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2. Riding the Wave of Reform: Fast-tracking Myanmar's future with good quality aid
- Author:
- Jasmine Burnley and Javier Pereira
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In 2011, following decades of isolation, Myanmar embarked on an unprecedented reform process, raising hopes for a new democracy. These reforms have been welcomed by the international community with rising levels of aid. If properly handled and spent, aid offers an opportunity to harness Myanmar's economic potential and make it work for poor people – reducing inequality, providing essential services, building resilience, and promoting sustainable investment. This paper explores what good-quality aid should look like for Myanmar, what it could deliver for those living in poverty, and what decision makers can learn from other countries, to ensure that aid is a catalyst for democratic reform, equitable growth, and peace.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Economics, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Southeast Asia and Myanmar
3. Turning the Tide on Ebola: Scaling up public health campaigns before it's too late
- Author:
- Debbie Hillier
- Publication Date:
- 10-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is totally unprecedented. The accelerating number of cases, the poor health infrastructure in affected countries, the short supply of skills, knowledge and personnel, and the fear surrounding this disease are providing a huge challenge to affected governments and the international community as they battle to bring the epidemic under control.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Health, Humanitarian Aid, Foreign Aid, Health Care Policy, and Ebola
- Political Geography:
- Africa and West Africa
4. Contribution to Change: An approach to evaluating the role of intervention in disaster recovery
- Author:
- Roger Few, Daniel McAvoy, and Marcela Tarazona Vivien Margaret Walden
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Evaluating the effectiveness of post-disaster interventions is an important but challenging task. Practitioners and donors alike have a shared interest in being able to assess the outcomes and impact of projects and donated funds for recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. However, there has been wide acknowledgement of the difficulties in assessing the benefits of interventions, and there is a need for guidance to assist agencies in undertaking evaluations that are robust but affordable.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Health, Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
5. Busan in a Nutshell: What next for the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation?
- Author:
- Farida Bena
- Publication Date:
- 09-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, established in Busan, South Korea in 2011, set the international standard on the principles of effective aid and good development to which all development actors should subscribe. These principles include: country leadership and ownership of development strategies; a focus on results that matter to the poor in developing countries; inclusive partnerships among development actors based on mutual trust; and transparency and accountability to one another.
- Topic:
- Development, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Israel and South Korea
6. The Private Sector and Humanitarian Relief
- Publication Date:
- 03-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Oxfam believes that the increasing involvement of the private sector in humanitarian relief can add to overall humanitarian capacity . The private sector brings skills and competencies, and is likely to also bring new practices and perspectives to the humanitarian aid community. Any private sector involvement in humanitarian relief must conform with the humanitarian principles embodied in the Red Cross/Crescent and NGO Code of Conduct, including impartial aid based on assessed need, accountability to beneficiaries as well as donors, reduction of future vulnerability as well as immediate relief, and coordination. Oxfam recommends that humanitarian agencies pursue long-term partnerships with private sector entities, so that the private sector's engagement in humanitarian work is strategic, and not just reactive. Partnerships can be bilateral or through consortia, via a variety of modalities. Oxfam has adopted processes for its own engagement with the private sector that it recommends to other humanitarian NGOs. These include screening potential private sector partners to address ethical concerns, potential conflicts with Oxfam's mission and humanitarian principles, and conflicts of interest for the company. Pilot projects can test the working relationship and suitability/appropriateness of contributions before projects are scaled up. These principles apply to private sector humanitarian engagement, including response to natural disasters, conflicts, and complex emergencies, as well as in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.
- Topic:
- Development, Human Rights, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, Markets, and Foreign Aid
7. Be Outraged: There are alternatives
- Author:
- Richard Jolly, Frances Stewart, Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Stephany Griffith-Jones, Rolph van der Hoeven, Diane Elson, Carlos Fortin, Gerry Helleiner, Raphie Kaplinsky, Richard Morgan, Isabel Ortiz, and Ruth Pearson
- Publication Date:
- 05-2012
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Pushed to extremes, austerity is bad economics, bad arithmetic, and ignores the lessons of history. We, an international group of economists and social scientists, are outraged at the narrow range of austerity policies which are bringing so many people around the world to their knees, especially in Europe. Austerity and cutbacks are reducing growth and worsening poverty. In our professional opinions, there are alternatives – for Britain, Europe and all countries that currently imagine that government cutbacks are the only way out of debt. The low-growth, no-growth trap means that the share of debt in GNP falls ever more slowly, if at all. It may even rise – as it has in some countries.
