robust action to bring the blockade to an end, which is an essential step towards peace.

EC climate change and energy proposals weak on addressing concerns of the most vulnerable people

2008-01-31T12:18:18Z

On 23 January, the European Commission adopted a new package of proposals for EU legislation on climate change and energy. The significant elements of the package are a proposed directive on the promotion of renewable energy, a directive amending the existing framework of the EU Emissions Trading, and a decision on the individual efforts by member states to jointly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Other elements of the package include a proposed Directive on Carbon Capture and Storage. Europe set itself up in Bali as a world leader on tackling climate change, and these proposals show that the EU is serious about making legally binding changes to how it uses energy. However, the proposals are weak in addressing concerns about the impact of climate change on poor and vulnerable people in developing countries. For example, biofuels could be a part of the solution to tackle climate change and poverty alleviation, but not under the EC's current proposals. Oxfam is seriously concerned that that the EU's biofuels strategy fails to protect the land, livelihoods, and human rights of vulnerable people, creating a threat to sustainable development, as the EU's 10 per cent target for transport fuels by 2020 has already caused a big scramble by developing countries to cash in. Oxfam believes that the EU should scrap its current plan for biofuels, and ensure that future plans include effective social standards. (see Oxfam's paper Bio-fuelling Poverty: Why the EU renewable-fuel target may be disastrous for poor people.) The European Commission must also rethink its targets for emissions cuts by member states. The current calculations that focus on a 20 per cent cut in emissions will mean Europe has to abandon its objective of keeping temperature increase below the EU-approved target of two degrees Celsius. The EU's 30 per cent challenge was essential to pushing other governments around the world to do more in 2007. EU leadership now requires member states to plan on the accepted science-based target. In Bali, the EU was negotiating for a 25-40 per cent reduction for rich countries in Bali. Oxfam believes that the EU must include figures for both 20 and 30 per cent reductions by 2020 in its plans, at a minimum, and calls on member states to rise to the 30 per cent challenge the Union put to other governments in 2007. Oxfam believes that emissions trading can be part of the solution to climate change, although it will be insufficient on its own. Carbon allowances must be auctioned, not gifted, and emissions levels tightly capped and managed. However, the response of the European Round Table of industrialists to the EU proposals aimed at strengthening carbon markets was predictable and depressing, and our response to the private sector was detailed in a letter to the Financial Times on 21 January 2008, reproduced below. The Commission's proposals will be debated by the European Parliament and European ministers throughout 2008. Legislation may not come into effect until mid-2009. Oxfam sent the following letter to the Financial Times on 21 January 2008, outlining our concerns:

The response of the European Round Table of industrialists to emerging EU proposals aimed at strengthening carbon markets was all too predictable - and predictably depressing (Financial Times, January 21). It is not difficult to see why some companies are so hostile to the auctioning of carbon allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. After all, the power sector has reaped windfall gains from the current system of free allocations. For poor people around the world, this system just adds insult to injury: On top of maintaining emissions that are way above the EU's fair share, it rewards its biggest polluters with emissions rights - with no regard for the impacts of resulting climate change on the poorest people. Introducing a graduated expansion of auctioning would generate multiple benefits. It would reduce the scope for corporate lobbying and give governments proper information on firms' abatement costs, helping them set a proper cap and cut emissions. Most importantly, the stream of revenue generated could be invested in creating incentives for low carbon technologies, and used to finance climate change adaptation in the poorest countries. The world's poorest people are worst affected by climate change but least responsible. Carbon cuts must be deepest and quickest in the countries that are historically responsible and leadership by the EU is essential. Of course, we acknowledge that the EU will face adjustment costs - and that these will have to be managed. But Europe must also look to its wider responsibilities. Having issued no end of encouraging statements on climate change, it is time for the business community to stand up and be counted. Phil Bloomer, Campaigns and Policy Director, Oxfam, Oxford

Government of Nepal scraps user fees for basic health care

2008-01-30T13:38:45Z

In a bold move to increase access to health services and promote equity and the fundamental rights of citizens, the government of Nepal has introduced free basic health care for all, as of 15 January 2008. The decision has been described as momentous by civil society organisations working with the poorest communities in the country, but they add that there is a huge amount of work to be done to make the policy a reality. In Nepal, 43 per cent of the poorest people have no access to health services of any kind. User fees for health are a huge barrier for the majority, and the government estimates that over half a million people become poor each year as a result of sickness. Oxfam warmly welcomes the government's decision in the light of evidence from other low-income countries, including Uganda, Burundi, Zambia, and Niger, showing how abolishing user fees can have an immediate impact on the take-up of services and literally save lives. In Uganda, removing fees led to an 84 per cent increase in attendance at health clinics. Nepal, however, is also one of the poorest countries in the world, and with a per capita income of only $270 it simply cannot afford to provide health care free of charge for everyone. While the government must be held to account for its commitment to increase spending and ensure that resources are delivered to even the remotest health posts, rich-country donors must also assist and provide the additional resources required. The UK government has already provided £30 million in support, direct to the Ministry of Health's budget - exactly the right kind of aid to help the government implement their own progressive policies. But much more is needed. Nepal was one of eight developing countries to sign up to the International Health Partnership, launched last year by international health agencies and a number of bilateral donors, including the UK, France, and Germany. The partnership commits donors to work with governments to support their national health plans and provide the long-term predictable aid required to meet gaps in financing to strengthen health systems . Oxfam considers this country-driven decision to remove health fees the first major test to the signatories of the International Health Partnership to live up to their promises and provide the funding needed to ensure universal health care becomes a reality in Nepal.

