Aid Reform press releases

US aid reforms making a difference in developing countries

lrusu — 2013-04-11T17:22:31Z

Washington, DC – International relief and development organization Oxfam America praised new policies that are pushing the US government to invest more in locally defined development priorities, as they have already demonstrated to achieve more sustainable results in the fight against poverty. Oxfam America also urged US policymakers to support the reform agenda and solidify the transformation to a recipient-led approach to development.

In new survey findings released today for an upcoming report entitled Quiet Renaissance: How reforms are making America a better partner in the fight against poverty, Oxfam outlined how US foreign assistance reforms are going in the right direction, and underscores that they are being well received. The findings were released at a Washington, DC event featuring USAID Administrator Raj Shah, Malawi Health Network Executive Director Martha Kwaitane, and moderated by Kojo Nnamdi, host of WAMU 88.5’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show.

"Our findings clearly show what we’ve known for years: that development depends on the choices and actions of people in developing countries themselves, not on donors,” said Paul O’Brien, vice-president of policy and campaigns at Oxfam America. “It’s great to see the US government is recognizing that there’s tremendous value in the power of local people to decide how aid is spent, and how to execute and lead their own development efforts in partnership with the US.”

“America is a better partner now because foreign assistance is more focused on empowering citizens to tackle problems of poverty and health themselves,” said Kwaitaine, who attended the report launch in Washington, DC.

Oxfam’s report draws on extensive field interviews that Oxfam America conducted with citizens, civil society representatives, businesspeople and public officials in US aid recipient countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, Malawi, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, and Senegal. Key findings from the report include:

83% of survey respondents said the US is aligning better with national government plans.
75% said the US is aligning better with the needs of people in countries.
77% of stakeholders said that their interactions with the US have improved too.
73% percent of survey respondents noticed an increase in US capacity building efforts in their country.
86% of survey respondents said direct assistance to local civil society and governments would be much more helpful in their efforts to achieve development outcomes

Oxfam’s survey did find some frustration among recipients in that from their perspective, the US government is often moving too slowly to implement this reform.

Oxfam America offered a number of recommendations in the report, including increasing two-way information sharing with stakeholders and partners at all stages of the development process, continuing to invest in strengthening recipient country public institutions, including through budget support, to strengthen accountability and responsiveness, and expanding investments in democracy, governance and accountability though civil society groups and take stronger action to bring civil society voices into the development process at all levels.

“The US government is showing that it is relearning the lesson of leveraging local leadership,” continued O’Brien. “But it’s time for the US to accelerate and deepen these reforms in order to maximize its contribution to the fight against poverty.”

President’s budget proposal supports key programs and pushes important reforms

lrusu — 2013-04-10T18:18:55Z

International relief and development organization Oxfam America praised President Obama for putting his support behind key lifesaving programs and for pushing forward some much-needed reforms through his proposed budget released today.

The President’s budget proposed level funding for key anti-poverty programs, such as Feed the Future, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, while pushing forward reforms of America’s food aid programs that would help feed possibly millions more people with no additional costs to the American taxpayer. The budget release comes as Oxfam America prepares to unveil findings from a field survey that shows marked improvements in US development efforts on the ground.

“President Obama is walking the talk by supporting key global anti-poverty programs, while also taking an important step towards long overdue reforms to bring food aid into the 21^st century,” said Paul O’Brien, vice president of policy and campaigns at Oxfam America. “Now it’s up to Congress to fund these life-saving programs and take up common sense reforms of the food aid program; first to assist hungry people, second to honor taxpayers.”

The United States is the world’s most generous donor of food aid, but numerous studies by the Government Accountability Office among others have shown that the system for delivering that aid is plagued by inefficiencies and waste. President Obama’s proposal would allow humanitarian responders more flexibly, such as purchasing food from local or regional sources. This shift, if passed by Congress, would allow US aid to reach millions more people with life-saving aid at no additional cost to American taxpayers. Although number of aid agencies, including Oxfam, are supporting this reform, special interests in Washington who profit from the current system are already trying to block President Obama’s proposal.

“Those in Washington who are interested in fiscally responsibility should throw their full support behind the President’s leadership to modernize our aid programs, especially food aid,” said O’Brien. “The President’s proposal will get food to more hungry people faster, cheaper and more efficiently. Congress should quickly turn the proposal into law.”

The reform of US-funded food assistance programs is part of a wider effort on the part of President Obama’s Administration to modernize development assistance so that it’s more efficient and truly delivers in the fight against poverty. Other reforms, such as Implementation and Procurement Reform, are rooted in the recognition that there’s tremendous value in the power of local people to decide how aid is spent, and how to execute and lead their own development efforts in partnership with the US.

Despite coming under fire from vested interests in Washington, reforms already put in place by the Obama Administration are making waves on the ground in developing countries. Findings from a survey conducted by Oxfam America with citizens, civil society representatives, businesspeople and public officials in seven US aid recipient countries reveal that such reforms are making a difference and are getting noticed. Over 83% of respondents surveyed by Oxfam call US a better development partner than five years ago.

“The Obama Administration is recognizing that there’s tremendous value in the power of local people to decide how aid is spent, and how to execute and lead their own development efforts in partnership with the US,” continued O’Brien. "Congress must now deepen and accelerate reforms, while continuing to support the small but critically important parts of our country’s budget to save lives, help people lift themselves out of poverty, spur economic growth, and make the world a better and safer place.”

USAID reforms increase effectiveness of efforts against poverty

lrusu — 2013-03-21T03:04:34Z

International relief and development organization Oxfam America praised USAID’s FORWARD Progress Report released today as an honest review of the reforms taken up by the agency to increase the effectiveness of America’s global poverty-fighting efforts.

In reaction, Gregory Adams, Oxfam America’s director of aid effectiveness made the following statement:

“The USAID FORWARD progress report shows the remarkable progress that USAID has made to improve the impact of America’s efforts to fight poverty. Oxfam’s own forthcoming research echoes these findings—that USAID’s reform progress has been significant and measureable, and that local partners are finding the US to be a better development partner. The USAID FORWARD reforms are working to enlist local leaders and citizens as partners in making sure American aid dollars deliver the greatest impact to fight poverty.

“The progress demonstrated in the report, especially on promoting sustainable development through high-impact partnerships demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that people are the leaders of their own development but also that the US is taking on the challenges of direct partnerships with local leaders in a careful, rational way. Our own forthcoming report will show that reforms are enabling USAID staff to find ways to work with community leaders in effective ways, and enabling governments to respond to local needs.

“While USAID FORWARD has made remarkable success, USAID and the United States government as a whole still have much more to do to make US assistance a better tool for helping fight poverty. The US needs to live up to its commitments to releasing more information about where and how aid is being spent, and put more USAID personnel and effort towards building direct relationships with governments, NGOs and entrepreneurs in developing countries. We hope that USAID will accelerate the pace of USAID FORWARD reforms, to cut out wasteful contracts and put more dollars directly in the hands of the people driving change in their own countries.”

Sequestration to hamper fight against poverty

ebhatti — 2013-02-28T18:31:34Z

WASHINGTON, DC - As mandatory cuts to federal budgets are set to take effect under the sequester, devastating key domestic and international programs that fight poverty, Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of international relief and development organization Oxfam America, made the following statement:

“The fight against poverty, both here and abroad, is one of America’s proudest traditions and smartest investments. Congress must protect these small but critically important parts of our country’s budget to save lives, help people lift themselves out of poverty, spur economic growth, and make the world a better and safer place.

“Congress needs to stop putting America’s prosperity and security on the line, and find a way to continue these crucial lifesaving programs.

“While few would disagree that the federal government needs to reduce our massive deficits, pretending to achieve fiscal responsibility by cutting relatively small programs that benefit the poor is shameful and simply doesn’t work.

“Life saving foreign aid, for example, is less than one percent of the budget. No matter how you dice it, you simply can’t cover a budget gap with it.

“Cuts to these tiny programs will have serious consequences. As we mark ten years since the beginning of the conflict in Darfur, 3.4 million people are relying on aid to survive and sequestration would chop 200 million dollars out of our humanitarian assistance accounts. According to Secretary of State John Kerry, double that amount will be cut from global health funding, devastating efforts to stop HIV/AIDs and child death.

“Sequestration cuts would also dismantle much of the progress the US government has made in recent decades to improve the efficiency and impact of our assistance.

“Here at home, 600,000 poor children and mothers will lose WIC nutrition aid and 70,000 children will no longer be able to attend Head Start programs, according to the Coalition on Human Needs. Other initiatives that help the neediest Americans will also be slashed: 125,000 low-income families will lose rental vouchers; four million fewer Meals on Wheels will be served to the elderly; more than 370,000 adults and children will lose treatment for mental illness.

“The bottom line is that these across the board ‘blind’ sequester cuts will cost lives. Budget-cutting by sequester is shortsighted, irresponsible and an inhumane attack on the poor.”

/ENDS

Editor’s note: Oxfam America does not receive US government funds.

Oxfam welcomes new Secretary of State, urges pro-development agenda

ebhatti — 2013-02-01T23:18:27Z

Washington, DC – In reaction to Senator John Kerry’s confirmation as Secretary of State, Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of international relief and development organization Oxfam America, made the following statement:

“As a Boston-based organization with offices around the world, Oxfam America sends our heartfelt congratulations to Senator Kerry for his confirmation and we look forward to working with him towards a world free from poverty, hunger and injustice.

“America's foreign policy and development assistance are powerful tools for sharing America's values, fighting poverty, and advancing human dignity. The United States government cannot solve poverty or injustice on our own, but our nation can do much to encourage and support governments in developing countries to be more accountable to their people and meet their needs.