- Topic:
- Debt, Development, Economics, Foreign Aid, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Britain and Europe
8. Haiti Progress Report: January–December 2011
- Author:
- Lucy Davies
- Publication Date:
- 01-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Even before the earthquake struck on January 12, 2010, Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the world. In Port-au-Prince, 86 percent of the city\'s two million residents lived in densely-populated slums with scarce access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The scale of the disaster, combined with the poverty and lack of infrastructure that already existed, made the relief operation one of the most challenging that Oxfam has ever undertaken.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Caribbean
9. Whose Aid Is It Anyway? Politicizing aid in conflicts and crises
- Publication Date:
- 02-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Effective aid helps save lives, protect rights and build livelihoods. Yet in conflicts and politically unstable settings from Afghanistan to Yemen, lifesaving humanitarian assistance and longer-term efforts to reduce poverty are being damaged where aid is used primarily to pursue donors' own narrow political and security objectives. This is not only undermining humanitarian principles and donors' development commitments; it impacts on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
- Topic:
- Security, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Yemen
10. Averting Tomorrow's Global Food Crisis: The European Union's role in delivering food justice in a resource-constrained world
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Why, in a world that produces more than enough food to feed everybody, do so many – one in seven – go hungry? Oxfam's new global campaign, GROW, seeks answers to this question. GROW aims to transform the way we grow, share, and live together. GROW will expose the failing governments and powerful business interests that are propping up a broken food system and sleepwalking the world into an unprecedented and avoidable reversal in human development.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, Foreign Aid, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Europe
11. Minding the Money: Governance of climate change adaptation finance in Nepal
- Author:
- Katie Wiseman and Raju Pandit Chhetri
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Climate change is an urgent concern in Nepal. In recent years, the country has faced more than its fair share of extreme weather patterns. Increases in temperature extremes, more intense rainfall, drier winters and delays in summer monsoons have become quite common and are expected to get worse. In fact, a recent Climate Change Vulnerability Index, calculating susceptibility to impacts of climate change over the next 30 years, places Nepal 4th out of 170 countries. This report examines the national situation of climate change adaptation policy and programming, highlighting key areas of progress, weakness and challenges. The report notes that current initiatives have yet to deliver benefit to the marginalized and vulnerable communities in the country - the very groups that need it most. Based on the findings, the report presents a set of recommendations for the Government, donor community and civil society.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Climate Change, Environment, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Nepal
12. Pakistan Floods Progress Report July 2010 / July 2011
- Author:
- Lucy Davies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- A year has passed since the first news reports alerted the world to unnaturally heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan's north-western province of Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a region already ravaged by conflict and only just recovering from the devastating earthquake of 2005. The floods that followed were of a size and scale that are difficult to conceive. Floodwaters inundated up to one-fifth of the country and affected 20 million people, destroying 1.6 million homes and leaving over 14 million people acutely vulnerable (www.pakresponse.org). Oxfam launched a fundraising appeal on 3 August 2010, asking supporters to give generously to save lives. Over $75m (PKR 6,400m, €57m, £48m) was raised by Oxfam for the relief effort in Pakistan through a range of donors: the public, donor governments, and other institutions and organisations. Together all Oxfam affiliates raised $21m (PKR 1,805m, €14m, £13m), much of this was from public sources. This was a good result given difficult economic times, and the money entrusted to Oxfam directly helped to improve the lives of over 2.4 million people. This report is intended as a tool to account to the individuals, governments, and other institutions who have given generously to Oxfam's humanitarian fund, and to partners, allies, staff and volunteers. A finance section at the end of the report provides an overview of how funds were raised and spent. And the final section focuses on 'The Future' and identifies Oxfam's plans for helping during the reconstruction phase of this emergency.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
13. The 'Right' Results: Making sure the results agenda remains committed to poverty reduction
- Author:
- Tariq Ahmad
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Donor governments are prioritizing aid 'results' in advance of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HFL4) in Busan, Korea, due to take place at the end of 2011. But there is a real risk that their efforts will lead to a poorly designed results policy that could undo years of work to make aid more useful for fighting poverty.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Korea
14. Aid Coordination and Alignment: Myth or reality? The case of the ECOWAS regional agriculture policy
- Author:
- Jean-Denis Crola and Saya Saulière
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Agriculture, along with livestock farming and fishing, is one of the fundamental components of West African economies. Together they constitute over 35% of the Gross National Product and contribute over 15% of export revenues. They provide income to more than 60% of the working population, over half of whom are women working in production, processing or trade.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa
15. Haiti: A Once-in-a-Century Chance for Change
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- No disaster is completely natural. The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 was no exception. Haiti's extreme levels of poverty and inequality exacerbated the devastation and determined who was vulnerable.
