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2. The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2022
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Walker, Jo, Martin, Matthew, Seery, Emma, Abdo, Nabil, Kamande, Anthony, and Lawson, Max
- Subjects
Aid ,Economics ,Education ,Food and livelihoods ,Gender ,Health ,Inequality ,Private sector ,Rights ,Aide ,Économie ,Éducation ,Alimentation et moyens de subsistance ,Justice de genre et droits des femmes ,Santé ,Inégalités ,Secteur privé ,Droits - Abstract
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.
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- 2022
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3. Transformative Leadership for Women's Rights: Oxfam's global framework
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Wakefield, Shawna, Friedman, Michelle, and Kundu, Sudarsana
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Gender ,Governance and citizenship ,Inequality ,Rights - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2021
4. An Economy for the 99%: It's time to build a human economy that benefits everyone, not just the privileged few
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Hardoon, Deborah
- Subjects
Inequality - Abstract
New estimates show that just eight men own the same wealth as the poorest half of the world. As growth benefits the richest, the rest of society - especially the poorest - suffers. The very design of our economies and the principles of our economics have taken us to this extreme, unsustainable and unjust point. Our economy must stop excessively rewarding those at the top and start working for all people. Accountable and visionary governments Businesses that work in the interests of workers and producers A valued environment Women's rights A strong system of fair taxation, Are central to this more human economy., The sources and methodology behind the headline facts in this paper are explained in the separate methodology note.
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- 2017
- Full Text
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5. Fiscal Justice to Reduce Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Itriago, Déborah
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Economics ,Inequality - Abstract
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is still the most unequal region in the world, despite economic growth and the reduction of both poverty and inequality over the last decade. Political and economic elites have shaped fiscal systems which, in general, have a very limited impact when it comes to correcting inequalities and in some cases have deepened them. Public finances in LAC reflect an inequitable social and economic model which perpetuates the concentration of power and discrimination. Government revenues are undermined by high rates of tax evasion and avoidance in a region with huge social needs. This briefing paper calls for courageous reforms to create fair and equitable fiscal systems in LAC. By supporting quality essential social services and social protection mechanisms; by increasing the role of tax systems as instruments of the redistribution of wealth; by reducing the current high levels of tax evasion and tax avoidance; and by doing so through ensuring transparency in those reforms, a new fiscal system would help to address and reduce entrenched inequalities across the region.
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- 2014
6. Growing a Better Future: Food justice in a resource-constrained world
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Bailey, Robert
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Food and livelihoods ,Climate change - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2011
7. Investing in Destruction: Glamis Gold
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Slack, Keith
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Natural resources ,Governance and citizenship ,Rights ,Private sector - Abstract
A new claim under the investment rules in Chapter 11 of NAFTA has been initiated by Glamis Gold, a Canadian mining company that has demanded $50 million in compensation from the US because of California restrictions on open-pit gold mining. The initiation of the claim reinforces the threats to environmental laws from investment rules, and raises important new issues about risks to indigenous communities.
- Published
- 2019
8. Standing on the Sidelines: Why food and beverage companies must do more to tackle climate change
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Cook, Chris, Grainger, Matt, Gore, Tim, Tamir, Irit, and Watson, Gabrielle
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Climate change ,Food and livelihoods ,Private sector - Abstract
For the food and beverage industry, climate change is a major threat. For millions of people, it means more extreme weather and greater hunger. The Big 10 companies are significant contributors to this crisis, yet they are not doing nearly enough to help tackle it., In this paper, Oxfam calls on the Big 10 to face up to the scale of greenhouse gas emissions produced through their supply chains, and address the deforestation and unsustainable land-use practices they allow to happen., The Big 10 must set new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions throughout their supply chains. But they cannot tackle climate risk by acting alone. They have a duty to step off the sidelines and use their influence to call for urgent climate action from other industries and governments.