Slovenia's EU Presidency is a unique opportunity at a critical time

2007-12-21T09:47:15Z

Slovenia's EU Presidency comes at a critical time for the Union's role as a global player and its relationship with developing countries. The Slovenian government can use its Presidency to secure some important victories for the international development agenda. Recent trends show that some European governments are failing to meet their aid commitments. The Slovenian Presidency, with the support of the Commission and sympathetic member states, will have to hold defaulting governments to account and prevent an era of aid decline. The EU's trade policy has enormous potential to improve the livelihoods of millions of poor people and generate wealth in developing countries. The Slovenian Presidency has a unique opportunity to lead the EU to substantially overhaul the interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) signed in 2007, and enable African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to choose an adequate development path while fostering indigenous regional integration processes. The beginning of 2008 will be a crucial time to help the millions that have fled their homes and are in need of protection and assistance in Darfur. But for the EU and Slovenia, a specific responsibility will lie in ensuring the success of the EU force to Sudan's neighbour, Chad. The EU's response to these crises under the Slovenian Presidency, along with those in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere, will demonstrate Europe's true commitment to the responsibility to protect civilians from genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Europe has cast itself as the leader in the challenge of climate change. Slovenia will need to continue EU leadership in pushing for agreement on a post-2012 framework in 2009. This should include binding commitments on funding for climate change adaptation, with rich countries' share based on their responsibility for causing climate change and their capability to assist. Slovenia will also supervise EU negotiations to make it mandatory by 2020 for ten per cent of all member states' transport fuels to come from biofuels, on the condition that it is reached sustainably. . The EU must embrace both environmental and social standards, and develop mechanisms by which the agreed target can be revised if it contributes to the destruction of vulnerable people's livelihoods. Slovenia is so far the only state from the former Yugoslav Republic to have joined the European Union, and will be the first of the bloc's 10 new members to assume the rotating Presidency, when it takes over from Portugal from January to June 2008. It will be succeeded by France.

UK misses opportunity to push for reform of World Bank

2007-12-20T13:59:52Z

This year, the UK government became the largest contributor to the World Bank's lending arm for poor countries. This December in Berlin, the UK government pledged to provide the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) with over £2 billion in aid over the next three years. This represents a forty-nine per cent increase on previous years. Oxfam GB welcomes the UK government's commitment to provide new and vital funds for poor countries, but is extremely disappointed that the UK missed its chance to press for much-needed reform in the World Bank. The World Bank is still making some of its aid to poor countries conditional on them implementing controversial policies that can destroy development opportunities for poor people. For example, the Bank ensures that essential public services such as healthcare and water services are privatised, putting these vital facilities out of the reach of the poorest people. Oxfam GB supporters, along with other UK campaigners, called on the UK Secretary for Development, Douglas Alexander, to make some of the UK's payments to the World Bank provisional on the Bank giving aid without attaching it to economic policy conditions. Sadly, the UK failed to use its financial contribution to influence this change. Norway, on the other hand, withheld 25 per cent of its financial contributions to the World Bank on the condition of greater reform in this area.

Arms Trade Treaty process moves further forward

2007-12-12T11:07:29Z

As we move into 2008, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) process continues to gain momentum. Last year's overwhelming vote at the United Nations in favour of starting work towards an ATT has been followed this year by an unprecedented response to a Secretary General's consultation. Around 100 states submitted their views on the feasibility, scope, and parameters of a future ATT, with the vast majority concluding that the ATT was both necessary and feasible. Large numbers of states also supported the need for a tough treaty, with over half of them claiming that the treaty needs to include considerations around human rights and International Humanitarian Law, and over 40 states suggesting that arms transfers that would have a negative impact on development should not be authorised. States were also bold in terms of the proposed scope of the treaty, with most suggesting that all categories of conventional weapons should be included, and a significant number proposing that the treaty should cover not only direct transfers, but also a broad range of associated activities, including arms brokering. The next stage of the process will see a smaller Group of Government Experts discuss the ATT in more detail. The experts, from a broad range of states,* will meet three times in 2008, and will aim to send their report to the General Assembly First Committee in October 2008. We expect that the group, whose members include a disproportionate number from countries known to be sceptical to the idea of the treaty, will struggle to agree strong recommendations for moving the process forward. However, campaigners are hopeful that the Group will take on board the views of the overwhelming majority of states who are in favour of the treaty. Our hope is that they will conclude that the treaty is feasible, its scope should be broad, and its parameters should be based on states' existing obligations under international law, including their commitments to sustainable development. * Countries who will have representatives on the Group of Government Experts: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, UK, USA

Humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Somalia

2007-12-12T09:40:20Z

Humanitarian crisis in Somalia: Donate now | Read more Oxfam is witnessing the unfolding of a humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia which is worsening at an alarming rate. Agencies are unable to get safe access to tens of thousands of people who are fleeing Mogadishu. All parties to the conflict must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, and ensure that humanitarians are allowed to deliver emergency assistance safely. Humanitarian needs in Somalia are increasing exponentially, while access to communities in need has dramatically decreased. As a direct result, International NGOs are unable to respond effectively to the crisis. The international community and all parties to the present conflict have a responsibility to protect civilians, to allow the delivery of aid, and to respect humanitarian space and the safety of humanitarian workers. More information can be found on our Somalia pages.