Search

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.

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 COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating existing human rights violations, and enabling others. However, it is also stimulating opportunities to further the human rights agenda. A robust framing is needed to hold duty bearers to account, and to help governments and communities to build back better., This paper provides an overview of the issues through the lens of 5 key human rights principles. It uses a human rights framing to assist governments, business and civil society to understand their obligations and ways they can help manage the impacts of the pandemic., This is an advance version of the paper for discussion. The paper will be revised to take account of comments and a final version will be published in the coming months.

Este documento esboza una propuesta de agendas de trabajo para promover el debate sobre cómo reconfigurar el pacto social por vías institucionales en América Latina y el Caribe, fortaleciendo así los sistemas democráticos de la región y hacer frente a privilegios. Estas cuestiones son esenciales en el contexto actual de pandemia y de crisis políticas. Cruzando datos estadísticos y con los estudios de caso de financiación de partidos (Perú), desarrollo turístico (República Dominicana), telecomunicaciones (Argentina) y acceso al agua (El Salvador), este documento establece la relación entre captura de políticas públicas, desigualdad y desafección con la democracia. Los casos demuestran cómo el lobby, las puertas giratorias y las campañas mediáticas son los principales mecanismos con los que las élites ejercen influencia abusiva para alejar del interés general decisiones políticas cruciales., This paper sets out a proposed working agenda to reconfigure the social pact in Latin America and the Caribbean in a way that strengthens democratic systems and tackles extreme inequality of money and power. In the current context of pandemic and political crises, this is a critical issue for the region. Analysing case studies on party financing (Peru), tourism (Dominican Republic), telecommunications (Argentina) and access to water (El Salvador), we show how political capture is undermining democracy and driving greater inequality, putting privilege for the few ahead of rights for the many. These cases demonstrate how lobbying, revolving doors and media campaigns are wielded by elites to push crucial policy decisions away from the public interest.

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.

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.

The world faces twin crises of climate breakdown and runaway inequality. The richest people, corporations and countries are destroying the world with their huge carbon emissions. Meanwhile, people living in poverty, those experiencing marginalization, and countries in the Global South are those impacted the hardest. Women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, people living in poverty and other groups experiencing discrimination are particularly at a disadvantage. The consequences of climate breakdown are felt in all parts of the world and by most people, yet only the richest people and countries have the wealth, power and influence to protect themselves. With that power comes huge responsibility., If no action is taken, the richest will continue to burn through the carbon we have left to use while keeping the global temperature below the safe limit of 1.5°C, destroying any chance of ending poverty and ensuring equality. The world needs an equal transformation. Only a radical reduction in inequality, transformative climate action and fundamentally shifting our economic goals as a society can save our planet while ensuring wellbeing for all., Find all the underlying data on SEI's emissions inequality dashboard: Emissions Inequality, To find out more information, please visit the dedicated website: Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%

With mining set to expand as part of the sweeping energy transition, it is imperative that future mining only proceed with the full support and consent of Indigenous peoples and frontline communities., In the first policy brief of its kind to focus on the public policy commitments of mining companies extracting five key transition minerals to respect Indigenous rights, Oxfam concludes that the battery mineral sector’s approach to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) is not sufficiently ready to support a just energy transition under current company policies. More companies need to adopt strong FPIC policies that unequivocally commit them from proceeding with a project if Indigenous peoples withhold consent.

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

Migrants and asylum seekers often flee unspeakable acts of gender-based violence (GBV) at home such as human trafficking, sexual assault, sexual slavery, kidnapping, harassment, and other trauma. In trying to seek safety in the US, many endure further atrocities and exploitation at the US-Mexico border., Drawing on interviews and surveys of social and legal service providers working at the US southern border, this report documents how migrants and asylum seekers experience gender-based harm in two different but related ways as a consequence of seeking safe haven in the US. This report focuses on the experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals.

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.

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.

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.

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.

By examining Latin American and Caribbean fiscal policies from a gender perspective, this discussion paper suggests that further study is necessary of the biases, both explicit and implicit, of fiscal systems that serve to reinforce traditional roles of women in society., Many modern fiscal policies are based on the idea that there is a male breadwinner in every home, and that he is the one interacting economically with the market and the state. These fiscal policies may therefore be reinforcing a gendered division of labour between women and men, fostering inequalities and operating as obstacles to the development and realization of women’s potential., Currently only available in Spanish.

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.

Seeking to gain knowledge about resilience, this case study considered a 2007-09 Red Cross preparedness project funded by the Disaster Preparedness European Community Humanitarian Office (DIPECHO). The project was implemented around the Nevado del Huila volcano in Colombia, in a largely rural area with a predominantly indigenous population. The findings and analysis point to the importance of listening to and learning from the community, including its traditional and indigenous resilience practices, as well as the iterative nature of resilient development. The field research also yielded interesting material about perceptions and practices of resilience in Nasa indigenous communities., This report is part of a series that seeks to draw lessons from resilience projects in Latin America and the Pacific. Follow the links below to the other papers in the series: Addressing Water Shortages: A catalyst for more resilient development in Fiji Building Resilience Through Iterative Processes: Mainstreaming ancestral knowledge, social movements and the making of sustainable programming in Bolivia Learning from Hindsight: A synthesis report on Oxfam resilience research, This research was conducted with the support of the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

This case study takes a retrospective look at the 2010–11 Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO) Small-Scale Disaster Project in La Paz and the context within which it took place. Our research found that absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities can be fostered by iterative development processes. It also demonstrated that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are strongly tied to resilient, sustainable, long-term development. Resilience, however, is not an a priori conceptual framework of development programming; rather it is a life process engendered within specific communities. Consequently, development practitioners must construct programs based on rigorous, ethical, and sound research integrating scientific with local and ancestral knowledge. This is the only approach that can generate environmentally healthy and productive, sustainable, and equitable life systems., This report is part of a series that seeks to draw lessons from resilience projects in Latin America and the Pacific. Follow the links below to the other papers in the series: Addressing Water Shortages: A catalyst for more resilient development in Fiji “Disaster is Nature Telling Us How to Live Resiliently”: Indigenous disaster risk reduction, organizing, and spirituality in Tierradentro, Colombia Learning from Hindsight: Synthesis report on Oxfam resilience research, This research was conducted with the support of the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.