Oxfam America blogs

Photo of the week: Syria’s light of hope

By Maura Hart from First Person. Published on Apr 05, 2013.

Vigils in 20 countries remembered more than 70,000 Syrians who lost their lives and showed support for more than one million who have fled their homes.

Hear Oxfam America’s president talk about the first global Arms Trade Treaty

By Victoria Marzilli from First Person. Published on Apr 04, 2013.

This week, right after the UN voted to adopt the first ever International Arms Trade Treaty, Oxfam America president Ray Offenheiser did an interview for Public Radio International’s The World about the meaning and impact of the treaty. He addresses questions like: How big of a deal is this? Does this have any impact on [...]

NFL superstars make eye-opening visit to Senegalese savings group

By Andrew Blejwas from First Person. Published on Apr 03, 2013.

Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Roddy White travel with Oxfam to area affected by industrial gold mining.

7 possibilities for addressing income inequality in the US

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Apr 03, 2013.

As inequality increases, more questions than answers?

Nations vote in favor of Arms Trade Treaty—why it matters

By Anna Kramer from First Person. Published on Apr 02, 2013.

Huge news coming out of the UN today: this morning, delegates from 154 nations voted to adopt the first-ever international Arms Trade Treaty. This is a historic moment. For the first time, the world has a treaty to help monitor and control the flow of arms and ammunition across borders. It’s a strong, effective treaty [...]

Video: In Ghana, a call for transparency

By Chris Hufstader from First Person. Published on Mar 28, 2013.

As we’ve posted here  and written in our magazine (p. 7), Ghana civil society organizations have gained substantial ground in collaborating with their government to promote transparency in oil revenue. They can now see what taxes, royalties, and other payments the government collects, and monitor where that money is spent. Here at Oxfam we have [...]

From Better “Stuff” To More “Power”: Why transparency matters

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 27, 2013.

Making USAID more transparent...what’s your vision, Mr. Shah?

You spoke. Mars and Nestlé listened.

By Victoria Marzilli from First Person. Published on Mar 26, 2013.

More than 65,000 people sent messages asking companies to improve their policies and help women cocoa growers get a fair deal.

Workers Behind the Brands: We’ve Got Some Good News and Some Bad News

By Irit Tamir from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 25, 2013.

Workers’ rights may be an old issue, but it’s still a relevant one.

Arms Trade Treaty talks enter final week; Djimon Hounsou urges support

By Coco McCabe from First Person. Published on Mar 25, 2013.

Act now. Urge President Obama to support a strong international Arms Trade Treaty.

Photo of the week: Peru’s economic boom leaving rural children behind

By Anna Kramer from First Person. Published on Mar 21, 2013.

Marie Arana's recent op-ed in the New York Times touches on many of the same inequality issues I saw during a visit to Peru.

Climate Change Behind the Brands: It’s no magic trick

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 21, 2013.

Big food companies must deal with the causes and the consequences of global warming.

USAID Progress on USAID Forward?

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 19, 2013.

Can strengthening country systems ensure more effective aid for everyone?

International Arms Trade treaty video invites us to take a good look

By Coco McCabe from First Person. Published on Mar 19, 2013.

A massive and poorly regulated global trade in weapons feeds armed conflict that threatens the security and rights of people around the world on a daily basis.

Inequality in the post-MDG framework

By Gawain Kripke from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 19, 2013.

New goals for a new era

Actor Djimon Hounsou spells out why we need a strong Arms Trade Treaty

By Guest Blogger from First Person. Published on Mar 18, 2013.

I’ve seen firsthand the horrifying results of unregulated weapons.

Behind the Brands: The Human Right to Water AND Supply Chain Responsibility

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 18, 2013.

You can’t have one without the other.

Transparency Behind the Brands: Murky waters?

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 15, 2013.

Some food companies are more opaque than others.

The Farmers Behind the Brands

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 12, 2013.

Small-scale farmers have enormous potential, but food companies are missing the mark.

From Earnestness to Action

By Irit Tamir from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Mar 08, 2013.

Nestlé’s response to Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign