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This research documents the results of the piloting of an innovative technology with a limited-water fortification parboiling method developed by the University of Arkansas with eleven women rice parboiling cooperatives in Burkina Faso. The technology is easily adaptable to the parboiling method currently used in Burkina Faso (with some modifications), reduces water use and cost of fortificants contributing to food and nutritional security—particularly for women and children—and promotes economic empowerment of women in Burkina Faso. The paper also synthesizes two research papers on consumer preferences and willingness to pay for fortified rice products in Burkina Faso., The results suggest that it is technically feasible to produce fortified rice using the limited-water method and brown rice as a feedstock, particularly for iron and zinc, for which the concentration levels were close to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). From the sensory analysis, although there is nothing particularly wrong with fortified rice, urban and rural consumers preferred conventional and modified parboiled rice; and of all three rice products, consumers were more likely to buy the two rice alternatives rather than fortified rice., The results from the experimental auctions show that most consumers were willing to pay the same price for fortified rice as for the conventional parboiled rice currently available on the market. Results showed that creating awareness on the benefits of fortified rice had a positive impact on consumers’ willingness to pay for it, and this was seen across all income levels. These results highlight the importance of designing an appropriate marketing campaign/awareness-raising to promote the nutritional benefits of fortified rice to increase the consumers’ willingness to pay for it., This study is unique in that, to our knowledge, fortified rice is not available in Burkina Faso, and therefore there is no information about its technical and market feasibility. The results can be used by the government and private and public sector actors to develop strategies for the adoption of fortified rice as another potentially relevant tool to fight malnutrition in Burkina Faso.

There is growing consensus among policymakers, institutions and movements that GDP is not fit for purpose as the pre-eminent economic metric. Alternatives are urgently needed to facilitate the transition to a new economic model that supports a radically more equal, kinder, greener and feminist world in the present, while offering redress for historical damage and inequalities., However, despite growing experimentation, most efforts are insufficiently bold and remain mostly on paper, with only a few notable but relatively small-scale and still-developing exceptions., To dismantle GDP, different social movements will need to coalesce around key metrics that prioritise far greater equality, and align with feminist and decolonial values while challenging the systems of power and narratives that are holding GDP in its dominant place. Only in this way are alternatives likely to deliver the economic transformation needed to put people and planet first., Les responsables politiques, les institutions et divers mouvements s’accordent de plus à plus à dire que le produit intérieur brut (PIB), en tant que principal indicateur de la santé économique, n’est pas un outil satisfaisant. Il est urgent de trouver des alternatives pour la transition vers un nouveau modèle économique favorisant un monde radicalement plus égalitaire, bienveillant, vert et féministe et proposant des mesures de réparation des dommages causés par le passé et des inégalités qui en découlent. Toutefois, malgré de nombreuses expériences, la plupart de celles-ci manquent d’ambition et ne sont pas appliquées, à l’exception de rares propositions en cours de développement, notables mais d’envergure relativement restreinte. Pour détrôner le PIB, divers mouvements sociaux devront travailler à la création d’indicateurs clés qui privilégieront l’égalité, intégreront les valeurs féministes et décoloniales et remettront en question les systèmes de pouvoir et les discours qui perpétuent l’utilisation du PIB. C’est la seule manière pour ces alternatives d’entraîner la transformation économique indispensable pour protéger la planète et les êtres humains avant tout.

The issue of civil society participation in the processes of developing, implementing, and monitoring national climate plans is crucial to ensuring that these ambitions are both acceptable to the populations and, beyond that, that they align with a trajectory of sustainable development beneficial to all actors in Senegalese society. This case study aims to analyze the degree of involvement through consultations with a variety of civil society actors, as well as members of the administration and international partners active in the fight against climate change. While some believe that civil society participation has progressed significantly in recent years, the vast majority feel that the level reached is still insufficient., Barriers to civil society’s appropriation of climate issues include, among others, the lack of representativeness of grassroots organizations and vulnerable groups, as well as the unfamiliarity of civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) with the processes, objectives, and stakeholders of the National Climate Plan (NCP), meaning that many civil society actors are rarely aware of their contribution to its implementation even though they are involved. The study also shows how limited human and financial resources reduce the possibility of broad participation by civil society organizations, especially outside the capital. This raises the question of a fair, adequate, and targeted allocation of climate financing to meet the ambitions of climate policies in Senegal. This report presents recommendations to overcome barriers that may explain low ownership of national climate plans by communities, in order to propose ways for populations to be key actors in an ambitious ecological transition in Senegal., La question de la participation de la société civile aux processus d’élaboration, de mise en oeuvre et de suivi des plans nationaux sur le climat est clé afin de s’assurer que ces ambitions soient à la fois acceptables pour les populations et, au-delà, qu’elles s’inscrivent dans une trajectoire de développement durable bénéfique à l’ensemble des acteurs de la société sénégalaise., Cette étude de cas vise à analyser ce degré d’implication, à travers des consultations menées auprès d’une variété d’acteurs de la société civile, ainsi que des membres de l’administration et des partenaires internationaux actifs dans la lutte contre les changements climatiques. Alors que certains estiment que la participation de la société civile a beaucoup progressé dans les dernières années, la large majorité juge que le niveau atteint est encore insuffisant., Les barrières à l’appropriation des enjeux climatiques par la société civile incluent, entre autres, le manque de représentativité des organisations communautaires de base et des groupes vulnérables, mais également la méconnaissance des processus, objectifs et interlocuteurs de la CDN de la part des OSC et des OCB, impliquant que de nombreux acteurs de la société civile sont rarement conscients de contribuer à sa mise en oeuvre même si cela est le cas., L’étude montre également comment des ressources humaines et financières limitées réduisent la possibilité d’une large participation des organisations de la société civile, en particulier en dehors de la capitale. Cela soulève la question d’une allocation juste, adéquate et ciblée des financements climatiques pour répondre aux ambitions des politiques climatiques au Sénégal. Ce rapport présente des recommandations afin de surmonter les barrières qui expliqueraient une faible appropriation des plans nationaux sur le climat par les communautés, afin de proposer des voies pour que les populations soient des acteurs au coeur d’une transition écologique ambitieuse au Sénégal.

The cognitive dimension of climate change is a subject that is rarely analysed. However, communities’ endogenous adaptation strategies are heavily dependent on their perception of the risks linked to climate change. An analysis of individuals’ representations and perceptions of climate change makes it possible to improve the ability to adapt of territories confronted by it., In this analysis, the relations of interdependence between perception, knowledge and adaptation strategies show how communities living in the coastal area of Senegal interpret climate change, in particular in the fields of agriculture, water resources and coastal areas., Considering these representations favours the co-construction and acceptability of the adaptation strategies., It enables state and non state actors to better understand the communities’ needs as regards public climate policies, whereas the media can identify levers they can use to devise effective public information campaigns on the climate, in order to reduce the vulnerability of communities that face climate hazards., La dimension cognitive du changement climatique reste peu investie. Or, les stratégies d’adaptation endogènes des communautés dépendent fortement de leur perception des risques liés au changement climatique. Une analyse des représentations et des perceptions des individus sur le changement climatique permet de renforcer la capacité d’adaptation des territoires face à ce phénomène., Dans cette analyse, les relations d’interdépendance entre la perception, le savoir et les stratégies d’adaptation montrent comment les communautés vivant sur la zone côtière du Sénégal interprètent le changement climatique, notamment dans les domaines de l’agriculture, des ressources en eau, et des zones côtières., La prise en compte de ces représentations va dans le sens d’une co-construction et de l’acceptabilité des stratégies d’adaptation., Elle permet aux acteurs étatiques et non étatiques de mieux comprendre les besoins des communautés en matière de politiques publiques climatiques, tandis que les médias peuvent identifier les leviers sur lesquels agir pour développer des campagnes d’information publique sur le climat efficaces afin de réduire la vulnérabilité des communautés en cas d’aléas climatiques.

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This paper reviews and synthesizes three research papers that look at gender-responsive budgeting in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania, with the aim of drawing out common themes and lessons learned on what it takes to ensure well-functioning gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and how it can benefit women small-scale farmers. While Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania are not countries that systematically and efficiently practice GRB, the in-depth look at the challenges and successes of GRB in each of these countries provides some helpful insights. After a brief background section summarizing the history of GRB in each country, this paper outlines the lessons learned in five categories: Setting up government practices, systems, and structures for gender-responsive budgeting; Designing a more gender-responsive budgeting process; Engaging citizens in the budgeting process; Envisioning gender-responsive budgeting outcomes; and Identifying best practices in GRB advocacy by NGOs.

Bringing a feminist intent to research, monitoring and evaluation practices leads to defining these as tools to contribute to transforming the lives of women, girls and non-binary people, and to bringing about social justice. This has meant putting gender and power at the centre of our practice, which has in turn shaped the technical choices made specifically in quantitative impact evaluations. This paper focuses on describing how these technical choices, as well as ethical considerations, are changed by this feminist intent. The paper also presents the lessons learned and questions raised along the way, which may be useful for MEAL and research practitioners, as well as programme managers. How can we bring intersectionality to the fore? What does it mean to go beyond the gender binary? How can this work be transformative?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event in the modern era. Earlier studies demonstrated how ‘critical junctures’, which comprise major historical events and emergencies, often play an essential role in social change. This paper seeks to explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic would prove to be a similar pivotal moment, and what lessons and insights we could gather for positive social change., The research set out to find key insights on how individuals, communities, and organizations in civil society were responding to the pandemic in low-income populations at the intersection of multiple inequalities. These lessons could inform how donors, governments and NGOs might reshape their efforts to reduce emerging or deepening inequalities, and how civil society organisations and community-based organisations could amplify their positive impacts., Over 18 months, from September 2020 to March 2022, the ‘Emergent Agency’ research convened a global conversation between activists, development practitioners, researchers, and academics to better understand the phenomena that were taking place in response to the pandemic. The research collected more than 200 case studies and held a series of webinars and conversations in thematic clusters to uncover what these responses could teach us. The research project was enabled with funding from The Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme (AFSEE) of the London School of Economics., The findings from the collaborative research have been summarised in two main documents, - this research report, which retraces the steps of the study, its methodology and main findings;, - and a brief, which summarizes key points that we believe are important for those working in international and national NGOs, and donor agencies.

Between 2017 and 2022, Oxfam examined aid to DRM from multiple donors provided to multiple low- and middle-income countries. This synthesis report seeks to draw lessons across these studies. The key issues examined include tradeoffs between efficiency and effectiveness in generating revenues on the one hand, and equity on the other; whether donors support direct or indirect taxation; the progressivity of instruments supported; whether aid to DRM explicitly links revenues to poverty reduction (health, education, social protection); whether aid supports country ownership; and whether aid explicitly seeks to advance gender equality.