- Published
- 2014
9. Grounds for Change: Creating a voice for small coffee farmers and farmworkers with the next international coffee agreement
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Food and livelihoods ,Trade - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2006
10. Contract Disclosure Survey 2018: A review of the contract disclosure policies of 40 oil, gas and mining companies
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Munilla, Isabel and Brophy, Kathleen
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Private sector - Abstract
In most countries, subsoil oil, gas and mining resources are the property of citizens and are managed on their behalf by governments. The projects that contracts govern typically last longer than most governments. Estimated oil, gas and mineral rents totalled $1.7 trillion globally in 2015 – 1.7% of global GDP in that year and more than the total GDP of the world’s poorest countries. Oxfam believes that citizens have a right to know the full terms under which oil, gas and mineral resources are developed and sold, to enable them to assess whether the public benefits claimed are likely to become reality., Contract disclosure in the oil, gas and mining sector is an emerging global norm. Given the progress by governments, international financial institutions and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Oxfam’s research for this report aimed fill the information gap on corporate policies on contract disclosure. It provides a snapshot of current corporate policies based on a survey of 40 leading oil, gas and mining companies.
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- 2018
- Full Text
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11. Reward Work, Not Wealth: To end the inequality crisis, we must build an economy for ordinary working people, not the rich and powerful.
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Alejo Vázquez Pimentel, Diego, Macías Aymar, Iñigo, and Lawson, Max
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Economics ,Gender ,Inequality ,Private sector - Abstract
Last year saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, one more every two days. This huge increase could have ended global extreme poverty seven times over. 82% of all wealth created in the last year went to the top 1%, and nothing went to the bottom 50%., Dangerous, poorly paid work for the many is supporting extreme wealth for the few. Women are in the worst work, and almost all the super-rich are men. Governments must create a more equal society by prioritizing ordinary workers and small-scale food producers instead of the rich and powerful.
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- 2017
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12. Advocacy and National Elections: Women's political participation in Honduras
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Matheu, Maite
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Gender ,Governance and citizenship - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2011
13. Girls' Education in Africa
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Gibson, Sam
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Education ,Gender - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2011
14. Gender Equality and Adult Basic Education
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Education ,Gender ,Health - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2011
15. Beyond Access for Girls and Boys: How to achieve good-quality, gender-equitable education
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Education ,Gender - Abstract
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.
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- 2011
16. Beyond the Mainstream: Education for nomadic and pastoralist girls and boys
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Education ,Gender - Abstract
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.
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- 2011
17. Women's Leadership and Participation: Overview
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Hoare, Joanna and Gell, Fiona
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Gender ,Governance and citizenship ,Rights - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2011
18. An Economy For the 1%: How privilege and power in the economy drive extreme inequality and how this can be stopped
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Hardoon, Deborah, Fuentes-Nieva, Ricardo, and Ayele, Sophia
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Inequality - Abstract
The global inequality crisis is reaching new extremes. The richest 1% now have more wealth than the rest of the world combined., Power and privilege is being used to skew the economic system to increase the gap between the richest and the rest. A global network of tax havens further enables the richest individuals to hide $7.6 trillion. The fight against poverty will not be won until the inequality crisis is tackled.
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- 2015
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19. Community Consent Index 2015: Oil, gas, and mining company public positions on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
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Greenspan, Emily, Katz, Michelle, Kim, Julie, Lillywhite, Serena, and Madden, Chris
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Private sector ,Rights ,Natural resources - Abstract
As large-scale oil, gas, and mining projects move to increasingly remote areas, they threaten to generate adverse impacts for the local communities and indigenous peoples who inhabit these areas. For many project-affected communities, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) represents a critical tool for ensuring that they have a say in whether and how extractive industry projects move forward. This policy briefing examines publicly available corporate commitments regarding community rights and community engagement. The results suggest increasing commitments to FPIC in the mining sector but disappointing trends in relation to the oil and gas sector and women’s participation in decision making., For the launch of the report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples prepared a video address for Oxfam: Message of Victoria Tauli-Corpuz for the Save the Date for the Community Consent Index launch., At the Community Consent Index launch event in Washington, DC on 23 July 2015, Oxfam staff were joined by representatives from industry and civil society on a panel discussion.