“To do so, America needs to invest in building strong, lasting partnerships directly with local citizens, governments, and entrepreneurs in developing countries. The Obama Administration’s 2010 Global Development Policy and related reforms have already put the United States government on this path. We trust that Secretary Kerry will continue to advance this effort towards more transparency, local engagement and investment.

“Under the leadership of Secretary Clinton, the State Department has been a strong promoter of increased revenue transparency in the oil, gas and mining sectors in order to reduce corruption and monitor the use of billions of dollars in government revenues generated by these industries. We hope that Secretary Kerry will maintain US leadership on this critically-important priority and support the Securities and Exchange Commission as it defends landmark payment disclosure legislation.

“We also look forward to working with Secretary Kerry to address the impact of climate change on the global food system and vulnerable populations around the world. Secretary Kerry’s leadership on climate change in the Senate can provide a critically-needed jolt for action to address the causes and consequences of a warming planet.

“In a world where the massive and poorly regulated global trade in arms and ammunition continues to threaten the security and rights of millions of men, women and children, we urge Secretary Kerry to negotiate a strong UN Arms Trade Treaty at the UN in March. In order to be effective, it must include all conventional weapons and associated ammunition, and ban the transfer of arms that could be used for genocide, serious war crimes, or crimes against humanity.

“Most importantly, we stand behind Secretary Kerry as he will undoubtedly face humanitarian crises around the globe. During his confirmation hearing, he referenced the worsening insecurity and humanitarian situation in Darfur and the ongoing conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states. We hope that he will put his extensive experience with the Sudans, and his personal relationships with senior leadership of both countries, to good use and ensure the US plays a strong role in seeking humanitarian access and peace within and between Sudan and South Sudan.

“There is so much work to do. We at Oxfam hope for a productive relationship with the State Department under Secretary Kerry’s leadership, as we continue working to right the wrongs of social injustice and poverty in developing nations.”

/ENDS

Novel ad campaign urges no cuts to poverty-fighting foreign aid

ebhatti — 2013-01-15T19:12:01Z

WASHINGTON, DC – International relief and development organization Oxfam America kicked off a new public effort today urging Congress not to cut foreign aid programs that fight poverty and hunger. The push includes a robust multi-platform advertising buy in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (National and Dulles Airports, DC Metro stations and Roll Call) and highlights how American poverty-focused assistance saves lives and helps millions of people lift themselves out of poverty, all for less than 1% of the federal budget.

The hard-hitting ads superimpose DC insider buzzwords, such as “job creator” and “beltway outsider” with decidedly non-DC imagery—people surrounded by fishing boats in Ghana, a plant nursery in Tanzania, a roadway in Malawi. By showcasing community leaders and advocates in developing countries who have leveraged US foreign aid investments in their work, Oxfam’s ads create dramatic effects. The ads also highlight the measurable impact that can be achieved utilizing US foreign assistance when the US partners with local leaders who are engaged in fighting poverty and injustice in their own countries.

“People in America should know this: American foreign aid is working. With a small investment from partners like USAID, my organization has successfully advocated for improved health services in communities that previously had none,” said Martha Kwataine one of the civil society leaders featured in the ad campaign. “Last year, at least 10,000 more Malawians had access to basic health services as a result of our advocacy.”

Alongside Ms. Kwataine, the ads feature Emiliana Aligaesha, a farmer in Tanzania, Manuel Dominguez, the mayor of a Peruvian town and Nana Kojo Kondua IV, chief of a Ghanaian fishing town, all who are turning small aid investments to create a sound future for their nations and their communities.

“People like Martha, Emiliana, Manuel and Kojo are having dramatic impacts in their communities with the US as their partner. What they lack are the well-heeled lobbyists to fight for their interests in the ongoing budget battle,” said Gregory Adams, director of Oxfam America’s aid effectiveness program. “As an organization committed to fighting poverty and injustice, we have taken it upon ourselves to deepen the US government’s commitment to making aid more effective so that people can bring themselves out of poverty.”

Mayor Manuel Dominguez of San Martin Alao in Peru, also featured in the ad campaign, was committed to using his limited city budget as best as he could to tackle the problem of waste management in his city. However it was not until USAID began providing technical assistance to the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, that Dominguez succeeded getting significant funds from the Peru government.

“My people and I can stop pollution in our district. We just needed a partner. We know how to get it done,” Dominguez says.

Many people’s futures depend on less than 1% of the US budget that supports poverty-reducing foreign aid. These programs give the world’s poorest people the tools they need to help lift themselves out of hunger and poverty, help build a stable, inclusive global economy with new sources of prosperity and advance democracy and human rights. Strategic and effective aid investments also help make a safer world today and avert costlier interventions and humanitarian emergencies tomorrow.

“Foreign aid works best when it helps local people take charge of tackling their own problems—supporting them to build a dream, build a business, support their family, or help their community,” continued Adams. “It is precisely these kinds of programs that we must keep off of Washington’s chopping block.”

Oxfam to Congress: "Don't be lame! Save poverty fighting aid!"

lrusu — 2012-11-14T21:01:11Z

WASHINGTON, DC – With the 2012 election over and Congress diving back into the budget deficit debate during their lame duck session, international relief and development organization Oxfam America today urged members of the House and Senate to support Senate funding levels in the omnibus spending bill and avoid any further cuts to global poverty assistance.

In a stunt in front of the Capitol, Oxfam activists inflated a giant 15x18 foot yellow duck to make its point that cutting foreign aid would simply be lame. The activists also delivered a packet of yellow duck-shaped candies and information about life saving foreign aid directly to each House and Senate office to help drive the message home.

“Congress shouldn’t duck common sense as it wades through the upcoming budget negotiations,” said Linda Delgado, government affairs director for Oxfam America. “The fight against global poverty is one of America’s proudest traditions and smartest investments. Congress must protect these vital programs from cuts – they save millions of lives, help people thrive, and reduce the need for assistance in the long run.”

Effective aid has reduced the number of children who die before their fifth birthday by four million since 1990, put 33 million more children in the classroom, provided urgent humanitarian assistance to tens of millions of people affected by natural disasters and conflicts, and increased tenfold the number of people receiving HIV/AIDS medication. US aid also helps people and countries around the world invest in their own self-reliance, reducing the need for assistance over the long term.

“America’s investments in the fight against poverty have helped eradicate polio, fuel the Green Revolution, and rebuild shattered economies,” said Gregory Adams, director of aid effectiveness for Oxfam America. “Foreign aid has also helped build some of America’s strongest allies, like Turkey, South Korea, and Poland. When you look at that record, and then consider the cost—less than one percent of the federal budget—Congress would have to be quackers to vote to cut aid!”

In order to help address the need of those living in acute poverty, Oxfam urged Congress to fund poverty-focused accounts to at least FY 2013 Senate levels. Any further cuts would disrupt life-saving programs and dismantle much of the progress the US government has made in recent decades to improve the efficiency and impact of our assistance. Worse yet, if Congress is unable to reach agreement on sequestration before the end of the year, devastating automatic cuts will kick in that could make the difference between life and death for many of the world’s poor but would not even make a dent to help solve our federal budget deficit.

“Lifesaving foreign aid is often unfairly singled out for ugly duckling cuts in Washington’s budget fights,” said Delgado. “The leadership in the House and Senate must get their ducks in a row and support Senate funding levels for poverty-focused development assistance and prevent devastating mandatory cuts to these life-saving programs.”

Eurozone breakup would cost poorest countries $30 billion

bgrossmancohen — 2012-06-15T14:18:05Z

A Eurozone breakup could cost the world’s poorest countries $30 billion in lost trade and foreign investment, international relief and development organization Oxfam has warned ahead of the G20 leaders meeting in Mexico to discuss the state of the global economy.

Many poor countries would be pulled into a vicious spiral of falling export earnings, damaging their economies and putting pressure on already limited resources for essential health and education services. $30 billion is almost a quarter of the global aid budget, and represents an additional burden on poor countries at a time when 18 million people in West Africa are at risk of a looming food crisis. Donors have so far failed to come up with adequate funding to help those going hungry.

“G20 leaders need to remember that the consequences of economic crisis are felt most acutely by poor countries that are already facing major impacts from volatile food prices and aid cuts,” said Gawain Kripke, research and policy director for Oxfam America. “The Eurocrisis is a grave threat and the G20 has a responsibility to prevent poor people from being punished for problems they did nothing to create.”

Oxfam’s calculations are that if the Euro breaks up, the resulting drop in European countries’ GDP would mean a loss of income for Least Developed Countries – most of these in Sub-Saharan Africa - of up to $20 billion in revenue from exports to Europe in the year following the breakup. Poor countries could expect to lose a further $10 billion due to reduced investment from the continent. A collapse of the Eurozone would exacerbate the problems already facing low-income countries, including food shortages, failing aid and reduced capital flows as a result of the economic crisis.

Oxfam is calling on the G20 to show strong support for a financial transaction tax (FTT, know in many countries as a Robin Hood Tax) to help poor people hit by the economic crisis. The European Commission has proposed a Europe-wide FTT that would raise $71 billion a year. The G20 also needs to take urgent action on issues which help drive social vulnerability by curbing financial speculation on food commodities, reversing biofuels policies that transform food into fuel and improving land rights.

“The G20 must make a concerted effort to address the economic and food crises that have left one in seven people in the world hungry,” said Kripke. “The financial sector should work in the interests of society not the other way around: that means curbing food speculation and insisting the sector which bears responsibility for the economic crisis helps poor people who have been trapped by it.”

Three years ago, the G20 launched a framework for “strong, sustainable and balanced growth”. They will meet in Los Cabos having delivered little for people most at risk of losing their livelihoods and most likely to be pushed into poverty.

Gross capital flows to developing countries plunged to $170 billion last year compared with $309 billion in 2010 and aid to developing countries fell by $3.4 billion last year.

“The European crisis goes beyond just Europe,” said Kripke. “G20 leaders must use their power to deal with these issues in a way that addresses more than the needs of the wealthiest and most powerful.”

Oxfam is calling on the G20 to:

Take action to fix the broken food system. The G20 persists in failing to address the most important drivers of the food price crisis: increased demand for biofuels, financial speculation on commodities, and climate change. Most urgently, 18 million people in the Sahel now face a severe food shortage. This is on top of the nearly billion worldwide who already go hungry.
Clamp down on tax dodging and improving tax transparency. Developing countries are losing billions every year that would provide a vital boost to their economies and could be spent on reducing poverty. So far the G20’s promise to crack down on tax havens has largely failed to materialize.
Raise money for increased public spending and support to the poorest introducing a carbon price on international shipping, which would help to cut emissions and in the process raise $25 billionn a year.
Concentrate on ensuring that growth is fair and boosts equality, so that its benefits reach people living in poverty. As a first step G20 countries must publicly and annually report progress on reducing inequality and make inequality reduction a measure of progress alongside GDP growth. They should task the IMF with doing this.
Support increased investment in high-quality public health and education services. These are crucial safety nets for the poorest and those falling on hard times, as well as crucial investments in future productivity and a fairer society.

/Ends

Notes to editors

Oxfam’s calculation on the monetary cost of a euro zone total break up on LDCs used three data sources:

A scenario by ING on the economic impact (measured as GDP fall) in the euro zone. The total drop in output for 2 years is 12 percent. During the first year after the break up, the loss would be 8.9 percent (this economic contraction would be worse than what happened after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008). Source: EMU Break-up. Pay Now, Pay Later. ING Global Economics 1 December 2011
A time series of the trade matrix between the euro zone and Least Developed Countries (48 countries as defined by the United Nations). This information is available in the UNCTAD Stat website under International Trade. Also, the time series of foreign direct investment in LDCs. Source: http://unctadstat.unctad.org/
The time series of GDP (real and nominal) from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Source: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD

Trade data shows a sharp reversal of LDCs exports to the world and the euro zone in 2009. The total value of exports from LDC to the Euro zone fell by 30 percent in 2009. This represented a loss of 10 billion dollars in export income for LDCs from one year to the next. This occurred when GDP (in real terms) in the Euro zone fell by around 4 percent. The reversal was so large that LDC exports of goods in 2010 were still below the 2008 level.
ING has detailed a scenario where GDP in the Euro zone could fall by 8.9 percent in 2013 if the euro breaks up. A quick and rough calculation - using the 2009 crisis as reference – suggests that LDC countries could lose around 20 billion dollar in income from exports to the Euro zone alone.
A similar calculation on foreign direct investment suggests an additional loss in income of 10 billion dollars. Foreign Direct Investment to LDCs fell by 20 percent in 2009 - from 32.3 to 26.4 billion - in the aftermath of the Lehman collapse. A euro collapse could mean a decrease in FDI flows of 10-11 billion to LDCs.

Gross capital flows to developing countries plunged to $170 billion last year compared with $309 billion in 2010, according to the World Bank’s 2012 ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report.
The least developed countries (LDCs) are a group of countries that have been identified by the UN as "least developed" in terms of their low gross national income (GNI), their weak human assets and their high degree of economic vulnerability. There are 48 countries currently on the UN’s LDCs list. (Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Yemen and Zambia.)
Latest OECD figures show aid from rich countries was $133bn in 2011 - a real terms fall of $3.4bn.
A group of G20 countries – Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and South Africa - backed an FTT for development and climate change at the Cannes summit in November. It followed a report from Bill Gates which backed the policy.

G8 to poor countries: It’s not you, it’s me

bgrossmancohen — 2012-05-19T23:41:07Z

As the Camp David G8 Summit winds down, international agency Oxfam criticized G8 leaders for failing to renew measureable funding and policy commitments to help address global food security. Leaders were unwilling to continue current efforts to invest in developing country agriculture, even as they set a new goal of helping 50 million people lift themselves out of poverty through agriculture by 2015.

“As if they are using the classic break up line, ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ the G8 is walking away from the agreement struck in Italy just three years ago,” said Oxfam’s Gregory Adams. “Breaking up is never easy, but the G8’s unwillingness to sustain their promises comes as the challenges facing poor people around the world are only getting harder.”

While members of the private sector featured prominently in G8 discussions, the concerns of smallholder farmers who are the key to food security were not at the table. Concerned with the direction of the G8’s efforts on food security, a number of African civil society leaders have asked the G8 to stick to the plans drawn up in L’Aquila.

“The G8 made a commitment in 2009 to stand with developing countries for better or for worse,” said Oxfam’s Lamine Ndiaye. “Poor countries have presented the G8 country-led, sustainable, and coordinated plans for food security and agricultural development, but today the G8 gave them the cold shoulder.”

In one summit bright spot, a handful of countries made much-needed pledges to the tune of $1.2 billion to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), the multi-donor fund that invests directly in country plans. Oxfam urged the rest of the G8 to follow suit, channeling all pledges through the public sector window.

