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Begin New Search Content Type Policy Brief Publishing Institution Oxfam Publishing Publication Year within 25 Years

81. Hanging by a Thread: The ongoing threat to Somalia's remittance lifeline

Author:
Ben Murphy, Scott Paul, Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, and Ed Pomfret
Publication Date:
02-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Every year, the Somali diaspora sends home approximately $1.3bn. Remittances account for 25–45 percent of Somalia's economy and exceed the amount it receives in humanitarian aid, development aid and foreign direct investment combined. As Somali money transfer operators lose their bank accounts, Somali families are losing their only formal or transparent channel through which to send money. Somalia needs long-term support to build sustainable financial institutions, and urgent help to maintain its current remittance flows. This briefing reviews international efforts to facilitate remittances to Somalia and focuses on the US and the UK, where the threat to the Somali remittance system is most acute. It also looks at the uncertain future viability of the Somali remittance industry in Australia.
Political Geography:
Somalia

82. Asia at a Crossroads: Why the region must address inequality now

Author:
Jessica Hamer, Maria Dolores Bernabe, and Mark Fried
Publication Date:
01-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Asia is at a Crossroads. Rising inequality poses a dire threat to continued prosperity in Asia, where an estimated 500 million people remain trapped in extreme poverty, most of them women and girls. The huge gap between rich and poor hinders economic growth, undermines democratic institutions and can trigger conflict. If Asia's policymakers hold tight to yesterday's truths, hoping against hope that growth and prosperity will trickle down to all, they will put everyone's welfare at risk. But if there are courageous leaders, willing to tackle inequality head-on, they can ensure inclusive and sustainable development for all of Asia's people. Oxfam is calling on Asia's governments to make a determined effort to combat discrimination and improve policies on taxation and social spending. This is needed now if the region is to secure a stable and prosperous future.
Political Geography:
Asia

83. Access to Cancer Treatment: A study of medicine pricing issues with recommendations for improving access to cancer medication

Author:
Ellen T. Hoen
Publication Date:
02-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world, with 8.2 million deaths in 2012. More than 60 percent of the world's new cases of cancer occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America and these regions account for 70 percent of the world's cancer deaths. In low- and middle-income countries, expensive treatments for cancer are not widely available. Unsustainable cancer medication pricing has increasingly become a global issue, creating access challenges in low-and middle-income but also high-income countries. This report describes recent developments within the pricing of medicines for the treatment of cancer, discusses what lessons can be drawn from HIV/AIDS treatment scale-up and makes recommendations to help increase access to treatment for people with cancer.
Political Geography:
Africa, America, and Asia

84. 40 Years of Exile: Have the Sahrawi refugees been abandoned by the international community?

Author:
Liesbeth Goossens, Soazic Dupuy, and Baptiste Chapuis
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Sahrawi refugees are forced to live in very insecure humanitarian conditions. This situation in and of itself is a source of serious concern. It is, however, the exceptionally long duration of this crisis and the total lack of any prospects which is making this situation all the more unbearable for the men and women living in the Sahrawi refugee camps. The Sahrawi refugees – especially the young – are desperate to take control of their own lives. Even if they are particularly well informed and well educated, their options are severely limited. The frustration which stems from this is exacerbated by the sheer uncertainty of what their future holds. The words of young Sahrawis are growing sharper, and their views more critical, faced with an international community they consider incapable of ensuring that their rights will be respected. The majority we have spoken to are openly questioning whether their cause would not make more progress if they took up arms once again. Much of the responsibility for reaching a just and lasting resolution lies with the parties of the conflict, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front. However, in view of the two parties‟ inability to find such a solution, the cards are now in the hands of the international community, in particular the United Nations (UN) and the member states of the UN Security Council. Today, these bodies must demonstrate to the Sahrawi refugees that they are fully engaged in defending their rights. This report calls attention to the responsibility of the international community. The Security Council and members of the Group of Friends must do more to foster conditions conducive to bringing the decolonization process to an end and finding a solution to the conflict, in accordance with international law. They must also persuade the parties in the conflict to make changes to their positions, which are currently irreconcilable. Only a solution such as this can put an end to the refugee crisis and strengthen stability in the region.