This document introduces the key concepts of decolonial theory that inform many current calls to decolonize. It provides examples from Latin America, Africa, and North America of how activists have envisioned or realized decolonial futures. These movements led by Indigenous Peoples, people of color, women, and queer people articulate and define the possibilities of decolonial futures., Since decolonial theory suggests multiple futures and not one single solution, this document does not address what decolonizing particular systems, such as international development, should look like. Rather, the document aims to introduce the reader to the tools of analysis that decolonial theory offers, give examples of decolonial theory in practice, and discuss some potential shortfalls of the decolonial framework., Ce document présente les principaux concepts de la théorie décoloniale sur lesquels s’appuient de nombreux discours actuels qui prônent la décolonisation. Grâce à des exemples tirés d’Amérique latine, d’Afrique et d’Amérique du Nord, il aborde la manière dont les militants ont envisagé ou réalisé des projets de futurs décoloniaux. Ces mouvements à l’initiative de peuples autochtones, de personnes racisées, de femmes et de personnes LGBT expriment et définissent les possibilités d’un avenir décolonial. Puisque la théorie décoloniale suggère des multiples alternatives au futur et non pas une solution unique, ce document ne propose pas de représentation de la décolonisation de systèmes particuliers, tel que le développement international. Ce document vise plutôt à présenter au lecteur les outils d’analyse que propose la théorie décoloniale. Il fournit des exemples de mise en pratique de la théorie décoloniale et analyse les potentielles lacunes du cadre décolonial.

More frequent or intense floods, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and typhoons devastate people’s homes, livelihoods and the natural world. A clean energy transition is urgently needed to reduce carbon emissions and prevent the impacts worsening. Wealthy countries have the prime historic responsibility for the climate crisis and therefore for its mitigation. But as the clean energy transition gathers speed, it inevitably also impacts lower-income, lower-emitting countries and communities. This research report, written by 20 co-authors from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, the US and Europe, investigates the implications of the energy transition for them, and asks how the world can achieve a truly just, as well as fast, transition., The findings highlight the stark choice facing humanity. If the transition is undertaken with justice and respect for communities’ rights at its heart, it offers an unprecedented opportunity to simultaneously mitigate the climate crisis and reduce poverty and inequality. Conversely, an unjust transition, which entrenches or exacerbates inequalities, risks generating public resistance and slowing the transition with devastating human consequences., Inondations, vagues de chaleur, incendies de forêt, sécheresse et typhons… Ces phénomènes de plus en plus fréquents ou intenses ont des effets dévastateurs sur les habitations, les moyens de subsistance et le milieu naturel. La transition vers une énergie propre est plus que jamais nécessaire pour réduire les émissions de CO2 et éviter des conséquences encore plus lourdes. Premiers responsables historiques de la crise climatique, les pays riches ont aussi la responsabilité d’en atténuer les effets. Mais à mesure que la transition vers l’énergie propre s’accélère, elle n’est pas sans répercussions sur les pays et les communautés à faible revenu, qui produisent moins d’émissions. Le présent rapport de recherche, fruit du travail conjoint de 20 auteur·es d’Afrique, d’Asie, d’Amérique latine, du Moyen-Orient, des États-Unis et d’Europe, se penche sur les conséquences de la transition énergétique pour ces pays et communautés, en s’interrogeant sur la manière dont le monde pourrait mettre en œuvre, sans tarder, une transition véritablement juste., Ce rapport aboutit à la conclusion que l’humanité est aujourd’hui confrontée à un choix difficile. Si cette transition énergétique se déroule en prenant comme axe central l’équité et le respect des communautés, elle offre une opportunité sans précédent d’atténuer à la fois la crise climatique et la pauvreté et les inégalités. À l’inverse, une approche injuste, qui perpétue voire aggrave les inégalités, risque de provoquer des réticences parmi la population et de ralentir la transition, avec des conséquences humaines désastreuses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and worsened the depth of inequality in West Africa. It has pushed millions into poverty. There is no end in sight due to the obscene global vaccine inequality, which means that less than 4% of West Africans had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as at September 2021, compared with 52% in the United States and 57% in the European Union. In 2021, when COVID-19 infections are rising in West Africa, the critical support health and socioeconomic programmes put in place by most governments in 2020 are being rolled back and replaced with austerity. Many governments are following advice from the IMF and World Bank, reminiscent of the severe cuts in spending imposed under the structural adjustment policies of the 1980s and 1990s. However, as this paper argues, the pandemic offers West African governments a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest heavily in inequality-busting policies by boosting public spending (especially on healthcare, education and social protection), making tax systems more progressive, and tackling joblessness and precarious work., This report uses the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII) framework devised by Oxfam and Development Finance International to assess the policies of West African governments. Visit the CRI Index website to learn more: www.inequalityindex.org., La pandémie de COVID-19 a mis au jour et aggravé l’ampleur des inégalités en Afrique de l’Ouest. Elle a précipité des millions de personnes dans la pauvreté. Cette situation risque de ne pas trouver de résolution, en raison des inégalités choquantes d’accès aux vaccins, ce qui signifie que moins de 4 % des Ouest-africain·es ont été complètement vacciné·es contre la COVID-19 en septembre 2021, contre 52 % de la population des États-Unis et 57 % des personnes dans l’Union européenne., En 2021, alors que les cas de COVID-19 augmentent en Afrique de l’Ouest, les programmes de soutien sanitaire et socio-économique essentiels mis en place par la plupart des gouvernements en 2020 sont interrompus et remplacés par des mesures d’austérité. De nombreux gouvernements suivent les conseils du FMI et de la Banque mondiale, faisant ainsi écho aux fortes coupes budgétaires imposées dans le cadre des politiques d’ajustement structurel des années 1980 et 1990. Cette pandémie, cependant, offre aux gouvernements ouest-africains une opportunité unique d’investir massivement dans des politiques de lutte contre les inégalités en augmentant les dépenses publiques (en particulier dans les domaines de la santé, de l’éducation et de la protection sociale), en rendant les systèmes fiscaux plus progressifs et en luttant contre le chômage et le travail précaire.

The evidence can no longer be ignored: when women and feminist activists are able to use their collective power to challenge inequalities, they are having a transformational impact. From women’s rights organizations and movements breaking down harmful social norms, to political leaders advancing highly progressive policies, there is a growing body of evidence from feminist organizing across the world that when decisions are made more equally and inclusively, and are rooted in locally-owned, intersectional feminist movements and political agendas, they have immediate and long-term human development benefits for all. ‘It made us feel capable, knowledgeable, revolutionary...’ Young feminist activist, RootsLab

The 2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index is the first detailed analysis published looking at governments’ policies and actions to fight inequality during the first two years of the pandemic. This fourth edition of the CRI Index reviews the spending, tax and labour policies and actions of 161 governments during 2020–2022., COVID-19 has increased inequality worldwide, as the poorest people were hit hardest by both the disease and its profound economic impacts. Yet the CRI 2022 Index shows clearly that most of the world’s governments failed to mitigate this dangerous rise in inequality. Despite the biggest global health emergency in a century, half of low-and lower-middle-income countries saw the share of health spending fall during the pandemic, half of the countries tracked by the CRI Index cut the share of social protection spending, 70% cut the share of education spending, while two-thirds of countries failed to increase their minimum wage in line with gross domestic product (GDP). Ninety-five percent of countries failed to increase taxation of the richest people and corporations. At the same time, a small group of governments from across the world bucked this trend, taking clear actions to combat inequality, putting the rest of the world to shame., See also the CRI Index website: www.inequalityindex.orgThe Index has been audited by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Read more here., L’indice de l’engagement à la réduction des inégalités (ERI) 2022 est la première analyse détaillée publiée portant sur les politiques et les actions des gouvernements pour lutter contre les inégalités au cours des deux premières années de la pandémie. Cette analyse passe en revue les politiques et actions de 161 gouvernements en matière de dépenses, de fiscalité et de travail sur la période 2020-2022., La COVID-19 a creusé les inégalités dans le monde entier, les plus pauvres étant les plus durement touché·es par la maladie et ses profondes répercussions économiques. Pourtant, l’indice ERI 2022 montre clairement que la plupart des gouvernements du monde n’ont pas réussi à atténuer cette dangereuse augmentation des inégalités. Alors qu’il s’agit de la pire urgence sanitaire que le monde ait connue depuis un siècle, la moitié des pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire de la tranche inférieure ont vu la part des dépenses de santé diminuer pendant la pandémie. La moitié des pays suivis par l’indice ERI ont réduit la part des dépenses de protection sociale, 70 % ont revu à la baisse la part des dépenses d’éducation, tandis que deux tiers des pays n’ont pas augmenté leur salaire minimum en fonction du produit intérieur brut (PIB). 95 % des pays n’ont pas augmenté l’imposition des personnes et des sociétés les plus riches. Dans le même temps, quelques gouvernements dans différentes parties du monde se sont démarqués de cette tendance en prenant des mesures claires pour lutter contre les inégalités, couvrant de honte le reste du monde.

Climate change affects food production in many regions, including lost crops and dwindling employment opportunities. These impacts will become more severe by 2030 and beyond, putting at risk global food security and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people. Now is the time to scale up efforts to reshape the agriculture sector to support farmers, avoid the extensification of food production, improve the productivity of farms, build resilience and reduce emissions., This paper aims to help countries think through the process of enhancing their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by including strengthened actions in the agriculture sector. It highlights the need for tailor-made approaches suited to a country’s unique set of circumstances. It identifies a range of possible actions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture sector, given the right enabling environment, and offers examples of how these actions can be included in an enhanced NDC., Les changements climatiques ont des incidences sur la production alimentaire dans de nombreuses régions, notamment la perte de récoltes et la raréfaction des offres d’emploi. Ces impacts s’accentueront d’ici 2030 et au-delà, menaçant ainsi la sécurité alimentaire mondiale et les moyens de subsistance de centaines de millions de personnes. Il est temps de redoubler d’efforts pour repenser le secteur de l’agriculture, afin de soutenir les agriculteurs et agricultrices, d’éviter l’extensification de la production alimentaire, d’améliorer la productivité des exploitations agricoles, de renforcer la résilience et de réduire les émissions., Cette publication vise à aider les pays à envisager le processus d’amélioration de leur CDN au travers de l’introduction de mesures renforcées pour le secteur agricole. Ses auteurs insistent sur la nécessité d’adopter des approches adaptées aux circonstances uniques de chaque pays. Ils présentent une série de mesures possibles, pour autant que les bonnes conditions soient en place, s’agissant de l’adaptation aux changements climatiques et de l’atténuation de leurs effets dans le secteur agricole, et proposent des exemples de la manière d’intégrer ces mesures dans une CDN améliorée.

Climate change, conflict, growing inequality and escalating humanitarian needs are galvanizing questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of current humanitarian and development programming., Accompanying this are structural shifts across the aid system, which are changing how aid is planned and financed. Under the 'Triple Nexus' this will have profound implications for what we do, how we do it and with whom we do it., As a multi-mandated organization, Oxfam has a unique contribution to make in sharing learning and encouraging good practice in this space. This discussion paper puts forward some of this thinking from across our programme, policy and funding expertise and draws on case studies to highlight critical questions and recommendations for furthering the debate., Le changement climatique, les conflits, les inégalités croissantes et l’intensification des besoins humanitaires soulèvent des questionnements sur l’efficacité et l’efficience des programmes humanitaires et de développement actuels., En outre, l’ensemble du système d’aide fait face à des transformations structurelles qui influencent la planification et le financement de l’aide. Au regard du triple nexus humanitaire-développement-paix, cela aura nécessairement un impact profond sur nos actions, nos méthodes et nos collaborations., En tant qu’organisation multi-mandatée, Oxfam a un rôle unique à jouer en matière de partage des connaissances et de diffusion des bonnes pratiques dans cet espace. Ce document de discussion fait état de certaines de ces réflexions issues de nos programmes, de notre expertise en matière de politiques d'orientation et de financement et met en lumière, au moyen d’études de cas, des questions et recommandations essentielles pour approfondir le débat.

In Haiti, the traditional centralization of power in Port-au-Prince has far-reaching effects, one of which is the limited influence of ordinary citizens on holding local officials accountable for providing basic services like trash removal, water and sanitation, and maintaining healthy and safe marketplaces. From 2013 to 2018, USAID carried out a project known as LOKAL+ that was aimed at supporting and strengthening ten district-level governments., Oxfam studied the outcomes in three of the districts, interviewing local officials, experts on local government, community members, and representatives of community organizations. Participants reported that the project did not lead to tangible, sustainable improvements in providing local services; however, there are indications that it helped strengthen important capacities among local mayors, and there is potential for sustainable impact on the mayors’ ability to collect taxes and manage their budgets and accounting systems—a modest step forward on the path to decentralization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the extreme inequality in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, and pushed millions into poverty. The economic crisis continues due to the obscene global vaccine inequality. As of end March 2022, a dismal 14% of SADC citizens had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared with 65.5% in the United States and 73% in the European Union., In 2021, with infections rising in SADC, the critical health, social protection and economic programmes put in place by most governments in 2020 were rolled back and replaced with austerity, in the context of growing debt burdens and lack of external support for country budgets. Such austerity has been built into IMF programmes in the region., Recovering from the pandemic, however, offers SADC governments a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do what their citizens want: increase taxes on the wealthy and large corporations, boost public spending (especially on healthcare, education and social protection), and increase workers’ rights as well as tackling joblessness and precarious work. With external support, including through debt relief and aid, they could reduce inequality drastically and eliminate extreme poverty by 2030., Crise des inégalités extrêmes dans la SADC Combattre l’austérité et la pandémie de COVID-19 La pandémie de COVID-19 a aggravé les inégalités extrêmes dans les pays de la Communauté de développement d’Afrique australe (SADC) et a précipité des millions de personnes dans la pauvreté. La crise économique se poursuit en raison de l’inégalité vaccinale obscène dans le monde. Fin mars 2022, 14 % seulement des citoyen·nes de la SADC avaient un schéma vaccinal complet contre la COVID-19, contre 65,5 % aux États-Unis et 73 % dans l’Union européenne5., En 2021, en pleine flambée des infections dans la SADC, les programmes critiques en matière de santé, de protection sociale et d’économie mis en place par la plupart des gouvernements en 2020 ont été réduits et remplacés par l’austérité, dans un contexte d’augmentation du fardeau de la dette et de manque de soutien extérieur aux budgets nationaux. Les programmes du FMI dans la région ont intégré cette austérité., La sortie de la pandémie offre toutefois aux gouvernements de la SADC une occasion qui ne se présente qu’une fois par génération de faire ce que veulent leurs citoyen·nes : augmenter les impôts sur les grandes fortunes et les grandes entreprises, accroître les dépenses publiques (notamment en matière de soins de santé, d’éducation et de protection sociale), renforcer les droits des travailleurs et des travailleuses et lutter contre le chômage et le travail précaire. Avec un soutien extérieur, notamment par le biais d’une aide et d’un allègement de la dette, ils pourraient réduire radicalement les inégalités et éliminer l’extrême pauvreté d’ici 2030.

Please ignore this report. It is used to conduct tests of this website., Veuillez ignorer ce rapport. Il est utilisé pour effectuer des tests de ce site Internet., 1. Comprendre la réduction des risques de catastrophe et l’adaptation au changement climatique 2. Les groupes clés, la réduction des risques de catastrophes et l’adaptation au changement 3. La gestion du cycle de programme pour la réduction des risques de catastrophes et l’adaptation au changement climatique 4. Les secteurs clés pour la réduction des risques de catastrophes et l’adaptation au changement climatique

Le travail de soin non rémunéré désigne toutes les activités qualifiées de travaux reproductifs ou domestiques au sein des foyers sur une base non marchande. Bien que ce travail est essentiel pour l’équilibre de la société et l’épanouissement de la famille et le développement économique des pays, les normes sociales patriarcales d’un côté et les politiques sexistes de l’Etat d’un autre coté rendent ce travail sous-estimé, invisible et non reconnu., L’étude élaborée par Oxfam en Tunisie en partenariat avec AFTURD, montre que les femmes passent entre 8 et 12 heures par jour dans le travail de soin non rémunéré (dépendamment de leur âge, leur situation familiale et économique, et leur lieu de résidence), contre 45 minutes en moyenne pour les hommes., Les causes et conséquences de cette répartition inégale sont nombreuses et interreliées. En tenant compte des résultats de la recherche, et afin d’autonomiser les femmes et améliorer leurs bien-être, Oxfam recommande de : reconnaitre la travail de soins non rémunéré en tant que travail, de réduire le fardeau qu’il constitue, de redistribuer plus équitablement les responsabilités associées entre les hommes et les femmes, au sein des ménages, et entre les ménages, l’État et le secteur privé, et de garantir la représentation des personnes prenant en charge les activités de soins dans les postes de prise de décision et de leadership., Unpaid care work refers to all activities that qualify as reproductive or domestic work within households on a non-market basis. Although this work is essential for the balance of society and the development of the family and the economy, patriarchal social norms on the one hand, and the state’s sexist policies on the other hand, make this work undervalued, invisible and unrecognized., This study, conducted by Oxfam in Tunisia in partnership with AFTURD, shows that women spend, on average, between eight and 12 hours a day on unpaid care work (depending on their age, family and economic situation, and place of residence), compared with 45 minutes for men., The causes of this unequal distribution are numerous and interrelated. In line with the results of the study, and in order to empower women and improve their well-being, as well as dismantle the economic and social inequalities of unpaid care work, Oxfam recommends the following: recognize the economic and social value of care work; reduce its burden; redistribute responsibilities more equitably between men and women within households, and between households and the state and the private sector; and ensure the representation of women in decision-making and leadership positions.

While intra-Afghan talks have started, sustainable peace is still a distant reality in Afghanistan. Ongoing peace efforts ignore women’s meaningful participation: women are included in only one in every five meetings. Evidence shows that when women have a meaningful role in peace negotiations, peace is more sustainable. Afghan and international actors must stress the importance of including women in all stages of formal and informal talks at national and local levels., This research paper uses the seven modalities of the Broadening Participation framework to identify practical ways to include Afghan women meaningfully and pave the way for inclusive peacebuilding.

Young people have tremendous potential to be both present and future drivers of inclusive sustainable development., In recognition of this potential and the power of collective action, Oxfam has developed a theory of change to explore what needs to happen so that young people, institutions and communities can create equitable, transformative and sustainable change together., This meta-theory of change was developed through a series of workshops in 2015 with young leaders, Oxfam partners and programme staff from around the world. Following practical application of the theory of change in multiple youth initiatives, Oxfam’s Youth as Active Citizens Community of Practice co-created a new version through a process of learning and reflection in 2019-2020.

Research by PAPDA (the Haitian Advocacy Platform for Alternative Development) and Oxfam found that peanut value chain actors in Haiti face a number of serious constraints, including nonexistence of state support; weak organization; use of traditional production methods; and lack of access to irrigation and inputs, including herbicides to control aflatoxin, all in a context of poverty and vulnerable livelihoods. Most of those interviewed have peanut-related earnings insufficient to cover living expenses. However, most expressed satisfaction with their value chain activities. Women in particular reported achieving a measure of economic empowerment, despite limited earnings. With the right policies and agricultural programs, Haiti has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency and pursue export opportunities., The US peanut value chain, in contrast, features highly subsidized production, precision technologies, and politically well-organized farmers who engage in unabashed rent seeking. This leads to overproduction and pressures to develop foreign markets and use peanuts in food aid, such as the 2016 donation of 500 metric tons of dry roasted peanuts to Haiti. But such surplus dumping is incoherent with longstanding US agricultural aid aimed at boosting Haitian peanut productivity and overcoming severe aflatoxin issues., The paper recommends that the Haitian government provide significant support to the peanut value chain. It encourages the United States and other donors to continue providing aid to Haitian peanut production, while avoiding agricultural trade policies that undermine such assistance.

Dominant narratives promoting economic growth at the expense of state institutions and basic social services have long underpinned a neoliberal model of spiralling debt and austerity in the MENA region. This exacerbates political capture and inequality and takes shape in an environment of media concentration and shrinking civic space. It is important for change movements to understand dominant narratives in order to challenge and shift them. With the right tools, civil society organizations, activists, influencers and alternative media can start changing the myths and beliefs which frame the socio-economic debate and predetermine which policy options are accepted as possible and legitimate, and which are not.

The Transformative Leadership for Women’s Rights working group of Oxfam International is proud to present a new Global Program Framework. The Framework was developed to help us deliver our strategic ambition on Transformative Leadership for Women’s Rights (TLWR). This Framework has been developed both to support colleagues wanting to integrate TLWR principles and approaches into programs and campaigns, as well as those developing stand-alone Gender Justice programs in support of TLWR. It is not intended to be the ‘rulebook’ for how Oxfam designs programs but rather what we hope will be a valuable guide and practical prompt for colleagues and partners seeking to start out or mature their program approach in this important area.

The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world unprepared to fight it, because countries had failed to choose policies to fight inequality. Only one in six countries assessed for the CRI Index 2020 were spending enough on health, only a third of the global workforce had adequate social protection, and in more than 100 countries at least one in three workers had no labour protection such as sick pay. As a result, many have faced death and destitution, and inequality is increasing dramatically., This third edition of the CRI Index report recommends that all governments adopt strong anti-inequality policies on public services, tax and labour rights, to radically reduce the gap between rich and poor. The international community must support them with Special Drawing Rights, debt relief and global solidarity taxes., See also the CRI Index website at www.inequalityindex.org

How is our understanding of development changing? What are the implications of these changes, whether practical or conceptual, for the future role of international non-government organizations (NGOs)?, This short paper summarizes the main global trends in international development and then examines some pressing questions for international NGOs. It highlights the folly of simple, linear interventions and the merits of alternative approaches, such as bringing together stakeholders to find joint solutions (convening and brokering), or rapid iteration based on fast feedback and adaptation., For Oxfam, this new thinking would mean relinquishing a command-and-control approach across all aspects of its work in favour of embracing a systems approach.

Youth-led progressive and feminist movements are some of the most powerful drivers of change in many countries, pushing path-breaking progress on political accountability, climate justice, gender equality and economic transformation. With youth movements set to be protagonists of systemic change in the next decade, understanding how to equitably partner with and enhance the power of youth leadership is a priority for international organizations., This report emerged from a commitment by Oxfam International to partner with young people in the development and implementation of Oxfam’s Global Strategic Framework (2020-2030). It draws on reflections from face-to-face workshops and digital conversations with more than 350 young people in over 30 countries in six continents. It recommends that Oxfam and other international organizations engage meaningfully with youth movements. ‘Meaningful youth engagement’ is not just about interaction with a certain demographic – it requires a radical rethink of how international organizations operate. It means fundamentally challenging and changing conceptions of organizational culture, timelines, budgeting and ways of working in general, in the interest of inclusion.’

There is an increasing focus on gender equality in development and humanitarian aid, including in donors' self-reported contributions to gender equality. More policies and laws are calling for an increased focus on gender equality, and some nations are calling for feminist aid or feminist foreign policy, all positive steps to address one of the world's largest challenges: gender inequality., Donors' self-reported gender equality funding figures have increased, but it is unclear if the funding is actually for gender equality work. Evaluations of donor equality policies suggest that they are inconsistently implemented. And until recently, assessing the quality of gender equality projects was problematic because it was difficult to link the reported funding figures to more detailed project information., This report draws on Oxfam's research using publicly available information to examine 72 projects from seven donors across various sectors that provided over $6bn worth of gender equality funding. Its findings suggest there is a major gap between self-reported funding and high-quality gender equality projects. This is especially concerning given the massive challenges to achieve gender equality and the incredible gains that could come from it., Donors and other partners need to act to fix these deficiencies in their gender equality projects by gender marking projects in the pre-design phase, and not allowing projects to be counted as gender equality projects if they do not include critical components.

This paper documents the impacts of the global economic crisis on Burkina Faso, which exacerbated the effects of the previous food and fuel price crises and was then made worse by subsequent serious flooding. Based on interviews by the author with a number of international donors, government officials, economists, and civil society organizations in Ouagadougou - as well as a series of interviews with Burkinabe people conducted for Oxfam - the paper reflects how the multiple crises have affected the country's ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and considers the government's response., Introduction, The impact of the economic crisis at the macro level, The impact of the crisis at the micro level, Government responses, Donor responses, What the future prospects for recovery?, Notes, References

Cette revue des écrits scientifiques s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une initiative de recherche portant sur l’analyse des effets de la participation à des initiatives d’autonomisation économique des femmes sur l’augmentation ou la diminution de la violence domestique. Ce projet est le fruit d’une collaboration entre Oxfam et le CRI-VIFF et vise plus particulièrement à documenter les bonnes pratiques en matière de prévention et d’accompagnement des femmes qui subissent de la violence domestique dans le cadre des initiatives d’autonomisation économique des femmes en contexte de développement international. Cette revue des écrits scientifiques qui offre un état des connaissances actuelles constitue une première étape en ce sens et sera suivie par des études de cas et des lignes directrices destinées à soutenir le travail des équipes de projets et de développement de programmes., Studies of women’s economic empowerment initiatives suggest a link between women’s participation in these initiatives and the potential risk of domestic violence. This literature review is part of a research initiative to analyze the impacts of participating in women’s economic empowerment initiatives on the increase or decrease of domestic violence. The project stems from a collaboration between Oxfam and CRI-VIFF. It aims to document best practice in preventing domestic violence and supporting women who experience it, in the context of international development initiatives to further women’s economic empowerment. The literature review is the first step in a process that will be followed by case studies and guidelines to support program development and the work of project teams.

The fear that global demand for food will outstrip supply has led to significant debate. Oxfam hosted an online discussion in December 2012 to get beyond the question of securing steady supplies of raw materials for food and beverage companies and to rise above polarized discourses on large-scale industrialized vs. smallholder farms. The two-week debate on the future of agriculture formed part of Oxfam’s efforts to develop a creative and positive vision of global food production that can ensure that everyone has enough to eat always., This paper offers a synthesis of the online debate, the 23 essays by food and development experts from 16 countries that formed the basis of the discussion, and Oxfam’s brief concluding remarks., La crainte de voir la demande alimentaire mondiale dépasser l’offre a suscité des débats passionnés. Oxfam a organisé en décembre 2012 une discussion en ligne afin d’aller au-delà de la question qui vise à assurer un approvisionnement régulier en matières premières des entreprises du secteur alimentaire et des boissons et pour dépasser les débats polarisés entre les grandes exploitations industrielles et les petites exploitations agricoles. Ce débat, tenu sur deux semaines et ayant pour thème l'avenir de l'agriculture, entre dans le cadre des efforts déployés par Oxfam pour développer une vision positive et innovante de la production alimentaire pour un monde où chacun mange toujours à sa faim., Ce document propose une synthèse de ce débat en ligne, une annexe avec les 23 essais d’experts des secteurs de l’alimentaire et du développement de 16 pays qui ont étayé la discussion, et de brèves remarques d’Oxfam en guise de conclusion.

In this sixth instalment of the Going Digital Series, we share our experiences of using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) software, which was researched and piloted following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent need for improved remote data collection practices., CATI is a survey technique in which interviews are conducted via a phone call, using an electronic device to follow a survey script and enter the information collected., This paper looks at the experience of piloting the technique in phone interviews with women in Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq.

In search of Mali's gold-mining revenues

Women cocoa farmers are central to the sustainability of the cocoa supply chain and cocoa-growing communities. Too often unrecognized and undervalued, women's labor makes significant contributions to the amount of cocoa produced, which is under increasing demand. Empowering women cocoa farmers not only has a positive impact on the lives of women, men and communities, but also has a business advantage. When women have control over their own income or family earnings, they reinvest in their families, children and communities, increasing the well-being and the sustainability of cocoa-growing communities., Through its Behind the Brands campaign, Oxfam challenged the cocoa sector to take action to strengthen the rights of women cocoa farmers. Within months, they responded and made significant commitments to address women's empowerment at the farm level. But there remains little shared knowledge of what emerging good practice actually looks like. This report provides examples of good practice to increase gender equality in the cocoa sector in West Africa, and shows where there is potential to make even greater change.

This study of gender aspects of resilience is part of the project 'employment, resilience and social cohesion in the Sahelian belt and the Lake Chad zone' – ‘RESTE/Trust Fund’. The project aims to contribute to the stability in the Sahelian region of Chad by strengthening resilience, sustainable local development and increasing economic opportunities., This report examines issues related to gender inequality and building resilience, looking at the degree of women's participation at the community level, and the status of women's leadership. It identifies challenges and root causes of the exclusion and discrimination of women and girls in accessing and using productive resources and decision making at household and community levels, including discriminatory social, religious and cultural norms, women's lack of access to information and knowledge, and their differentiated needs., Among the report’s recommendations are the organization and capacity building of local actors, inclusion and participation of young people and women, advocacy for the commitment of the authorities and the integration of a representative multi-actor approach in local governance systems., L’étude sur la dimension de genre dans la construction de résilience s’encadre dans les provinces du Kanem, Bahr el Gazal et Lac du projet Emploi, résilience et cohésion sociale dans la bande sahélienne et la zone du Lac Tchad communément appelé « RESTE/Trust Fund », dont l’objective est de contribuer à la stabilité de la bande sahélienne du Tchad en renforçant la résilience, le développement local durable et en accroissant les opportunités économiques., L’étude cherche à améliorer la compréhension des enjeux liés aux inégalités de genre et les implications pour la construction de résilience, dans les trois provinces du projet, à travers une meilleure compréhension du degré (les avancées et les obstacles) de la participation des femmes au niveau communautaire, et de la situation en matière de leadership des femmes.

In 2015, the leaders of 193 governments promised to reduce inequality under Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without reducing inequality, meeting SDG 1 to eliminate poverty will be impossible. In 2017, Development Finance International (DFI) and Oxfam produced the first index to measure the commitment of governments to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. The index is based on a new database of indicators, now covering 157 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights – three areas found to be critical to reducing the gap., This second edition of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index finds that countries such as South Korea, Namibia and Uruguay are taking strong steps to reduce inequality. Sadly, countries such as India and Nigeria do very badly overall, as does the USA among rich countries, showing a lack of commitment to closing the inequality gap. The report recommends that all countries should develop national inequality action plans to achieve SDG 10 on reducing inequality., Explore the data with the CRI Index online data tool.

Burkina Faso has made important progress in finding appropriate solutions for agricultural risk management. In recent years significant experience has been gathered, and the growing interest in agricultural insurance is encouraging the various actors to develop new initiatives. This report argues that key stakeholders should now agree on strategic decisions and pursue a coordinated and comprehensive approach., Le Burkina Faso a franchi une étape clé dans la recherche de solutions appropriées de gestion des risques agricoles. Au cours des dernières années, des expériences significatives ont été développées et l'intérêt croissant pour l'assurance agricole stimule les différents acteurs à développer de nouvelles initiatives. Le moment semble être arrivé pour que les principales parties prenantes prennent des décisions stratégiques et poursuivent une approche coordonnée et globale.

The EU is a group of rich countries characterized by high incomes, stable institutions, and home to 342 billionaires. It is also where 123 million people are at risk of poverty. Inequality is an unacceptable injustice; inequality in the EU is discussed in Oxfam's policy briefing 'A Europe For the Many, Not the Few'. By drawing on available data on inequality, this report provides the empirical foundation of the briefing. We invite you to dig into the data, both in this paper, in the Excel data file and the online data tool, to take a closer look at inequality in EU countries - its trends, causes and consequences.

Humanity’s challenge in the 21st century is to eradicate poverty and achieve prosperity for all within the means of the planet’s limited natural resources., In the run-up to Rio+20, this discussion paper presents a visual framework – shaped like a doughnut – which brings planetary boundaries together with social boundaries, creating a safe and just space between the two, in which humanity can thrive., Moving into this space demands far greater equity – within and between countries – in the use of natural resources, and far greater efficiency in transforming those resources to meet human needs.

In ten years' time, more people will be living in cities than ever before in human history. If we want to live in a sustainable and inclusive world, we must commit to promoting the development of sustainable and inclusive cities. Of the three billion urban residents of the world today, one billion live in slums, vulnerable to disease, violence and social, political and economic exclusion. Although there are good examples of responses to urban poverty, cities continue to grow, and to grow poorer. The authors of this paper examine the trends in urbanisation and urban poverty and call for improved research and a more coherent programmatic approach to addressing urban poverty and vulnerability. They suggest that urban public space needs to be regenerated in order to encourage local participation in development, and to reduce the ecological impact of urban lifestyles. Urban development strategies need to be incorporated into the global development agenda on issues such as trade, environment, and migration. The paper argues that civil society, national governments, the private sector and the international development community should harness the positive features of urbanisation (such as the potential for progressive changes in social, political, and economic relations) to create a more inclusive and sustainable global society

Inequality is rampant across the global economy, and the agro-food sector is no exception., At the top, big supermarkets and other corporate food giants dominate global food markets, allowing them to squeeze value from vast supply chains that span the globe, while at the bottom the bargaining power of small-scale farmers and workers has been steadily eroded in many of the countries from which they source. The result is widespread human suffering among the women and men producing food for supermarkets around the world., But it doesn't have to be this way. This report launches Oxfam's new campaign to expose the root causes behind human suffering in food supply chains and to mobilize the power of people around the world to help to end it, starting with a focus on the role of supermarkets., See here for a full list of associated annexes to this report, including national reports, case studies, methodology note and datasets.

In Burkina Faso, the vulnerability of farmers to climate risks and variations in the pricing of staple foods is a serious problem for rural areas. Warrantage is used in West Africa to describe the inventory credit system: granting credit to farmers with grain as collateral in secure warehouses, where a third independent party holds the collateral on behalf of both the creditor and the debtor. Warrantage could contribute to increasing the resilience of farming communities to shocks, improving food insecurity. Oxfam in Burkina Faso and the Federation of Agricultural Professionals of Burkina Faso (FEPAB) support warrantage in the south-western zone of Burkina Faso., This report examines the contribution of warrantage to resilience in the light of the Oxfam Framework for Resilient Development: it contributes to the ability to absorb shocks through the reduction of harmful coping strategies, and the ability to adapt through livelihood diversification. However, its contribution is not on the same scale for all socioeconomic groups. Benefits are limited by the intermittent participation of very poor and poor groups; they depend on climatic hazards which determine the quantity of crops; and the fact that poor farmers often do not solicit credit. Unequal power relations between socio-economic groups and between women and men should also be considered in interventions.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently gripped by national political deadlock and plagued by localized armed conflicts, both old and new. In the central region of Kasai, the conflict between government forces and the Kamwina Nsapo militia escalated dramatically in the first quarter of 2017 and has caused a serious humanitarian crisis extending over five provinces. The crisis has led to major food insecurity, and exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of the local population., Women in DRC play a limited role in public life and their access to services and opportunities is constrained. The crisis in Kasai is entrenching existing inequalities in gender norms. In this context, Oxfam conducted a gender analysis in October–November 2017 in order to identify the impacts that the conflict is having on women, girls, boys and men in the province and their coping mechanisms. This report presents the findings of the analysis and recommendations intended to inform Oxfam’s own humanitarian programmes and those of its partners and other organizations, as well as the wider humanitarian response.

This report summarizes the findings of new research on the impact of violent conflict on civil society organizations (CSOs) and the implications for international actors who partner with them. It finds that local CSOs working in violent conflict settings are more important than ever, as they are at the forefront in responding to the needs of the millions of civilians caught up in violent conflict around the world. Where international actors struggle to get access to contested territories and rely on national or local CSOs to reach conflict-affected communities, partnerships allow life-saving resources to reach the people who need them most. And as commitments to localization grow, international funding flows to CSOs are set to increase. Yet this study finds that international actors often fail to understand the highly politicized and insecure environments they operate in and do not do enough to support and strengthen the CSOs with whom they work.

In 2015, the leaders of 193 governments promised to reduce inequality as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without reducing inequality, meeting the SDG to eliminate poverty will be impossible., Now Development Finance International and Oxfam have produced the first index to measure the commitment of governments to reducing the gap between the rich and the poor., The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index uses a new database of indicators covering 152 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights - three areas found to be critical to reducing inequality., This first version of the CRI Index is work in progress, and DFI and Oxfam welcome comments and additions. We find that there is an urgent need for coordinated global investment to significantly improve the data on inequality and policies to reduce it, and much greater concerted action by governments across the world to reduce the gap between rich and poor., Update: See the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2018 for the most recent information.

The Scaling Humanitarian ICTs Network (SHINE) funded by Sida, set out with the theory of change that the quality and efficiency of humanitarian aid can be improved in a variety of contexts through the adoption of Information Communications Technologies (ICTs). With applications in Ethiopia, DRC, Mali, Indonesia and Iraq, ICTs were introduced to enable digital registrations, mobile data collection, cash/voucher programming and systems for accountability., While ICTs hold promise for saving time, money and improving accuracy, this learning report sets out to unpack these benefits and identify the conditions that need to be in place in order for ICTs to significantly add value to humanitarian response.

This multi-country research report examines the problem of implementation gaps – government failures to fulfill their legislative obligations to address and prevent violence against women and girls. It presents a comparative analysis of shortfalls between government commitments as laid out in laws, and the realities for survivors of violence as they try to access services and justice. Drawing also on positive examples, lessons are shared about what can be done to improve the implementation of laws, and how civil society organizations can more effectively hold governments to account, so that laws can have a greater impact on ending violence against women and girls.

Almost seven years of violent conflict in the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa – involving Boko Haram and military operations to counter them – has led to a devastating humanitarian crisis. Originating in northeast Nigeria, the conflict has now spread across borders into Niger, Chad and Cameroon., The people of the Lake Chad Basin region are some of the poorest in the world. Even under normal circumstances they suffer from high levels of hunger and malnutrition. Over the last two years, the conflict has led to mass forced displacements and population movements, uprooting people from their homes and cutting them off from their livelihoods and sources of income, exacerbating an already dire situation., This report uses the Emergency Market Mapping Analysis (EMMA) methodology combined with protection risk analysis to capture aspects of the situation in the Diffa region of Niger and to offer a view of how vulnerable populations are accessing income and the risks associated with that.

[This paper was previously published under the title Progressive Taxation: Towards fair tax policies.] In order to be able to find enough resources to ensure public services, such as education and health for all, poor countries need to raise more tax, and raise tax in ways that are progressive and fair. Tax policy in developing countries has been heavily influenced by the IMF and national elites. This has had a negative impact in many cases, with a focus on indirect regressive taxation like VAT, and extensive tax incentives for companies. There is an urgent need for poor country governments to achieve an increase in progressive and redistributive taxes.

The global food system works only for the few – for most of us it is broken. It leaves billions of us lacking sufficient power and knowledge about what we buy and eat and the majority of small food producers disempowered and unable to fulfil their productive potential. The failure of the system flows from failures of government – failures to regulate, to correct, to protect, to resist, to invest – which mean that companies, interest groups, and elites are able to plunder resources and to redirect flows of finance, knowledge, and food. This report describes a new age of growing crisis: food price spikes and oil price hikes, devastating weather events, financial meltdowns, and global contagion. Behind these, slow-burn crises smoulder: creeping and insidious climate change, growing inequality, chronic hunger and vulnerability, the erosion of our natural resources. Based on the experience and research of Oxfam staff and partners around the world, Growing a Better Future shows how the food system is both a driver of this fragility and highly vulnerable to it, and why in the twenty-first century it leaves 925 million people hungry. The report presents new research forecasting price rises for staple grains in the range of 120–180 per cent within the next two decades, as resource pressures mount and climate change takes hold. For more on interpreting the food price scenarios outlined in Growing a Better Future, see the Note on Food Price Scenarios added in November 2011. The report is now also available as an eBook, presenting expanded versions of case studies from Bolivia to Malawi, alongside new papers and research which develop and update the main themes of the report. The iBook edition is optimised for use on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and includes a video endorsement from Brazil’s former President Lula da Silva and a short documentary on India’s failing food system. It is available to download free from the iBookstore. The standard EPUB edition is suitable for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices, and can also be accessed in full using a desktop eBook reader or Calibre. Its smaller file size means it is more suitable for a low-bandwidth connection. A Kindle edition is available from the Amazon Kindle Store.

The unprecedented turmoil in the world's financial markets has resulted in a significant loss of trust in the global financial system. Financial institutions and the market as a whole have been criticised for short-termism, for lacking transparency, and for not being properly accountable to regulators or to wider society. The credit crisis has also raised wider questions about the proper role of investors in society, both in terms of the specific investments that they make and the manner in which they use their influence to ensure that the positive social and environmental impacts of their investment activities are maximised, and the negative impacts minimised. Oxfam sees that the current crisis offers the opportunity to rethink the contribution that investors can make to eradicating global poverty. Oxfam believes that investors have a critical role to play in poverty alleviation, through supporting economic growth, building infrastructure, and helping to create a vibrant, entrepreneurial private sector. Oxfam also believes that investors can play a wider role through encouraging companies to attain higher standards of corporate responsibility performance. However, the influence of investors (or of investment more generally) has not been unambiguously positive. For example, concern has been expressed about the negative consequences for development of volatile capital flows (as seen in the 1997 Asian financial crisis), the negative social and environmental impacts of many large infrastructure projects, the emphasis of investors on short-term profit rather than the creation of long-term successful and sustainable businesses, and the downsides of trade and investment liberalisation. It is in this context that Oxfam has launched a new project, 'Better Returns in a Better World'. The project's objectives are: to analyse the role that institutional investors can play in poverty alleviation; to encourage investors to take account of poverty issues in their investment decisions; and to identify the key barriers to long-term investment in developing countries. This discussion paper is the first part of the project. It has three objectives. The first is to make a case for why investors are of critical importance to the development agenda. The second is to provide an analytical framework for the project. The third is to identify some of the core questions that the project will seek to explore.

There are three core aspects of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) - scope, parameters and implementation - which must all be strong for the ATT to achieve its intended objectives of saving lives through preventing irresponsible arms transfers. This paper addresses implementation, an area somewhat neglected so far in the debate. This practical guide is intended to support law-makers, licensing officers, customs officials, and other agencies and individuals involved in establishing and implementing national control systems for international arms transfers. This guide will also be useful during the negotiations of the ATT. The guide acknowledges that there is no 'one size fits all' solution. It provides a clear framework and outlines the core principles and elements from different systems, giving examples from a number of countries. This guide strengthens Oxfam's campaign for a global, legally binding, Arms Trade Treaty, and is written with Oxfam's partners for the launch of preparatory talks on the ATT.

Oxfam's Global Agricultural Scale Up Initiative (GASUI) was launched in 2005 with the aims of reducing poverty for millions of smallholder farmers, particularly women; driving economic growth by linking farmers into new and wider market opportunities; and advocating for increased donor, government, and private sector investment to support smallholder farming. For Oxfam, 'scale-up' refers to increasing both the reach and quality of Oxfam's agricultural programming and thereby demonstrating to governments, donors, and development actors how agriculture can contribute to economic development and poverty reduction. The initiative's main strategy is to empower smallholder farmers to organize and engage effectively and equitably in agricultural markets and value chains. This overview is the first of nine Programme Insights papers in the 'Small Farmers, Big Change' series contained in this volume. The papers draw on learning from GASUI and on wider learning from Oxfam GB's agricultural markets-based programming, as well as from programmes implemented by Oxfam India.

This paper discusses Oxfam's advocacy work in Honduras on women's political rights, and women's leadership and empowerment in the political sphere. Beginning with an overview of the constraints that women face if they wish to participate in politics, the paper then goes on to discuss Oxfam's advocacy and campaigning activities during and after the 2005 election period. These include lobbying and advocacy on political reform, campaigning to encourage people to consider voting for female candidates, and promoting women's leadership and political empowerment.

Sub-Saharan Africa has some huge problems to resolve if it is to achieve gender equality in education, and fulfil the Millennium Development Goals related to education and gender. Conversely, the region also has some of the most innovative and enterprising examples of initiatives that promote gender equality in education. This paper focuses on sub-Saharan Africa and considers some of the most significant obstacles that African girls face in achieving the education that is their right. The paper then reviews the most significant initiatives - those that are 'gender-neutral' and those that have a specific focus on gender equality - that have enabled African countries to overcome these obstacles.

This paper highlights the fact that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do not directly address the issue of adult basic education and literacy, in spite of these being essential for achieving the Millennium targets. It explores the potential of adult basic education with gender equality to be transformatory for individuals, and for groups working to address key issues, such as gender-based violence, and HIV/AIDS. The role of governments and other key agencies in relation to gender equality and adult basic education is also explored. The paper concludes with a discussion of how to develop longer-term approaches to gender equality, adult basic education, and literacy.

This is the first of nine papers in a series on Education and Gender Equality, which have been developed from the work of the Beyond Access: Gender, Education, and Development, project.1 The focus of the series is on how to ensure not only equal access to a basic education for boys and girls, but that gender equality is a key part of the practice of that education. With greater numbers of girls enrolling in schooling, much needs to be done to ensure good quality education for all children. How can NGOs, policy-makers, and researchers work together to ensure that all girls and boys have access to an education that is equitable and of good quality, and to ensure that they develop the knowledge and skills they need to achieve what they want for their lives? This introductory paper frames the issues and challenges to be faced in achieving gender equality and quality Education For All (EFA). These issues and challenges are taken up in more detail in subsequent papers.

This paper illustrates the challenges involved in providing good-quality gender-equitable education for children who are beyond the reach of mainstream, formal education. It focuses on children of nomadic and pastoralist households, identifying specific issues in providing schooling for them, and drawing on lessons from approaches and initiatives by various agencies (government and non-government). The paper explores specific forms of discrimination that nomadic and pastoralist girls experience in relation to education, and highlights the need for deeper gender analysis in order to inform policy making.

One in five people in the UK lives in poverty. They suffer not just from low incomes, but from discrimination and prejudice. Their voices are rarely heard, especially by those in power. This paper describes a unique experiment to bring the voices of those living in poverty to the attention of the UK government as part of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion. ‘Get Heard’ was one of the largest projects of its kind ever undertaken in the UK and is viewed as a model of good practice within the European Union. The paper explains how the project worked, and draws out the lessons learned for the future.

This paper shows how CODEMUH (Colectiva de Mujeres Hondureñas), a grassroots women’s collective in Honduras, mobilised a popular movement around labour rights in the country’s textile factories, or maquilas. Focusing on occupational health, CODEMUH ran a campaign which included research, training, and advocacy workshops for the women themselves, building alliances locally, nationally, and internationally, and involving key journalists and the media. The paper explains the challenges and the strategies used to overcome them. It also outlines the lessons learned when women have greater capacity to advocate for changes in policy and practice at corporate and national levels.

This paper is part of set of 12 in a series drawing on Oxfam GB’s global programme of work on the theme of ‘the right to be heard’. The focus of this series of papers is on how the right to be heard can strengthen the participation of people in poverty in formulating public policy, and enable them to hold decision-makers accountable. The other Oxfam themes are the right to a sustainable livelihood, the right to basic services, the right to life and security, and the right to equity. Together, these themes provide an integrated rights-based approach to Oxfam GB’s core purpose of overcoming poverty and suffering. The right to be heard is about the right to be an active participant in political processes; it is about being able to speak up and be listened to by those in power. Put a different way, it is about enabling people to actively draw on their civil and political rights to achieve their social, economic, and cultural rights. It is about finding ways to ensure that governance structures are responsive to the needs and wishes of poor people. These papers touch on some elements of how this can be achieved.

The right to participate in decision-making at the local, national, and international level is one which women are often denied, whether as active citizens or as leaders. In particular, women living in poverty often have very little opportunity to influence decisions and policies that will have a direct influence on their lives and livelihoods, and on the welfare of themselves and their communities. This paper is part of a set of ten papers which bring together lessons and experience on women's leadership and participation from Oxfam GB and its partners.

The coffee price crash of 2001 had devastating effects on tens of millions of smallholder farmers and farmworkers around the developing world. Though recent improvements in the international price of coffee are providing some relief, the dynamics of the coffee market have not shifted in ways that guarantee long-term stability for those at the bottom of the supply chain. The 2001 crash took place in the context of a long-term trend in which coffee farmers, workers, and net coffee-exporting countries have seen the value of their coffee diminish. Coffee plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of millions of rural households in the developing world. Small-scale family farmers produce over 75% of the world’s coffee. Market volatility and declining terms of trade, along with inadequate access to infrastructure, financial resources, and market information, put sustainable livelihoods out of reach for millions of rural families. The coffee market continues to be a showcase of the need to address the commodity crisis on a global scale, a crisis that is hampering the development of many countries. This is directly linked to the global interest in wider peace and stability. The current discussions on the future of the International Coffee Agreement present an historic opportunity to address the ongoing crisis facing smallholder coffee farmers and farmworkers by contributing to sustainable coffee supply chains. At the 2nd World Coffee Conference in September 2005 several organisations presented the International Coffee Organisation and its delegates with the Carta de Salvador – the Salvador Declaration1, which stressed the ongoing effects of the coffee crisis facing small-scale family farmers and farmworkers. This paper calls on International Coffee Organisation members to support small-scale farmers and farmworker organisations by ensuring space for their direct participation in international debate, creating mechanisms that enhance the availability of market information to small-scale farmers, and maximizing opportunities to develop cohesive international strategies to provide technical support, access to credit, and direct access to markets.

Access to credit and effective storage for grain are two issues affecting small-scale farmers in Burkina Faso. Warrantage, a French word commonly used in West Africa, describes the inventory credit system (normally called the warehouse receipt system, or WRS, in English). This means granting credit with grain as collateral in secure warehouses where a third independent party holds the collateral on behalf of both the creditor and the debtor., In Burkina Faso, farmers' organizations have used 'smallholder' warrantage for several years. In this storage system, farmers keep part of their harvest in their own stores secured by two locks. One key is held by the farmers, while the second is held by the microfinance institution, with no third party involved. Warrantage allows both access to credit for income-generating activities and adequate grain storage, thereby contributing to the better preservation of crops, as well as better household management of food and money. Warrantage is more popular in the southern and south-west areas of the country, where there is a surplus production of grain, while in areas further north (where crops are scarce), pilot schemes are only just emerging. This report describes how warrantage operates and provides an analysis of its economic viability in the Centre-Nord region of Burkina Faso., Please note: This report is only available in French.

This report looks at Somali women's experiences with conflict, peace, violence, insecurity and state rebuilding. It uses an approach geared towards gender-just peace-building to understand the ways in which Somali women have fulfilled their role as agents of change, while navigating the challenges posed by women's exclusion from many forms of public life (government, civil society, universities, open markets etc). Interviews and focus groups have been used to illustrate diverse perspectives and to demonstrate that Somali women have always been principal agents of change and social transformation., The report's recommendations are an acknowledgement of the role Somali women have played throughout the course of Somali history, and continue to play today, in shaping the pathway towards greater participation for women across Somali regions, and the challenges they face in so doing.

Results from this report show that increased collaboration and joint initiatives between workers, civil society, producers, European importers and government institutions have enabled change in the lives of thousands of women. This synergy is now ongoing and the collaboration between these stakeholders will continue. Looking forward, there is room for local associations, government agencies, producers and importers to build on the accomplishments achieved to date. Through the leadership that they have developed throughout the course of the programme, women workers can be central to these efforts to drive long-term sustainable changes across Morocco’s agriculture sector.

The global humanitarian system is overstretched; inadequately investing in risk reduction and prevention, and providing assistance that is often insufficient, inappropriate and late. Humanitarian action led by governments in crisis-affected countries, assisted and held accountable by civil society, is usually faster and more appropriate, saving more lives and alleviating the suffering of many more men, women and children. Yet, during 2007–2013, less than 2 percent of annual humanitarian assistance went directly to local actors., In this research report, Oxfam puts the humanitarian system under the lens and finds that it must change to remain effective; with locally led humanitarian action whenever possible; adequate funding to state and non-state actors in affected countries; and stronger partnerships between international and local actors, focusing on strengthening local capacity.

Though globalisation fuels valuable national export growth of many countries, women at the end of the supply chains of some of the world's most powerful companies do not receive a fair share of its benefits. Usually working as temporary workers working long hours without access to benefits, leaves, bonuses and sick pays, they struggle to provide for their families. The harsh reality faced by women workers in developing countries highlights one of the glaring failures of the current model of globalisation. Based on clear analysis of research results from various researchers within Oxfam International and partner organisations, this paper sets out clearly the need for fair trade and inclusive worker rights for women in particular across the global supply chain.

This document is intended as a resource for Oxfam staff and for other organisations concerned with influencing and monitoring national policy making in developing countries to the benefit of the poor. The document will focus on policy making in low-income countries, because current donor conditionality demands civil society participation in planning and in the implementation of plans under the new Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper programme (PRSP) introduced by the World Bank and IMF. However, many of the areas covered will be useful to organisations working in middle-income, or even developed countries.

In the Sahel, social protection policies related to food security play a crucial role in improving the well-being of the population. Organizations working on food security in the region (farmer organizations as well as consumer organizations) can benefit from examining these policies and the concrete measures introduced, which can help to facilitate the design of response strategies and local development measures in crisis situations., This report examines the functioning of the boutiques témoin network in Burkina Faso, a social protection measure which seeks to improve access to food. It notes some of the impacts of this measure on farmers, traders and local food reserves., Boutiques témoin could be seen as complementary to other social protection measures with targeted beneficiaries; however, the lack of legal precision describing them suggests that the programme is also guided by political interests and is not part of a coordinated strategy., The report suggests further investigation of the impact that the measure could have on grain producers and traders, in order to avoid adverse effects on the cereal sector. It invites the Burkina Faso government to review the effectiveness of the boutiques témoin programme and the resources allocated to it; to consider establishing selection criteria for the target population; to strengthen the links between the national reserves and small producers, as well as between the national reserves and local food reserves.

Social protection policies related to food security in Burkina Faso play a crucial role in improving the well-being of the population., This report examines the school feeding programme in Burkina Faso; looking at the way it works and identifying key good practices. The government's stable commitment and the gradually planned handover by WFP and CRS are key factors for the continuation of the programme., Other positive aspects include the links to national reserves, the active participation of communities and appropriate geographic targeting. The specific procedures to promote the enrolment and attendance of girls are also positively assessed., The report’s recommendations include: ensuring a stable budget; paying the school cooks; promoting local purchases; ensuring food availability during the lean season; connecting the school feeding programme with other health and nutrition-related initiatives; improving programme monitoring; and strengthening the capacity of all actors involved.

The Household Economy Approach (HEA) adds value to the assessment of access to food and food security in emergency situations. However, the approach fails to identify the specific causes of vulnerability that are related to gender dynamics within households., In the context of food security in the Sahel region, this report aims to provide ideas and courses of action to address this important gap by incorporating a gender perspective. It analyses the theoretical and methodological limitations of the HEA approach and explores new ways that could significantly improve its performance in the future.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a pivotal moment for the humanitarian sector; many lessons were learned and the humanitarian system was strengthened as a result. However, ten years on, significant challenges remain., Using the case of the tsunami – a rare example of a well-funded humanitarian emergency – The Indian Ocean Tsunami, 10 Years On looks at key lessons from the response and examines why some emergencies receive rapid, generous funding while others remain virtually ignored by the international community., As humanitarian need increases, it is imperative that the global community continue to work towards adequate, needs-based funding, and strives to reduce the costs and human impacts of future humanitarian emergencies.

Economic inequality has reached extreme levels. From Ghana to Germany, Italy to Indonesia, the gap between rich and poor is widening. In 2013, seven out of 10 people lived in countries where economic inequality was worse than 30 years ago, and in 2014 Oxfam calculated that just 85 people owned as much wealth as the poorest half of humanity., Extreme inequality corrupts politics and hinders economic growth., It exacerbates gender inequality, and causes a range of health and social problems. It stifles social mobility, keeping some families poor for generations, while others enjoy year after year of privilege. It fuels crime and even violent conflict. These corrosive consequences affect us all, but the impact is worst for the poorest people., In Even it Up: Time to end extreme inequality Oxfam presents new evidence that the gap between rich and poor is growing ever wider and is undermining poverty eradication., If India stopped inequality from rising, 90 million more men and women could be lifted out of extreme poverty by 2019., This report delves into the causes of the inequality crisis and looks at the concrete solutions that can overcome it. Drawing on case studies from around the world the report demonstrates the impact that rising inequality is having on rich and poor countries alike and explores the different ways that people and governments are responding to it., The world has woken up to the gap between the rich and rest. From Spain to South Africa, and Peru to Pakistan, people are already demanding a world that is fairer. This report supports a new campaign to join this growing movement to end extreme inequality and Even it Up.