“The GAFSP has been running on fumes and will certainly benefit from the announced injection of resources,” said Adams.

As the shutters close in Camp David, we look to the G20 in Los Cabos to take concrete action to fix the broken food system. Attention also shifts towards the UK, which will host the next G8 Summit.

“Along with the US, the UK deserves credit for sticking to its overall aid commitments and those made at L'Aquila to address global hunger,” said Adams. “And as chair of next year's G8, it is the UK’s turn to raise the level of ambition and deliver a partnership with developing countries to tackle the scandal that sees one in seven people going hungry.”

\ENDS

Oxfam: G8 food security alliance answers question hungry people have not asked

bgrossmancohen — 2012-05-18T16:25:43Z

Washington, DC— International agency Oxfam warned that today’s announcement of the "New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition" focuses too heavily on the role of the private sector to tackle the complex challenges of food insecurity in the developing world. The organization called instead for G8 leaders to keep the promises they have already made to help developing countries invest in sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty.

"The New Alliance is neither new nor a true alliance,” said Oxfam’s Lamine Ndiaye. “The rhetoric invokes small-scale producers, particularly women, but the plan must do more to bring them to the table.” Smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, make up the majority of hungry people in poor countries and are key agents of change in their communities.

Three years ago, at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, President Obama rallied the leaders of the world’s richest countries to pledge $22 billion to poor countries that had goods plans to tackle hunger. Seven months away from the end of the L’Aquila initiative, dozens of poor countries have lived up to their end of the bargain, but the G8 is falling down on the job.

“President Obama deserves credit for focusing the G8’s attention on the fact that one billion people go to bed hungry every night,” said Oxfam’s Gregory Adams. “We applaud the clear focus on the target of helping 50 million people escape hunger and poverty through agriculture.”

“G8 leaders should join President Obama to commit resources to help developing countries reach this ambitious goal. The pledge to find $1.2 billion for the trust fund to support country agriculture plans is a good start. But the G8 should recommit to the partnership they began at L’Aquila and maintain that level of investments. Otherwise, they’ll be offering a shrinking solution to a growing problem.”

The alliance includes 45 companies from around the world, representing what G8 leaders hope will be the missing link to achieve transformational development in poor countries. While there is a positive role for the private sector in the fight against global hunger, the plan’s top down approach does not reflect what many people in poor countries say they want or need. The average private sector role in existing country food security plans, the basis for the L’Aquila agreement, is about 5%, and most have no role at all.

“This new alliance – is a nice complement at best, a deflection at worst. The role of the private sector is important, but they will not be able to make up for the G8’s broken promises,” said Ndiaye. “Smallholder farmers need the freedom to pursue their own growing strategies, not take overly-prescriptive tips on farming from G8 leaders, or one size fits all technologies from far away CEOs.”

A number of African civil society leaders and groups publicly raised concerns about the path the G8 is taking on food security in an open a letter to the G8 and a declaration signed at a Committee on World Food Security Consultation for African civil society groups in April of 2012.

“Having been developed without African civil society, it’s unclear what role they will play in its execution,” said Ndiaye.

The plan mentions but must do more do address the growing threats of climate change and natural resource constraints. And while the G8’s initiative endorses the United Nations Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure, an important step forward in preventing land grabs, they make a misstep in also legitimizing a weaker World Bank standard.

“Unless the G8 reaffirms and continues its L’Aquila pledges, they are passing the buck on global hunger,” said Adams. “The private sector, especially local small and medium enterprises, can play an important role in tackling food security, but G8 leaders have to first deliver on their end of the deal.”

/ENDS

Bold food security initiative needed from G8

bgrossmancohen — 2012-05-17T14:39:08Z

Washington, DC— On the eve of the G8 Summit, international agency Oxfam called on world leaders heading to Camp David to make predictable, measureable funding and policy commitments that will help 50 million people lift themselves out of poverty through sustainable, small-scale agriculture by 2015.

Almost a billion people on this planet — one in seven of us — are hungry. The kind of hunger that pushes men to leave their families in search for work, forces mothers to choose between food and medicine for their children and prevents the healthy development of a new generation. At Camp David, the leaders of the eight richest countries can build on their previous commitments and partner with developing countries to urgently tackle hunger.

“From the Horn of Africa to the Sahel, farmers and herders, especially women, around the world are working tirelessly to overcome hunger in their communities, doing battle with high food prices, insects and erratic weather,” said Oxfam’s Gawain Kripke. “This week at Camp David, we hope the G8 will join smallholder farmers and developing countries to fight hunger by delivering on their previous pledges and recommitting for the future.”

Three years ago, at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, President Obama rallied the leaders of the world’s richest countries to promise to invest $22bn dollars over three years through country-led plans for food security. A number of countries have developed sustainable and coordinated plans for food security and agricultural development; they now need a partner to help get them off the ground.

“At least 30 poor countries have developed plans to improve their agriculture and tackle food insecurity in their communities, but the promise of resources has yet to materialize,” said Kripke. “The need to channel public sector resources through country plans hasn’t gone away. It’s time for the G8 to live up to their end of the deal, and put the money on the table.”

Worryingly, there are indications that the G8 leaders will look to the private sector to step in to make up for their shortfalls, despite the fact that the private sector is simply unlikely to make the scale or kinds of investments needed to fix the broken food system.

“The G8 must not give in to the temptation to make bold and convenient assumptions about the private sector as a development panacea,” said Kripke. “There is no evidence that the growing focus on private sector engagement at the expense of other approaches will truly deliver for the fight against hunger.”

While there is a positive role for the private sector in the fight against global hunger, a resourced public sector is crucial to get the private sector going. Furthermore, the average private sector role in existing country plan budgets is about 5%, and most have no role at all.

“A number of African civil society groups have raised concern about the direction of the G8’s efforts on food security,” said Oxfam’s Lamine Ndiaye. “The rhetoric is all about small scale producers, but they haven’t yet been a part of the G8’s conversation.”

/ENDS

Activists urge local partnerships for global aid

jlee — 2012-05-09T16:12:33Z

Washington, DC— International relief and development organization Oxfam America joined sixteen high profile anti-corruption and human rights activists today to call on the US Congress to support crucial reforms at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to reduce wasteful contracts in favor of direct partnerships between the US Government and local organizations.

In an open letter to Congress that appeared in today’s Roll Call and CQ Daily ahead of the House Foreign Affairs markup, the activists urged Congress to oppose earmarks and set-asides for special interests that cost both dollars and lives.

“As leaders and activists fighting corruption and defending human rights in our home countries, we often risk our lives to change our countries for the better,” said the letter signed by John Githongo, CEO of the Inuka Kenya Trust, Nader Nadery, Chairman, Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, and Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, among others. “The United States can be our partner by directly supporting our efforts to lead change on the ground.”

USAID recently began to prioritize “Implementation and Procurement Reform,” sending more resources directly to recipient governments, businesses and organizations, while shifting away from large, inflexible contracts that historically bypass local governments and organizations. USAID is also beginning to hire local organizations and businesses to do development work, spending money through local country governments and financing civil society watchdog groups to ensure the funds are well spent. This long-term approach will bring about lasting change and long-term impact in the fight against poverty.

“USAID’s plan to move toward providing assistance directly to governments and civil society groups can actually help root out corruption at its core and achieve better development results,” said Paul O’Brien, vice-president for policy and campaigns at Oxfam America. “This is a small portion of assistance—less than a third of USAID’s resources— but this shift can have a huge impact on fighting corruption. What remains to be seen, however, is if Congress is going to stand with the people on the frontlines of the fight against corruption or side with entrenched special interests.”

“We know that as members of Congress you want to “follow the money” to protect taxpayer dollars,” said the activists in the published letter. “However, USAID’s overreliance on contractors often makes it more difficult for us to follow the money.”

April Fool’s ad warns against cuts to international poverty-fighting assistance

jlee — 2012-04-04T19:30:49Z

Washington, DC – As Members of Congress consider the federal budget, international humanitarian organization Oxfam America reminded them today that cutting the tiny amount that goes to foreign aid will not solve the budget gap, but it will have dramatic impacts on people in poverty. Through an ad push just before April Fool’s Day, Oxfam declared that cutting foreign aid to balance the budget is tantamount to getting a haircut in order to lose weight.

“Everybody loves to pick on foreign aid, since poor people don’t have high powered lobbyists making their case in Washington,” said Gregory Adams, Director for Aid Effectiveness at Oxfam America. “The penny-wise and pound-foolish nature of the cuts would barely put a ding in the budget deficit but would be devastating for poor people who are grappling with poverty and injustice.”

Many of the proposed cuts to foreign aid would come from long-term investments in fighting poverty, the kinds of investments America needs to make now in order to help countries solve their own problems, and save American money down the road. Not only that, but these sorts of cuts pull the rug out from under people who want to work with the United States as partners to solve problems we care about, like poverty, violence, hunger, disease, and corruption.

The American public tends to overestimate how much money the US government spends on foreign aid. Surveys report that American voters think the US spends as much as 27% of the federal budget on foreign assistance and generally support cuts to bring it down to about 13% of the budget. But when told that foreign assistance is less than 1% of the federal budget, 71% of Americans say we should either increase funding or keep it the same.

“The persistence of global poverty poses a challenge to our security, prosperity and values,” said Adams. “Cuts to effective programs, such as Feed the Future, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Global Health Initiative, Global Climate Change Initiative, will leave us without the critical tools for sustaining American leadership in building a better, safer world.”

Obama budget treads water in fight against global poverty

bgrossmancohen — 2012-02-13T17:26:36Z

Washington, DC – President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request maintains flat funding for poverty focused foreign assistance, keeping the US treading water in the fight against global poverty, said Oxfam America. Even in a tight fiscal climate, cuts to aid risk undermining effective programs that protect our security, save lives and bring hope to the two billion people struggling to survive on less than $2 per day.