- Published
- 2015
20. Privileges That Deny Rights: Extreme inequality and the hijacking of democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean
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María Cañete Alonso, Rosa
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Inequality ,Rights - Abstract
Despite the fact that inequality and poverty are closely linked, for several decades multilateral organizations, government and even development agencies have prioritized economic growth and the fight against poverty as the objectives of their debates and policies, leaving inequality to one side. As a result, efforts to tackle inequality have been insufficient. Oxfam has calculated that if inequality in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region were to be reduced by five points between 2011 and 2019, some 17.4 million people could move out of poverty. If the opposite were to occur, a five-point increase could result in an additional 18 million people living in poverty., This report explores the causes of inequality in the LAC region, the impacts it has, and makes recommendations for how it can be tackled.
- Published
- 2015
21. Even it Up: Time to end extreme inequality
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Seery, Emma and Caistor Arendar, Ana
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Approach and methodology ,Gender ,Governance and citizenship ,Inequality - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2014
22. Effective Public Policies and Active Citizenship: Brazil's experience of building a food and nutrition security system
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Mendonca Leao, Marilia and Maluf, Renato S.
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Food and livelihoods ,Governance and citizenship - Abstract
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?
- Published
- 2014
23. Behind the Brands: Food justice and the 'Big 10' food and beverage companies
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Hoffman, Beth
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Food and livelihoods ,Climate change ,Gender ,Private sector - Abstract
Over the past century, powerful food and beverage companies have enjoyed unprecedented commercial success. But these companies have grown prosperous while the millions who supply the land, labor and water needed for their products face increased hardship. Now, a rapidly changing environment, affected communities and an increasingly savvy consumer base are pushing the industry to rethink ‘business as usual’., In this report, Oxfam assesses the social and environmental policies of the world’s ten largest food and beverage companies and calls on them to take the critical next steps to create a just food system., Find out more and take action at www.behindthebrands.org
- Published
- 2013
24. The Food Transformation: Harnessing consumer power to create a fair food future
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Fell, David, Kivinen, Elina, and Townend, Ruth
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Food and livelihoods - Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2012
25. Land and Power: The growing scandal surrounding the new wave of investments in land
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Zagema, Bertram
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Food and livelihoods ,Conflict and disasters ,Governance and citizenship - Abstract
The new wave of land deals is not the new investment in agriculture that millions had been waiting for. The poorest people are being hardest hit as competition for land intensifies. Oxfam’s research has revealed that residents regularly lose out to local elites and domestic or foreign investors because they lack the power to claim their rights effectively and to defend and advance their interests. Companies and governments must take urgent steps to improve land rights outcomes for people living in poverty. Power relations between investors and local communities must also change if investment is to contribute to rather than undermine the food security and livelihoods of local communities.
- Published
- 2011
26. Hang Together or Separately? How global cooperation is key to a fair and adequate climate deal at Copenhagen
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Richards, Julie-Anne, Hill, Antonio, and King, Richard
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Climate change ,Economics ,Governance and citizenship ,Trade - Abstract
A fair and adequate global climate regime requires a massive effort across the board to reduce the risks to lives and livelihoods that poor people face first and most. Rich countries must reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions first and fastest, with ambitious targets at home. High levels of rich-country pollution over the last century mean that even ambitious emissions-reductions targets will not be enough to avoid catastrophic climate change. Deep emissions reductions in rich countries are still critical, but climate security will now be won or lost as a result of co-operative efforts in which rich countries finance large-scale reductions in emissions in developing countries. Establishing a Global Mitigation and Finance Mechanism could achieve these reductions while respecting principles of equity, and delivering tangible development gains for poor people. This must be a centrepiece of the Copenhagen deal in December 2009. But much greater political attention and support is needed for this vital part of the deal to be developed in time.
- Published
- 2010
27. A Round for Free: How rich countries are getting a free ride on agricultural subsidies at the WTO
- Author
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Stuart, Elizabeth and Fanjul, Gonzalo
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Food and livelihoods ,Trade - Abstract
Agricultural dumping has a devastating effect on poor countries. The Uruguay Round at the WTO was supposed to cut the subsidies that lead to dumping, but it failed to do so - as did reforms of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy and US agricultural policy. Now history is set to repeat itself: the Doha Round of negotiations is again giving rich countries a free ride to continue dumping subsidised produce on poor countries.
- Published
- 2010
28. A Recipe for Disaster: Will the Doha Round fail to deliver for development?
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Barry, Amy
- Subjects
Governance and citizenship - Abstract
As yet another deadline approaches in the Doha Round of trade negotiations, the chances of a deal being done this year that helps developing countries are looking increasingly slim. Aggressive demands by rich countries mean that, far from being able to pursue reforms that will lift people out of poverty, poor countries are having to engage in damage limitation. Unless the substance of the offers on the table changes radically, then no deal should be signed in 2006.
- Published
- 2010
29. Climate, Poverty, and Justice: What the Poznan UN climate conference needs to deliver for a fair and effective global deal
- Author
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Kowalzig, Jan
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters - Abstract
Climate change is the number one threat to human development. Yet progress towards limiting global warming to below 2 C has not been sufficient. The global effort required to reduce emissions and support the poorest and most vulnerable people to adapt to unavoidable changes must be based on objective indicators of countries' historic responsibilities for causing the crisis, and their capabilities to confront it. The Poznan climate talks must mark a turning point in international negotiations, switching from analysis and discussion to full negotiation mode. For the sake of people and the planet there is no more time to lose.
- Published
- 2010
30. Righting Two Wrongs: Making a new global climate fund work for poor people
- Author
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Carty, Tracy
- Subjects
Climate change - Abstract
Climate change is already negatively affecting the lives and livelihoods of poor men and women. Yet it is estimated that less than a tenth of climate funds to date have been spent on helping people in vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. The poor are losing out twice: they are hardest hit by climate change they didn’t cause, and they are being neglected by funds that should be helping them. Climate finance can and must be made to work from the bottom up, particularly for women smallholder farmers. Starting with the formal establishment of a new Global Climate Fund, decisions on climate finance governance need to set a new direction for a post-2012 era. This paper presents a vision for a new Fund and broader finance system that is effective in meeting the scale of developing country financing needs, and is widely considered – by governments and civil societies – to be legitimate in its decision-making.
- Published
- 2010
31. Civil Society and UNITAID: An introduction
- Author
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Doble, Rob
- Subjects
Health - Abstract
Access to medicines is a major challenge for people in developing countries. With the right medicines, diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria are treatable. Yet for millions of poor people, affordable medicines remain out of reach. UNITAID was established in 2006 as a new public health financing mechanism and a South-North collaboration. It is partially funded through an innovative airline tax that ensures stable long-term financing. UNITAID uses this unique feature to intervene in the market to make medicines for HIV, TB, and malaria affordable and available to people in low- and middle-income countries. Civil society (NGOs and communities affected by the diseases) plays an important role in influencing UNITAID policies and strategies. This document has been produced for the Civil Society Delegations to the UNITAID Board, and aims to encourage more civil society organisations to engage, so that UNITAID benefits from our collective inputs.
- Published
- 2010
32. Partnership or Power Play? How Europe should bring development into its trade deals with African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries
- Author
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Jones, Emily
- Subjects
Trade - Abstract
Europe is negotiating new trade deals with African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. A true partnership in trade could radically transform the lives of one-third of all people living in poverty, providing farmers and small businesses with sustainable incomes and workers with decent jobs. But Europe is choosing power politics over partnership. The deals currently on the table will strip ACP countries of important policy tools they need in order to develop. They will fracture regional integration, exacerbate poverty and make it harder for countries to break away from commodity dependence. Despite massive pressure, many ACP countries are holding out for a fair deal. Europe needs to rethink, and agree to change course. Ultimately, it is in its own interests to do so.
- Published
- 2008
33. The Right to Survive in a Changing Climate
- Author
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Bailey, Robert and Wren-Lewis, Liam
- Subjects
Climate change ,Conflict and disasters - Abstract
Driven by upward trends in the number of climate-related disasters and human vulnerability to them, by 2015 the average number of people affected each year by climate-related disasters could increase by over 50 per cent to 375 million. This figure is likely to continue to rise as climate change gathers pace - increasing the frequency and/or severity of such events - and poverty and inequality force ever more people to live in high-risk places, such as flood plains, steep hillsides and urban slums, while depriving them of the means to cope with disaster. Climate change is a human tragedy that threatens to completely overload the humanitarian system. The potential human costs are unimaginable, and will be borne overwhelmingly by those least responsible for causing the problem: the world's poor.
- Published
- 2009
34. The Right to Survive: The humanitarian challenge for the twenty-first century
- Author
-
Taylor, Ben Heaven and Schuemer-Cross, Tanja
- Subjects
Climate change ,Conflict and disasters - Abstract
Almost 250 million people around the world are affected by climate-related disasters in a typical year. New research for this report projects that, by 2015, this number could grow by 50 per cent to an average of more than 375 million people - as climate change and environmental mismanagement create a proliferation of droughts, floods, and other disasters. The predicted scale of humanitarian need by 2015 could completely overwhelm current capacity to respond to emergencies - unless the world acknowledges and responds to the growing threat. Even in daunting economic times, the world can afford to meet future humanitarian needs and fulfil the right to survive of vulnerable people. The skills and resources exist to mitigate the threats from climate-related catastrophic events. Some countries - rich and poor - have already demonstrated the political will to do just that. This report shows that the humanitarian challenge of the twenty-first century demands a step-change in the quantity and nature of humanitarian response. Whether or not there is sufficient will to do this will be one of the defining features of our age - and will dictate whether millions live or die.
- Published
- 2009
35. Africa's Missing Billions: International arms flows and the cost of conflict
- Author
-
Hillier, Debbie
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters ,Trade - Abstract
Africa suffers enormously from conflict and armed violence. As well as the human tragedy, armed conflict costs Africa around $18bn per year, seriously derailing development. The most commonly used weapons in Africa’s conflicts are Kalashnikov assault rifles. The vast majority of these weapons and their ammunition – perhaps 95 per cent - come from outside Africa. To protect lives and livelihoods, the 2008 UN Group of Governmental Experts working on the Arms Trade Treaty must ensure swift progress towards a strong and effective Treaty. All governments have a role to play in ensuring its success.
- Published
- 2007
36. Signing Away The Future: How trade and investment agreements between rich and poor countries undermine development
- Author
-
Jones, Emily
- Subjects
Trade - Abstract
The quiet advance of trade and investment agreements between rich and poor countries threatens to deny developing countries a favourable foothold in the global economy. Driven by the USA and the European Union, these agreements impose far-reaching rules that place severe restrictions on the very policies developing countries need in order to fight poverty.
- Published
- 2007
37. Malawi Essential Health Services Campaign: Country case study
- Author
-
Lawson, Max and Mazengera, Shenard
- Subjects
Health - Abstract
Malawi is one of the worlds least-developed countries, ranked number 166 of 177 countries in the UN Human Development Index. The government of Malawi, with help from the international community, has made a genuine effort to improve health care in recent years.This report has revealed that there are still three key challenges for essential health services in Malawi; access to essential medicines, access to health services, compounded by user fees, especially in CHAM hospitals and the human-resource crisis.
- Published
- 2008
38. Kicking Down the Door: How upcoming WTO talks threaten farmers in poor countries
- Author
-
Raworth, Kate and Green, Duncan
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods ,Trade - Abstract
Millions of poor farmers in developing countries cannot earn a living because of cheap, often dumped, food imports. The world’s most important basic food, rice, shows the seriousness of the problem. Rich countries have long used the IMF and World Bank, and aggressive bilateral trade deals, to push open the door of poor countries’ markets to a flood of cheap rice, including heavily subsidised rice from the US. Now rich countries plan to use the binding rules of the WTO to kick that door down altogether. But trade rules must promote development, not undermine it. Any new WTO deal must ensure that poor countries can regulate trade to promote food security and rural livelihoods.