- Topic:
- Development, Poverty, Foreign Aid, and Reconstruction
- Political Geography:
- Caribbean and Haiti
16. 21st century aid: Recognising success and tackling failure
- Author:
- Jasmine Burnley
- Publication Date:
- 05-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In Mozambique, the government has a national plan to tackle poverty and inequality, but it cannot finance this plan from national resources alone. Despite this, Mozambique – just 20 years ago the poorest country in the world – has increased its spending on health care by over half, and in the past decade the number of children who die before their fifth birthday has come down by almost 20 percent.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, Poverty, Third World, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Georgia
17. Aid to Haiti, 6 months on: A long way to go
- Publication Date:
- 07-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The outpouring of global public support in response to the earthquake enabled Oxfam and other agencies to get aid through to the Haitian people and make a real difference. However, recovery in Haiti is one of the most complex humanitarian and development challenges in modern times. There are no short-term solutions for Haiti.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
18. The Road to Olive Farming: Challenges to developing the economy of olive oil in the West Bank
- Author:
- Lara El-Jazairi
- Publication Date:
- 10-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- For thousands of years, the olive tree has been an integral part of the Palestinian landscape: a symbol of Palestinian identity, culture and tradition. The majority of Palestinian farmers are at least partially dependent on olive cultivation. The current profitability of olive farming is evident in the increase in recent years of farmers who are planting new trees and tending to their orchards. In a good year, the olive oil sector contributes over $100 million income annually to some of the poorest communities. Olive cultivation also has strong social and political aspects, as the planting of olive orchards is often an attempt to prevent the confiscation of land by Israel or settlers and to protect Palestinian livelihoods.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Humanitarian Aid, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Palestine and Arab Countries
19. Band Aids and Beyond: Tackling disasters in Ethiopia 25 years after the famine
- Author:
- Nick Martlew
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In 1984, one million Ethiopians died during a catastrophic famine. The government at the time hid the scale of hunger until a shocking BBC television report ignited a massive relief effort, supported by the Band Aid movement. Though this was too late for too many, thousands of lives were saved.
- Topic:
- Foreign Aid, Food, and Famine
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ethiopia
20. Missing pieces? Assessing the impact of humanitarian reform in Pakistan
- Author:
- Nicki Bennett
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In May 2009, Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province became the site of the world's biggest and fastest human displacement in over a decade – and the largest internal displacement ever witnessed in Pakistan's history. Within the space of only a few weeks, an estimated three million Pakistanis fled their homes to escape their army's military offensive against armed insurgents.
- Topic:
- Human Welfare and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
21. A Billion Hungry People: Governments and aid agencies must rise to the challenge
- Publication Date:
- 01-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The food price increases of 2007 and 2008 focused attention on a global food crisis that was already affecting more than 850 million people. Even before the 2008 food riots, some 16,000 children were dying every day from hunger-related causes – one every five seconds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that by the end of 2008, rising prices had added 109 million to the ranks of the hungry. Today, about one in six of the world's population goes short of food, almost a billion people.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Humanitarian Aid, Third World, Foreign Aid, Food, and Famine
22. Blind Optimism: Challenging the myths about private health care in poor countries
- Publication Date:
- 02-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The stakes could not be higher. Every minute a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth for want of simple medical care; every hour 300 people die of AIDS-related illnesses; and every day 5,000 children are killed by pneumonia. The world is badly off-course to achieve the internationally agreed health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To get back on-course and achieve universal and equitable health care for all requires a massive expansion of health services. To fail in this endeavour will be to abandon hundreds of millions of people to an early death and a life blighted by sickness. The critical question is how can such a massive scale up be achieved?
- Topic:
- Health, Humanitarian Aid, Third World, and Foreign Aid
23. A Copper-Bottomed Crisis? The Impact of the Global Economic Meltdown on Zambia
- Author:
- Duncan Green
- Publication Date:
- 03-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- At the time of independence in 1964 Zambia was a middle-income country and appeared set to develop into a prosperous nation. However, the combination of a tumultuous world economy and fiscal mismanagement led to rapid economic decline, which continued unabated into the 1980s and 1990s. Average economic growth from 1990-1999 was the lowest in the region and unemployment and inflation soared, resulting in per capita incomes 50 per cent less in 1999 than they had been 25 years earlier.
- Topic:
- Economics, Post Colonialism, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Africa
24. Making Pooled Funding Work for People in Crisis
- Author:
- Tanja Schuemer-Cross
- Publication Date:
- 05-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- International humanitarian aid provides relief to tens of millions of people each year: in 2007 to more than 43 million people through UN humanitarian appeals alone. However, it is also often too little, too late, and unpredictable, or inappropriate to the needs of communities, including specific groups such as women and girls. The UN-led reforms since 2005 to improve humanitarian aid have begun - but only begun - to make a difference to this variable performance.
- Topic:
- Development, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Third World, and Foreign Aid
25. Investing in Poor Farmers Pays: Rethinking how to invest in agriculture
- Author:
- Emily Alpert and Melinda Smale
- Publication Date:
- 06-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In July 2008, world food prices reached their highest peak since the early 1970s. Food stocked on grocery store shelves was out of reach. Riots ensued. Millions were afflicted. Another 100 million people were pushed into the ranks of the hungry, raising the total to nearly one billion worldwide. And these numbers could climb again as food prices remain high, and continue to rise in many local markets.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Poverty, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Asia