“The Obama administration is holding the line, showing a commitment to the most effective and efficient tools we have to fight poverty and injustice around the world,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “But with one in seven people struggling to find their next meal and new humanitarian crises that threaten US security emerging all the time, holding the line is not enough. What might seem smart in the logic of Washington politics falls short in meeting the challenges of our world.”

As President Obama releases his budget a new food crisis is emerging in the Sahel region of Africa where an estimated 7 million people will be food-insecure in the coming months. In a “normal” year in the Sahel 300,000 children die from malnutrition-related causes. As Congress debates dollar figures, child malnutrition rates are expected to deteriorate with more than 1.5 million children under five in the region becoming exposed to acute malnutrition over the next year.

“The budget tries to make the best of a bad situation. It further advances reforms which began under President George W. Bush, to make aid more effective,” said Offenheiser. “Defunding aid has minimal cost-savings, puts the livelihoods of poor people at further risk and will cost the US more in the long term because it breeds conflict and instability. Aid is not charity; it is an investment in sustainable and equitable economic growth that will reap rewards for taxpayers and poor people alike. ”

Poverty focused aid is already less than 1 percent of the federal budget. This funding is vital to demonstrating our humanitarian values, protecting our national security and strengthening the global economy. When development works well, poor countries become less reliant on aid, and people have an opportunity to lead healthier, more secure and stable lives.

“Cuts to the President’s budget will have no impact in reducing the US deficit overall and will only add more risks to our security and hardship to the lives of those poor people we are trying to help,” said Offenheiser. “The only responsible course is for Congress to, at a minimum, fund the President’s request.”

Inequality rises across the G20 as economic growth fails to trickle down to poorest

bgrossmancohen — 2012-01-19T14:48:29Z

Washington, D.C. – Inequality has increased in at least 14 G20 countries since 1990 as economic growth has too often failed to benefit poor people, according to a new report published by Oxfam. US inequality has grown since 1990 and remains the most unequal wealthy G20 country followed by Japan and the UK.

Left behind by the G20? was released today as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner joined G20 finance ministers at a meeting in Mexico. The report adds to a growing body of evidence showing that inequality, often viewed as an inevitable result of economic progress, in fact acts as a brake on growth. Among the best ways to assure inclusive, sustainable growth and fight poverty, finds the study, are policies that reduce inequality.

“The evidence is exploding the myth that governments can wait for economic growth to trickle–down to the poorest,” said Paul O’Brien, vice-president for campaigns and advocacy for Oxfam America. “Too many policy makers have their blinders on to the interests of poor people.   It is having devastating impacts, not just on the lives of the poor, but on our natural resources and economic prosperity overall.”

The report presents a new analysis of inequality in G20 countries showing that inequality increased fastest in Russia, China, Japan and South Africa over the period 1990-2010. Inequality has also increased in wealthy countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. South Korea is the only wealthy country that has succeeded in reducing inequality during the last two decades. Of the emerging economies only Brazil, Argentina and Mexico have done so, though inequality remains high.

The report predicts that more than a million more people will be pushed into poverty in South Africa during the next decade unless rapidly growing inequality is addressed.   In Brazil and Mexico, bringing inequality down to the level in Indonesia (close to the G20 median) could reduce the number of people in poverty by 90 percent in the space of a decade.

Oxfam will present the report to the Mexican President, chair of this year’s G20, at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

“If the US and other G20 nations are serious about tackling poverty, we need to move away from thinking that ‘any and all growth is good’ to promoting truly ‘good growth’ that boosts the incomes of the poor and protects the resources they rely on.” said O’Brien. “Poor people were denied their fair share of the prosperity during the boom years and have been hit hardest by the crisis that followed.   It is time to set things right for everyone.”

Half the world’s poorest people live within the G20, making it a key battleground in the fight against global poverty. The G20 is formally committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.

The report finds that reducing inequality is not only the right thing to do; it also makes sound economic sense.   In Brazil between 1999 and 2009, nearly 12 million people escaped absolute poverty (income less than $1.25-a-day) bringing the proportion of people living in poverty from about one in nine to fewer than one in 25 thanks to economic growth and reductions in income inequality. Reducing inequality at a similar rate over the next decade would reduce poverty by a further 80 percent.

“The contrasting fortunes of poor people in South Africa and Brazil – two countries with similar growth rates - show the crucial role governments play in reducing poverty and inequality,” said O’Brien. “Governments cannot sit idly by and wait as poor people suffer the consequences. We need to take real steps right now to reduce inequality.”

The report lists five key policies governments can adopt to reduce inequality and recommends that the mix of policies should be tailored to the national context. The five are: universal health and education; progressive taxation; removal of barriers to equal rights and opportunities for women; land reform and income support programs.

The report can be found at: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/left-behind-by-the-g20

/ENDS