- Published
- 2005
39. The Rural Poverty Trap: Why agricultural trade rules need to change and what UNCTAD XI could do about it
- Author
-
Lines, Thomas, Fanjul, Gonzalo, and Fowler, Penny
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods ,Trade - Abstract
Many developing countries are stagnating or growing poorer, including their farmers, who comprise two-thirds of the world’s poor. Many of the reasons for this lie in systems of agricultural trade, including the rules of the WTO, the unfair trade policies of rich countries, and falling prices on international commodity markets. Oxfam recommends policy reforms to overcome these difficulties. At the time of UNCTAD XI in São Paulo we also call for increased political support for UNCTAD’s broad mandate to examine and find solutions to the problems of economic development.
- Published
- 2004
40. Make Trade Fair in the Americas: Agriculture, Investment and Intellectual Property: Three reasons to say no to the FTAA
- Author
-
Amat, Patricia, Fried, Mark, and Daniels, Katherine
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods ,Trade - Abstract
While poverty, inequality and the concentration of wealth persist in Latin America and the Caribbean, trade and investment agreements are being promoted that would seriously limit the possibilities of development and poverty eradication in the countries of the region. The Free Trade Area of the Americas is an agreement that would favor the interests of large corporations over the rights of the people of the Americas.
- Published
- 2003
41. Shattered Lives: The case for tough international arms control
- Author
-
Hillier, Debbie and Wood, Brian
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters - Abstract
Arms are out of control. Arms kill more than half a million men, women, and children on average every year. Many thousands more are maimed, or tortured, or forced to flee their homes. The uncontrolled proliferation of arms fuels human rights violations, escalates conflicts, and intensifies poverty. The time for world leaders to act is now. to confront this crisis, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) have together launched an international campaign calling for effective arms controls to make people genuinely safer from the threat of armed violence. This volume provides a hard-hitting analysis of how abuse of small arms across the world is fuelling poverty and suffering.
- Published
- 2003
42. Drug Companies vs. Brazil: The threat to public health
- Subjects
Health - Abstract
The access of impoverished Brazilians to essential medicines, including those required for treatment of HIV/AIDS, is under threat. International pharmaceutical firms, with the backing of the United States government, are trying to ensure that Brazil has to buy the expensive patented drugs that they manufacture, rather than have access to the cheaper generic drugs that the country is making for itself or could buy from countries such as India. The companies are also resisting tighter price controls on their products. Oxfam believes that higher prices for medicines will cause unnecessary sickness and death among the sixty million Brazilians living in poverty, and calls on the US government and the companies to stop putting pressure on Brazil to change its policies.
- Published
- 2001
43. Sugar Rush: Land rights and the supply chains of the biggest food and beverage companies
- Author
-
Thorpe, Jodie
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods ,Private sector ,Rights - Abstract
This briefing shows how one crop – sugar – has been driving large-scale land acquisitions and land conflicts at the expense of small-scale food producers and their families. At least 4m hectares of land have been acquired for sugar production in 100 large-scale land deals since 2000, although given the lack of transparency around such deals, the area is likely to be much greater. In some cases, these acquisitions have been linked to human rights violations, loss of livelihoods, and hunger for small-scale food producers and their families. Major food and beverage companies rarely own land, but they depend on it for the crops they buy, including sugar., These companies must urgently recognize this problem, and take steps to ensure that land rights violations and conflicts are not part of their supply chains., Separate detailed case studies are available on sugar production in Cambodia and Brazil., See how Oxfam’s Behind the Brands scorecard ranks the policies and commitments of the 10 biggest food and beverage companies on land and other key issues: www.behindthebrands.org
- Published
- 2013
44. The New Alliance: A new direction needed. Reforming the G8’s public–private partnership on agriculture and food security
- Author
-
Munoz, Eric
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods ,Private sector - Abstract
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, launched at the G8 summit in 2012, promised to reduce poverty for 50 million people over the next ten years by increasing private investment and agriculture-led growth in selected African countries., This briefing shows how, one year on, evidence about its implementation presents a worrying picture of the early performance of the initiative. Donors, developing country governments, and participating companies must make key reforms, or the New Alliance risks harming rather than helping small-scale producers.