85. Charting a New Course: Overcoming the stalemate in Gaza

Author:
Lani Frerichs, Grazia Careccia, Laura Grant, Kirsten Hagon, and Willow Heske
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Operation Protective Edge – the codename used by Israel for the 51 day military operation and the associated conflict between Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups – has inflicted unprecedented destruction and human suffering in Gaza. This was the third such major military operation in six years, further complicating recovery for a civilian population sealed off by a blockade and separated economically, socially and politically from Palestinians in the West Bank. Shortly after Israel and Palestinian armed groups agreed to a temporary ceasefire, donors from around the world gathered in Cairo to pledge $3.5bn for the reconstruction of Gaza. Six months later, there has been no accountability to address violations of international law, only 26.8 percent of the money has been released, reconstruction and recovery have barely begun, and people in Gaza remain in dire straits. This paper outlines an achievable course of action that, if implemented, could make significant progress in addressing the root causes of the recurrent conflict and towards the realization of a just, durable peace that would benefit Israelis and Palestinians alike. By directly addressing the different actors that have distinct responsibilities towards Gaza – from Israel and the international community to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas – the signatories to this report outline what each party can and must do to end the conflict and ensure Palestinians in Gaza can realize their rights. It is time for these actors to work together effectively to change the course for Gaza before it is too late.
Political Geography:
Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

86. The Suffering of Others: The human cost of the International Finance Corporation's lending through financial intermediaries

Author:
Kate Geary
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Increasingly, development money is being channelled through third parties such as banks or private equity funds. The world's leading proponent of this financing model, the International Finance Corporation, spent $36bn this way in just the four years leading up to June 2013. But what does this 'hands-off' form of development financing mean for people? Are the risks to communities and their livelihoods just too high given the weaker social and environmental protections entailed? This report tells the human story behind the high finance and statistics, and asks whether reforms to this model of lending have gone far enough to protect communities.

87. Syria Crisis Fair Share Analysis 2015

Author:
Abigael Baldoumas, Daniel Gorevan, Joelle Bassoul, and Camilla Jelbart Mosse
Publication Date:
03-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The numbers of people in need as a result of the conflict in Syria continues to rise, but the international humanitarian response has not kept pace. The donor conference in Kuwait on 31 March 2015 is an opportunity to reverse that trend and put Syrian civilians first. Oxfam has developed indicators to help guide the fair level of commitment that each wealthy country should make in 2015 to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the Syria crisis: The level of funding each country makes available for the humanitarian response, relative to the size of their economy (based on gross national income); The number of Syrian refugees each country has helped to find safety through offers of resettlement or other forms of humanitarian protection, again based on the size of the economy.
Topic:
Civil War and Humanitarian Aid
Political Geography:
Kuwait and Syria

88. Mines and Minerals Bill: Disempowering the community

Author:
Himanshu Upadhyaya
Publication Date:
03-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
For over five years now, the central government has been in the process of framing and enacting a new legislation to develop and regulate India's mines and minerals. However, in a short span of less than two months, the NDA government promulgated an Ordinance, introduced and passed a new version of a Bill in both the houses of Parliament. The Bill provides a legal framework to regulate the mining sector. A host of unaddressed concerns in the Bill question the government's intent of protecting the interests of the indigenous populations.
Political Geography:
India

89. Pulling the Plug: How to stop corporate tax dodging in Europe and beyond

Publication Date:
03-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Tax dodging is receiving increasing political attention in Europe. From corporate transparency legislation to early reflections on a European wealth tax, European institutions are promoting tax reforms that have the potential to reduce economic inequality in Europe and beyond - if they are well designed and implemented. The need to find financial resources to restore European growth, combined with recent media scandals, have opened up opportunities for progressive reforms to fight tax evasion and tax avoidance which costs the European Union around €1 trillion a year. The European and global political context has never been so favourable, with new European institutions having to deliver on fighting tax havens, harmonizing corporate taxation, improving tax transparency and ensuring greater tax cooperation. This briefing explores some of the solutions for fighting corporate tax avoidance that the European Union shoultad present in 2015, and explains why it is important to adopt them as soon as possible.
Political Geography:
Europe

90. Failing Syria: Assessing the impact of UN Security Council Resolutions in protecting and assisting civilians in Syria

Author:
Daniel Gorevan, Martin Hartberg, and Dominic Bowen
Publication Date:
03-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2139 (UNSCR 2139) at the end of February 2014 brought with it much needed hope for people in Syria and across the Middle East. In the resolution, the UN Security Council (UNSC) – the body responsible for international peace and security – called for an urgent increase in access to humanitarian aid in Syria and demanded that all parties immediately cease attacks against civilians, end arbitrary detention, kidnapping and torture, and lift sieges of populated areas.
Political Geography:
Middle East and Syria

91. Right to Education Act: Claiming education for every child

Author:
Oommen C Kurian and Pooja Parvati
Publication Date:
03-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
A conscious neglect of school education in the initial decades of independent India is termed by Dreze and Sen (2013) as a 'home-grown folly'. Public services like education are key to nurture participatory growth as well as to ensure that growth improves peoples' living conditions. However, India's highly privatised and compartmentalised education system - largely unaccountable to the public-offers very different opportunities for various social groups and perpetuates social inequalities, instead of reducing them. Three out of four children currently out of school in India are either Dalit (32.4%), Muslim (25.7%) or Adivasi (16.6%). Enactment of the landmark RTE legislation has triggered significant improvements, but evidence shows that quality has often been neglected. While concerns regarding privatisation of education remain, RTE Act offers a first step towards an educational system in India that offers access, equity, and inclusion of all children.

92. Rock Glaciers and Climate Change in the Bolivian Andes: Mapping new water resources

Author:
Sally Rangecroft
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Reduced water security is projected for the Bolivian Andes due to both an expected increase in demand and a decline in the supply of water. This will result in negative impacts on water availability, and therefore on food security, power generation and livelihoods. Rising temperatures due to climate change are associated with glacier retreat across the Andes, which is one factor affecting the supply of water. Therefore it is important to gather information about other sources of high altitude water in the Bolivian Andes and other similarly arid high mountain regions facing similar stresses. Rock glaciers are masses of ice that are covered by a thick layer of rock. Because of their ice content, they are potentially important water sources, especially in arid regions. However, little is known about their spatial distribution and nature. They are smaller, occur at lower altitudes and are less obvious than regular ice glaciers. With the purpose of better informing future water management in Bolivia, this research, which was conducted with the assistance of Oxfam and Agua Sustentable, has created the first rock glacier inventory for the country (15–22°S) and has established the number, size and distribution of these rock glaciers. In total, 94 rock glaciers were discovered in the Bolivian Andes, of which 54 are estimated to contain ice and are therefore active sources of water. It was possible to make an estimation of their importance as water stores for local communities, in comparison with regular glaciers. Climate change impacts on glaciers and other water resources are occurring at a rapid rate in the Bolivian Andes and Bolivia can be used as an early warning indicator of problems in arid regions worldwide. The rock cover on rock glaciers will insulate them to some extent and as temperatures rise, will make them more resilient to melting than ice glaciers. In highlighting the presence of rock glaciers and in setting out methods for identifying them, this research seeks to contribute to improving the knowledge of water resources in the Bolivian Andes and to make a contribution to similar studies elsewhere. It also highlights the need to prioritize the preservation of areas where rock glaciers are located in the interests of water security for vulnerable populations. The rock glacier inventory resulting from this research is held by Agua Sustentable, see http://www.aguasustentable.org
Political Geography:
Bolivia

93. Vers L'intégration De L'approche Genre Dans La Prévention Et La Gestion De L'insécurité Alimentaire

Author:
Imane El Rhomri
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Malgré l‟abondance de la production alimentaire mondiale, les populations du Sahel et de l‟Afrique de l‟Ouest souffrent fréquemment de faim et de malnutrition. En 2012, tous les pays de la région ont été de nouveau exposés à une insécurité alimentaire massive, en raison de la sécheresse, des pluies rares, des piètres récoltes, de la flambée des prix des aliments et des déplacements intensifs de populations. Selon les estimations des Nations Unies, cette crise avait condamné plus de 18 millions de personnes à l‟insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle (FAO, 2012 : 9). Comprendre pourquoi les populations souffrent d‟insécurité alimentaire et analyser les causes sous-jacentes est fondamental pour planifier des interventions appropriées. Dans la pratique, la mesure et l‟analyse de la sécurité alimentaire présente un défi technique en raison de la complexité et de la multi-dimensionnalité de ce concept. Actuellement, l‟analyse de la sécurité alimentaire en situations d‟urgence repose sur trois piliers: i) les disponibilités alimentaires, ii) l‟accès à l‟alimentation et iii) l‟utilisation des aliments (PAM, 2009). L‟Approche de l‟Economie des Ménages (AEM/HEA), développée dans les années 90 par l‟ONG internationale Save the Children-UK, est actuellement l‟un des outils les plus utilisés par le système d‟alerte précoce dans la région du Sahel1 pour appréhender le pilier d‟accès. En partant du principe que les ménages ont un accès plus ou moins difficile aux aliments en fonction de leur niveau de pauvreté, cet outil cherche à comprendre leur économie alimentaire et à mesurer l‟impact des chocs sur celle-ci, en vue d‟orienter l‟aide vers ceux qui seraient les plus vulnérables. Seulement, le HEA, ne s‟intéresse pas à la situation spécifique de chaque individu à l‟intérieur du ménage, étant donc incapable d'analyser la manière dont les chocs touchent les femmes et les hommes et comment chacun d'entre eux essaie d‟y faire face. Cette lacune représente l‟une des grandes faiblesses de ce système puisqu‟il néglige une dimension clé dans la compréhension de « qui, aujourd‟hui, risque le plus d‟être exposé à l‟insécurité alimentaire et à la malnutrition au Sahel et pourquoi » -pour reprendre les termes de la brochure du projet HEA-SAHEL-. Ce rapport, structuré en trois parties, est le résultat d‟une étude lancée par Oxfam Intermón, dans le cadre du projet de recherche SARAO (Sécurité Alimentaire et Résilience en Afrique de l‟Ouest), qui cherche à apporter des réflexions critiques et des pistes d‟action pour perfectionner le cadre d‟analyse HEA grâce à une démarche qui tient compte des Inégalités de Genre. La première partie du rapport est consacrée à l‟approche méthodologique adoptée et aux techniques employées pour la collecte et l‟analyse de l‟information. D‟un côté, l‟analyse Genre a été au cœur de la démarche suivie et a consisté à examiner de nouvelles dimensions telles que la répartition et l'organisation des rôles, des responsabilités et des ressources entre les femmes et les hommes afin de mettre en lumière leur importance dans l‟analyse de la sécurité alimentaire. De l‟autre côté, la collecte des informations sur le terrain s‟est faite au Burkina Faso, à travers des entretiens semi-dirigés et des questionnaires auprès de profils différents, en fonction de l‟objectif recherché dans chaque étape de l‟étude. La deuxième partie du rapport entre dans le vif du sujet. Elle examine avec une approche Genre le cadre théorique et analytique du HEA pour montrer ses limites. Tout d‟abord, sur le plan théorique, trois limites sont signalées : L‟analyse de l‟insécurité alimentaire à l‟échelle du ménage n‟est pas suffisante pour cerner toutes ses causes, principalement parce qu‟il n‟est pas possible de dévoiler le fonctionnement interne des familles (les statuts, rôles, contribution et capacités des personnes y appartenant), ni les relations de pouvoir et les inégalités entre ses membres, en particulier entre les femmes et les hommes, les filles et les garçons. a) En l‟absence de la moindre analyse de Genre au niveau des ménages, notamment ceux dirigés par des hommes, l‟approche HEA rend invisible le rôle des femmes qui assument de plus en plus de responsabilités dans la gestion de la sécurité alimentaire alors que, paradoxalement, elles ont un accès précaire aux ressources et sont exclues du contrôle de quasiment toutes, en particulier des ressources productives. A titre d‟exemple, cette étude confirme qu‟au-delà d‟assumer tout le travail domestique, les femmes participent très activement à l‟agriculture familiale, cependant, elles sont exclues de la propriété de la terre, de la prise de décisions concernant la production et la gestion des stocks, ainsi que du travail rémunéré en tant que main d‟œuvre salariée. b) La richesse et la multi-dimensionnalité des concepts de Moyens d‟Existence Durables (MED), de Pauvreté et de Vulnérabilité se retrouvent fortement réduites dans l‟approche HEA. D‟une part, les apports de la théorie des MED, notamment, les concepts de capacités et de biens intangibles ne sont pas du tout exploités par l‟approche HEA. D‟autre part, cette dernière appréhende le niveau de pauvreté et de vulnérabilité d‟une manière très superficielle parce qu'elle ne va pas au-delà des aspects productifs et monétaires et ne prête aucune attention aux dimensions spécifiques qui expliquent la pauvreté et la vulnérabilité féminine, pas seulement en termes de revenu, mais aussi en termes de temps, de liberté ou de pouvoir décisionnel. c) Ensuite, sur le plan méthodologique, l‟étude révèle que les informations et données produites dans chaque étape du cadre d‟analyse HEA, servant à rétro-alimenter le système, sont complètement aveugles au Genre. Cette lacune est due, d‟une part, à la non-désagrégation par sexe des informations collectées par les méthodes et outils HEA et, d‟autre part, à la sous-représentation des femmes en tant qu‟objet et sujet d'étude. Ces limites techniques perpétuent une image incomplète de la réalité et relèguent les femmes et leurs apports à une zone d'ombre. La troisième et dernière partie représente la plus grande valeur ajoutée de cette étude dans la mesure où elle expose des propositions concrètes pour enrichir progressivement le système HEA. Le premier pas suggère principalement la désagrégation par sexe des informations actuellement collectées et analysées par le HEA ainsi que l‟introduction de nouvelles variables et indicateurs sensibles au Genre. Le deuxième pas, plus audacieux, invite à l‟adoption d‟un nouveau cadre d‟analyse pour caractériser la vulnérabilité alimentaire de manière intégrale. Ce nouveau cadre propose essentiellement trois critères à évaluer, en fonction du contexte spatio- temporel d‟exposition au risque d‟insécurité alimentaire. Ces critères sont : i) les besoins alimentaires spécifiques (dépendent du sexe, âge, état de santé, efforts physiques…) ; ii) l‟accès aux différents MED (dépend de la disponibilité et la qualité du capital naturel, humain, physique, financier et social) et iii) les capacités individuelles d‟exploiter les différents MED (dépendent du statut social, des conditions d‟utilisation, des modes d‟accès et du pouvoir décisionnel). Enfin, le troisième pas requiert logiquement l‟adaptation des méthodes de collecte et de traitement des informations à ce nouveau cadre d‟analyse.

94. Multiple Inequalities and Policies to Mitigate Inequality Traps in Pakistan

Author:
Abid A. Burki, Rashid Memon, and Khalid Mir
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The growth–inequality nexus has long been debated by researchers, social commentators and politicians. Despite being controversial, there is growing evidence of multi-dimensional inequality in developing countries, including Pakistan. Economic growth seems to have benefitted only a few people while majority of them have remained deprived. Numerous manifestations of inequality can be pointed out, including inequalities of income, assets, public services, rural vs. urban and between regions. These inequalities lead to huge economic and social costs for society. This report focuses on multi-dimensional inequality in Pakistan with the aim to (1) highlight the nature and dimensions of inequality; (2) identify the inequality traps that tend to exacerbate multi-dimensional inequality; (3) examine strategies for mitigating multi-dimensional inequality; and (4) discuss the policy implications.
Political Geography:
Pakistan

95. Reversal in Progress on World Hunger Likely as Climate Change Threatens Food Security

Author:
Tim Gore
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
New evidence of how climate change could damage food security is presented in a major new scientific report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Topic:
Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Energy Policy, and Food

96. Hot and Hungry: How to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger

Author:
Anna Ratcliff
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Hunger is not and need never be inevitable. However climate change threatens to put back the fight to eradicate it by decades – and our global food system is woefully unprepared to cope with the challenge.
Topic:
Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, and Food

97. British Foreign Policy in an Unequal World

Author:
Edmund Cairns
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The UK needs a safe world in which to trade and invest, and to be free from the security threats caused by conflicts or fragile states. Yet spiralling inequality and climate change, among many other factors, threaten to create a more dangerous, unequal world. As the continuing tragedy in Syria shows, the world's old and new powers have not yet found a way to unite to end conflicts. The age of interventions, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, is over. But a new rule-based world in which China, India, and others unite with Western powers to protect civilians and end conflicts has not yet come into being. Whoever wins the 2015 UK general election, the greatest test for UK foreign policy will be how much it can do to help build that world.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Poverty, Insurgency, and Fragile/Failed State
Political Geography:
Britain, China, Iraq, United Kingdom, Europe, India, and Syria

98. A Tale of Two Britains: Inequality in the UK

Author:
Sarah Dransfield
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Inequality is a growing problem in the UK. Whilst austerity measures in Britain continue to hit the poorest families hardest, a wealthy elite have seen their incomes spiral upwards, exacerbating income inequality which has grown under successive governments over the last quarter of a century.
Topic:
Economics, Poverty, and Governance
Political Geography:
Britain and United Kingdom

99. Close the Gap: How to eliminate violence against women beyond 2015

Author:
Daniela Rosche
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
At least one in three women worldwide will experience some form of violence during their lifetime, often perpetrated by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a fundamental human rights issue and a central challenge to development, democracy and peace.
Topic:
Political Violence, Civil Society, Democratization, Development, Gender Issues, and Human Rights

100. Conflict Transformation: Transforming cultures of violence to overcome injustice and poverty

Author:
Olloriak Sawade
Publication Date:
02-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
All people have a fundamental right to life and security. Oxfam works to ensure this right is respected, not only by responding to humanitarian emergencies, but by addressing the violent conflict which, as its Humanitarian Strategy 2020 recognises, is one of the key drivers of poverty. That is why conflict transformation has become one of the 'crosscutting issues' running through Oxfam's programmes and tackling some of the key driving factors that fuel direct, cultural and structural violence.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Civil Society, Humanitarian Aid, and Power Politics