This research report considers the perspectives of women’s organizations and their strategies in dealing with vulnerability to shocks and crises, and building resilience in a context of food insecurity. The report identifies what 21 women’s organizations across 10 countries consider to be the key threats to resilience, and draws lessons from their ways of working., Five chapters review the methodology of the research, explore definitions of resilience, consider threats to food security, and survey the learning from specific ways of working - all from the perspective of grassroots women’s organizations themselves. The report then offers focused conclusions and recommendations for action on how to build resilience from a gender and women’s rights perspective. The report includes a comprehensive description of the 21 women’s organizations in 10 countries which contributed to the project.

This report deals with the issues, or rather, with the responses to the 2012 food crisis in the Sahel, from a gender perspective. The field research, which was conducted in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, builds on past work and reflects the statements made by local people., The report finds that household resilience is inconceivable without rural women. And further, households in which women have a greater stake in decision making regarding food are that much more resilient., With continued food insecurity, the perception of the role of women in Sahelian society is evolving, with the concept of an ideal woman as one who has a greater involvement in taking care of household needs. The image of the woman who expects her husband to provide for everything seems to be increasingly a thing of the past.

Help Yourself! provides the second year results of a four-year study on how food price volatility affects everyday life and uncovers grassroots realities related to the right to food., Do people at risk of hunger think they have a right to food? What does a right to food mean, and how can it be claimed and enforced? We asked these questions of around 1500 people in 10 low and middle income countries. Customary rights and responsibilities, patchy and uneven at the best of times, are affected by rapid changes in food prices and responses to them; becoming less effective buffers against the global drivers of food insecurity. People at risk of hunger are keenly receptive to state and civil society action that strengthens their sense of right to food, but formal responsibilities for action are often unclear and monitoring systems rarely capture local realities. Food security programmes are often demeaning, divisive, unreliable, discriminatory and discretionary. This weakness of public accountability for food security would matter less if people felt that markets were doing the job of guaranteeing access to good food. However, complaints about volatile and rising food prices continue to be a feature of everyday life, contrary to the overall impression of falling prices on world markets., Individual country reports will be added below as they become available., The research is funded by the UK Government and Irish Aid.

Haiti has long faced severe natural and human-created hazards due to its location in the Caribbean hurricane zone and to widespread deforestation. Hazards including storms, floods, and droughts have highly destructive impacts on buildings, land, water, livestock, and people in Haiti. The poorest Haitians, including low-income women, children, and elderly people, are especially vulnerable., The prospects for building Haiti's resilience to climate change are closely tied to post-earthquake reconstruction. As Haiti prepares for more disasters and rebuilds significant parts of its infrastructure, there is a real opportunity to integrate climate resilience into these efforts., This report analyses Haiti's adaptive capacity, adaptation options, and finance and governance issues. It makes recommendations on resilience building and identifies climate-change adaptation needs and opportunities., Haïti a subi plusieurs importantes catastrophes naturelles et provoquées ces dernières années, du fait de sa localisation dans la zone cyclonique des Caraïbes et d’un déboisement accéléré. Ces catastrophes (tempêtes, inondations, sécheresses) ont des effets dévastateurs sur les personnes, les constructions, les terres, l’eau et le bétail en Haïti. Les Haïtiens les plus pauvres, dont les femmes, les enfants et les personnes âgées, sont particulièrement vulnérables., Les perspectives pour l’adaptation au changement climatique en Haïti sont aujourd’hui intimement liées aux projets de reconstruction post-séisme. Le pays étant désormais soucieux d’investir dans la préparation aux catastrophes et la reconstruction de ses infrastructures, il est essentiel de saisir cette occasion pour intégrer l’adaptation au changement climatique aux efforts de reconstruction., Ce rapport analyse la capacité d’adaptation d’Haïti, les options d’adaptation et les problèmes de financement et de gouvernance. Il présente des recommandations relatives à la construction de la résilience et identifie des besoins et des opportunités d’adaptation face au changement climatique.

Since it was launched in 2003, Brazil's Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) strategy has allowed 28 million people to break free from the cycle of hunger. These impressive figures suggest that public policy can have a significant impact in the fight against hunger. This report looks at some of the conditions contributing to the success of the strategy, including political will combined with a plan that is coherent, consistent, multidimensional and participatory., The United Nations launched the Zero Hunger challenge in 2012, and countries and regions around the world are looking at the lessons from Brazil's experience. In West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has initiated a process for achieving Zero Hunger in West Africa., An editorial by the West Africa GROW campaign and a preface by Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (2008-2014) are included in the French report and as separate documents in English. The editorial reflects on the practicalities and challenges in terms of social mobilization and the region's capacities to carry such an ambitious initiative. How can the necessary political will be ensured in a region of diverse states?

The conflict that began in Mali in January 2012 turned the lives of many Malians upside down and deeply affected the country’s social fabric. This report is the result of a survey carried out by Oxfam in June 2013 on the impact of the conflict on social relations within and between the populations of northern Mali. The populations surveyed for this report are unanimous that the consequences of this crisis are far greater than those of the past, and that what makes this conflict different is the breakdown of social relations. Faced by violence, mass exodus, and human rights violations, many of those surveyed have lived through shocking experiences, losing family ties and weakening traditional values. However, the report also reveals that despite the physical and moral damage caused by the war, despite the abuses committed by all parties, despite the differences of interest between individuals and communities, and despite the difficulties of communication following massive displacement, the rift between communities is not irreparable. Oxfam hopes this report and the voices of the communities it contains will prompt reflection and guide the actions of the national and international actors in Mali's reconciliation process.

This study is the first output of a research project commissioned by five UK-based international humanitarian non-governmental organisations (INGOs) - ActionAid, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam GB and Tearfund. The main purpose of the project was to look at the current and future potential of partnerships with national non-governmental organisations (NNGOs) in humanitarian response, based on lessons from across the commissioning agencies in four major emergency settings., The project is part of an ongoing effort to build the future of humanitarian assistance, which has already seen publications in 2011 from Christian Aid and Oxfam GB. The research process involved interviews with INGO and NNGO staff, workshops and meetings with INGO representatives, and a review of relevant documentation., A second output of this research has also been published 'Missed Again: Making space for partnership in the typhoon Haiyan response'.

The conflict in Syria has created a humanitarian crisis, with almost two million people having fled to neighbouring countries in the hope of escaping the violence. Thousands of Syrian refugees continue to enter Lebanon each week, putting increasing pressure on the ability of host communities and aid agencies to provide them with support. The situation has created intense levels of stress for refugees, as in many cases they are forced to take on new responsibilities at odds with their traditional gendered social roles., In order to understand these changing roles, Oxfam and the ABAAD-Resource Centre for Gender Equality conducted a gender situation and vulnerability assessment among Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria now living in Lebanon. The findings are presented in this report, which aims to contribute to an improved understanding of the gendered impact of the Syrian conflict and subsequent displacement on refugees now in Lebanon. The report concludes with detailed recommendations for development and humanitarian practitioners and donor agencies, to help them design and implement gender-sensitive programming that addresses these shifting gender roles and helps to minimize stress and tensions among refugee populations (at individual, household and community levels) and between refugee and host communities.

Local food reserves can contribute to food security strategies and have the potential to empower communities. These collective initiatives are set up and owned by small-scale producers with the objective of increasing the availability and access to food, or of increasing income by managing the food-price cycle. But the rate of failure among local food reserves is high, largely as a result of climate and price risks, coupled with challenges linked to their design, planning and management, This research report analyses the possibility of developing a stabilisation fund as an effective price risk management tool to help local food reserves overcome their vulnerability to price cycle inversions. Four scenarios were considered and modelled on the basis of price data in a series of 12 cereal markets in Mali and Niger over a 15-year time span. The report concludes that the type of stabilisation fund outlined could represent a viable way of managing price risk in countries where the option of using market-based tools to tackle price risk is not available., Related reports: First Line of Defence: Assessing the potential of local food reserves in the Sahel

Half a decade after the price spike of 2007-2008, food price volatility has become the new norm: people have come to expect food prices to rise and fall rapidly, though nobody knows by how much or when. So what does the accumulation of food price rises mean for well-being and development in developing countries? And what can be done to improve life in a time of food price volatility?, Squeezed provides some preliminary answers to these big development questions, based on the first year results of a four-year project conducted across 10 countries with different levels of exposure to price rises. While high and rising food prices no longer come as a surprise, rapid price changes and the cumulative effects of five years' worth of price rises are still squeezing those on low incomes., In areas of life neglected by policy -Â especially domestic care work and informal social safety nets -Â Squeezed provides reasons to prepare for the next food price spike and provides recommendations for how best to do so, including: widening social assistance for the most vulnerable; being ready with temporary spike-proofing measures; monitoring the real impacts on people's lives and wellbeing; rethinking social protection policy to 'crowd-in' care and informal social assistance; and enabling people to participate in policies to tackle food price volatility., Oxfam will also publish the country reports that contributed to this research as they become available.

A little over two years remain for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This report is the first ever to track what developing countries are spending on the MDGs. It finds that recent spending increases explain the rapid progress on the MDGs. But the majority of countries are spending much less than they have promised, or than is needed, to achieve the MDGs or their potential successor post-2015 goals – for example, on wages for teachers and nurses, and the maintenance of water facilities. Aid cuts, low implementation rates and low recurrent spending all threaten to reverse existing progress., This Government Spending Watch report suggests that: developing countries need to make data on MDG spending more accessible to citizens and to strengthen policies on revenue (taxation) and debt and aid management; donors need to increase innovative financing, such as financial transaction and carbon taxes, and put more aid through developing country budgets; the post-2015 framework should set targets for spending on social protection, gender and sustainable development, including climate change., The Government Spending Watch website provides comprehensive, up-to-date information on government spending on the MDGs.

Oxfam has come together with civil society organisations across the Sahel to assess how well countries are faring in their commitment to more effectively tackle food insecurity. In February 2012, governments across the Sahel and West Africa adopted a Charter for the Prevention and Management of Food Crises, which laid out key commitments for all actors involved - including national governments, regional organisations, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society. The 2012 food crisis in the Sahel, the fourth time the region has been struck by crisis in just seven years, provided the first critical test of the extent to which the Charter's principles would be upheld. The report provides a snapshot of current performance, as well as a roadmap for reform in the future. The analysis underlines that, although a number of steps forward have been taken, and in particular the humanitarian response in 2012 was more effective than past responses, there is still substantial room for improvement. The Charter and the report's findings underscore the important role to be played by governments. Yet, all too often, governments are prevented from playing this role as a result of a lack of consistent financial support, inadequate technical capacity and, crucially, insufficient political leadership. As a result, donors and international agencies respond to fill these gaps - playing a vital role in saving lives, but all too often in parallel to efforts by national actors, creating unnecessary duplication and failing to build national capacity for future responses. For an efficient and sustainable improvement in the way in which food crises are managed, a step change in the system of governance will be required.

Development actors are increasingly prioritising 'investing in women' to ensure food security and sustainability-as well as equity-in agricultural development. In this context, collective action is a critical but poorly understood way for women small-scale farmers to strengthen their engagement in agricultural markets. This report provides rigorous new evidence, from quantitative and qualitative research carried out in Ethiopia, Mali and Tanzania, on the economic and empowerment benefits of women's participation in collective action groups across different agricultural farming systems and markets., The success factors and intervention strategies that have enabled women to benefit most are analysed in order to identify lessons for the future. The research highlights gaps in both current development practice and the wider policy environment which need to be addressed to ensure that collective action in agricultural markets is effective and empowering for rural women., See also the country case studies supporting this research report, Women's Collective Action in the Honey Sector in Ethiopia, Women's Collective Action in the Shea Sector in Mali, Women's Collective Action in the Vegetable Sector in Tanzania, Find out more about Researching women's collective action.

This study interviews teachers and many other stakeholders in eight countries about the development and implementation of quality standards for primary school teachers as well as reviewing the literature about competence-based teacher education. The report provides a conceptual framework and an evidence base about the use of competence profiles to enable quality educators and serves to guide the Quality Educators for All project.

Acute food crises continue to reverse positive development trends in sub-Saharan Africa. As the international community attempts to address the challenges of food security, the focus has largely been on two issues: the devastating effects of food price volatility on the most vulnerable populations, and recurrence of acute food crises. Food reserves have potential to be a first line of defence against food insecurity, but there is a lack of analysis focusing specifically on how food reserves can be used at different levels and in a range of ways. Oxfam's report aims to fill that gap by analysing recent experiences with local food reserves in the Sahel region, reviewing the factors that determine their failure or success, and assessing innovative instruments (such as linking local food reserves to national reserves; index insurance and stabilization funds) that could contribute to their improvement. This report was updated in July 2013.

The food system is a complex web of people, businesses, organizations and governments involved in the production, distribution, sale and consumption of food. Irrespective of who we are or where we are on the planet, the food we eat is made available by this global food system. But at the beginning of the twenty-first century, this system is not working properly - it leaves nearly one billion people hungry every day. It is obvious that the food system needs fixing, but the sheer size and complexity of the system can seem overwhelming; and the power of some of the corporations and governments involved is daunting. Urgent action is needed to change the policies and practices that play a huge part in the broken food system. This report shows the connections between the global food system and our daily lives. It looks at households in towns and cities in six countries: Brazil, India, the Philippines, Spain, the UK and the USA. Oxfam gathered information from 5,000 women about food prices, food choices, and opinions on how their food is produced. The survey results suggest a significant opportunity: households in towns and cities across the world would like to have a better food system. This report begins to explore how, together, they might bring that about.

Burundi has alarming levels of food insecurity for a country dependent on agriculture. The work of women farmers is at the core of agriculture in Burundi, but they have few rights and very limited access to resources. Investment in the primary sector is essential, and in order to contribute to the country's development, agricultural spending must be directed to where it is needed most. The best way to do this is with the full participation of farmers' organizations and civil society. Now that Burundi’s government has pledged to increase the agricultural budget, it must not waste this historic moment to achieve significant progress for the country.

This is an interesting and comprehensive report by the Sahel Working Group, discussing the chronic food and nutrition crisis across countries in the Sahel. It looks at the promising changes since 2005, what still failed in the 2010 response, and contains strong recommendations on how to follow the 'pathways to resilience'. It guides decision makers to strengthen preparedness, early response and rural livelihoods; and emphasise policies on social protection, disaster risk reduction, malnutrition and food price volatility. It is based on interviews with over 70 practitioners, researchers, representatives from donors, governments and the UN, as well as field visits in Niger and Chad, and relevant literature and reports.The Sahel Working Group (SWG) is an informal inter-agency network based in the UK, focusing mainly on Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso. It was formed to identify and implement solutions to the chronic vulnerability and hunger of communities, as highlighted by the chronic food crises in 2005 and 2010. The commissioning agencies of this report are Oxfam GB, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Plan UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision.

Despite its vital importance, West African agriculture is characterised by low productivity and beset with economic, social and environmental limitations. Deep-seated structural reform is needed to meet the food needs of the inhabitants of a region set to double in population by 2050. The rise in food prices in 2008 and the negative impact on the region’s most vulnerable people gave fresh impetus to the implementation of ECOWAP, the regional agricultural policy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In 2009 and 2010, the ECOWAS Member States drafted national and regional agricultural investment programmes, identifying the sector’s priorities and the funding required to achieve them. These programmes are provide the framework for interventions in the agricultural sector. They also aim to facilitate alignment among technical and financial partners and to achieve a sector-wide approach. ECOWAS partners and Member States have confirmed their commitment to better coordination. During the G8 Summit in L'Aquila (Italy) in July 2009, these partners announced substantial financial pledges for agriculture and food security and reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of aid effectiveness. Based on a study of the process for defining and implementing ECOWAP in Niger, Burkina Faso and Ghana and at a regional level, this report analyses the factors needed to ensure progress on partner coordination and alignment.

A year has passed since the first news reports alerted the world to unnaturally heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan’s north-western province of Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a region already ravaged by conflict and only just recovering from the devastating earthquake of 2005. The floods that followed were of a size and scale that are difficult to conceive. Floodwaters inundated up to one-fifth of the country and affected 20 million people, destroying 1.6 million homes and leaving over 14 million people acutely vulnerable (www.pakresponse.org). Oxfam launched a fundraising appeal on 3 August 2010, asking supporters to give generously to save lives. Over $75m (PKR 6,400m, €57m, £48m) was raised by Oxfam for the relief effort in Pakistan through a range of donors: the public, donor governments, and other institutions and organisations. Together all Oxfam affiliates raised $21m (PKR 1,805m, €14m, £13m), much of this was from public sources. This was a good result given difficult economic times, and the money entrusted to Oxfam directly helped to improve the lives of over 2.4 million people. This report is intended as a tool to account to the individuals, governments, and other institutions who have given generously to Oxfam’s humanitarian fund, and to partners, allies, staff and volunteers. A finance section at the end of the report provides an overview of how funds were raised and spent. And the final section focuses on ‘The Future’ and identifies Oxfam’s plans for helping during the reconstruction phase of this emergency.

This report aims to analyse the specific impact of climate change on women in Burkina Faso's agricultural sector, and analyses how gender and women are taken into account in national adaptation and rural development policies and programmes. It examines adaptation practices aimed at women and the outcomes of such practices in terms of both gender and adaptation.

The human face of global food price rises is often missing amongst the abstract discussions of macro-economic trends and global food price indices. In order to understand the impact of the rise in global food prices through much of 2010 and into early 2011, Oxfam and research partners from the Institute of Development Studies spoke to people effected in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, and Zambia. The research offers insights into how economic shocks of this kind work to increase and perpetuate inequality, producing consistent patterns of ‘weak losers’ and ‘strong winners’. Key findings show that poor people do not merely cope by working harder, eating less, living more frugally, drawing down resources and assets, and managing on a day-to-day basis. They also respond politically: they contest official explanations of the causes, and they roundly criticise their governments for failing to act effectively. They analyse the causes of the problems they face as political problems, identifying a lack of responsiveness to their needs, and corruption and collusion among powerful politicians and business interests, as among the sources of the problems they face. Such findings point to the need for a twin-track response to food price spikes: dynamic, accountable and progressive action by national governments, backed by greatly improved, co-ordinated responses at the global level. Whether the primary concern is people’s well-being, or political stability, food price spikes should be a cause both for concern and for action. At a time of growing political unrest around the world, the stress and discontent fuelled by high food prices merits close attention.

In years of responding to disasters, the destruction and logistical challenges caused by Haiti’s earthquake which struck on 12 January 2010, were amongst the worst Oxfam has ever encountered. Our Haiti response (coordinated from a makeshift office in a battered hut after our Port-au-Prince office had been destroyed) has been a story of obstacles overcome. As with the Asian Tsunami emergency almost five years earlier, public support for the Haiti disaster was overwhelmingly generous, with over $US 98 million raised to fund Oxfam’s humanitarian response. This report shows how Oxfam has utilised this earthquake response fund to help hundreds of thousands of people cope in the days, weeks and months following the disaster. One year on and Oxfam has achieved considerable success in a context of overwhelming ongoing human need. At the time of writing, we have reached over 500,000 people with our earthquake response program, and a further 700,000 people with activities to prevent the spread of cholera.

This study was commissioned by the Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) to review the current use of new technology in humanitarian cash and voucher programming and the broader implications for humanitarian practice. The research was undertaken to explore (i) preconditions for the use of technological mechanisms identified; (ii) user-friendliness of the technology for the recipient and for the agency; (iii) issues concerning accountability; and (iv) potential for wider impacts., The research discusses in detail three types of technology currently being used in aid programming: electronic payment systems, the use of mobile phones for text and voice communication, and digital data gathering tools. For each, the study outlines current use, examines benefits experienced and issues faced by the recipient and the agency and highlights key lessons learned. The study also looks briefly at new emerging uses of technology in aid programming including recipient management and crisis mapping. The report then looks at the potential benefits and risks of using new technologies in the cross-cutting areas of cost-effectiveness and accountability.

This report shows that building strong public services in developing countries is at the heart of making poverty history. Doing this could transform the lives of millions of people - and, with political leadership, is well within the grasp of our generation. Governments must take responsibility for providing essential services that are well staffed, affordable for even the poorest people, and accessible to all. Civil society organisations and private companies can make important contributions, but they must be integrated into strong public systems. International donors are crucial partners, but too often they block progress by failing to deliver debt relief and predictable aid that supports public systems, or push private sector solutions that do not benefit poor people., In the Public Interest: Health, education and water and sanitation for all This report shows that building strong public services in developing countries is at the heart of making poverty history. Doing this could transform the lives of millions of people — and, with political leadership, it is well within the grasp of our generation., Governments must take responsibility for providing essential services that are well staffed, affordable for even the poorest people, and accessible to all. Civil society organisations and private companies can make important contributions, but they must be integrated into strong public systems. International donors are crucial partners, but too often they block progress by failing to deliver debt relief and predictable aid that supports public systems, or push private sector solutions that do not benefit poor people., Ce rapport montre qu’établir des services publics solides dans les pays en développement est au coeur de la lutte contre la pauvreté. Cela pourrait transformer la vie de millions de personnes. Avec une volonté politique réaffirmée, cet objectif est tout à fait à la portée de notre génération., Les gouvernements doivent assumer leur responsabilité en fournissant des services essentiels suffisamment dotés en personnel et accessibles pour tous y compris pour les populations les plus pauvres. Les organisations de la société civile et les compagnies privées peuvent apporter des contributions importantes à condition d’être bien intégrées dans le cadre de systèmes publics forts. Les donateurs internationaux sont des partenaires cruciaux, mais qui trop souvent freinent les avancées en refusant d’octroyer des remises de dettes ou de l’aide de manière prévisible et sous une forme qui permette de soutenir les systèmes publics. Les pays donateurs doivent également cesser de favoriser l’intervention du secteur privé dans la fourniture des services essentiels, cette approche n’étant pas favorable aux personnes les plus pauvres.