- Published
- 2013
45. Preparing for Thin Cows: Why the G20 should keep buffer stocks on the agenda
- Author
-
Crola, Jean Denis
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods - Abstract
The issue of food price volatility is back on the political agenda of the G20 and the Committee on World Food Security. The time has come to reassess the potential of food reserves in the context of more integrated but also more volatile agricultural markets. On the basis of good practices, it is recommended to experiment with innovative and complementary instruments that can improve the efficacy of food reserves, while at the same time addressing market failures and providing benefits and incentives to small-scale farmers.
- Published
- 2011
46. The AK47: The world's favourite killing machine
- Author
-
Sprague, Oliver and Griffiths, Hugh
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters - Abstract
Kalashnikov assault rifles are the most widespread military weapons in the world. It is estimated that there are between 50 and 70 million of them spread across the world’s five continents. They are used daily by soldiers, fighters, and gang members to inflict untold suffering in many countries. The spread of these weapons continues largely unchecked by governments, threatening the lives and safety of millions as weapons fall into irresponsible hands. More than ever, the Kalashnikov rifle is the weapon of choice for many armies, militias, armed gangs, law enforcement officials, rebels, and other private actors who abuse fundamental human rights and operate beyond the international humanitarian law parameters laid down by the Geneva Conventions and other relevant international law.
- Published
- 2010
47. Climate Finance Post-Copenhagen: The $100bn questions
- Author
-
Gore, Tim
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters ,Gender - Abstract
Climate change is the single greatest threat to development - making the battle to overcome poverty ever harder and more expensive. Finance is urgently needed to help vulnerable communities adapt to a changing climate. Last year the World Bank estimated the costs of adaptation in poor countries were $75-100bn per year if global warming was kept to 2 C. The non-binding pledges from rich countries to cut emissions offered since Copenhagen would steer a course towards a catastrophic 4 C.
- Published
- 2010
48. Bridging the Divide: The reform of global food security governance
- Author
-
Leather, Chris
- Subjects
Food and livelihoods - Abstract
Governments are legally bound to ensure the right to food for all. Nevertheless, today there are one billion hungry people in the world and millions more are food insecure. The 2009 World Summit on Food Security offers a unique opportunity to develop a system of global food security governance that bridges the divide between the conflicting visions and interests of global political, financial, and technical mechanisms. In particular, world leaders should ensure the active participation of governments and civil-society organisations representing the poorest and most vulnerable people. At the Summit, world leaders must stop acting in narrow national and corporate interests, and start acting in the interests of international food security, peace, and stability.
- Published
- 2010
49. Biofuelling Poverty: Why the EU renewable fuel target may be disastrous for poor people
- Author
-
Bailey, Robert
- Subjects
Climate change - Abstract
In January of this year, the European Commission published its Renewable Energy Roadmap, proposing a mandatory target that biofuels must provide ten per cent of member states' transport fuels by 2020. This target is creating a scramble to supply in the South, posing a serious threat to vulnerable people at risk from land-grabbing, exploitation, and deteriorating food security. It is unacceptable that poor people in developing countries bear the costs of emissions reductions in the EU. To avoid this, the Commission must include social standards in its sustainability framework, and develop mechanisms by which the ten per cent target can be revised if it is found to be contributing to the destruction of vulnerable people's livelihoods.
- Published
- 2010
50. Arms Transfer Decisions: Considering development
- Author
-
Nightingale, Katherine and Hillier, Debbie
- Subjects
Conflict and disasters - Abstract
The devastating impact of armed violence around the world is well known. Conflict and armed violence close schools, paralyse neighbourhoods, burden health-care services, discourage investment, and make lives less secure. Spending on arms or arms races can divert vital funds from public services such as education and health-care, and when such spending takes place without transparency it can aggravate corruption. Individually and cumulatively, these impacts undermine sustainable development and internationally agreed targets such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
- Published
- 2010
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