“Savings groups are an integral part of the financial landscape of the poor,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.  “Already, there are 7.5 million people around the world reaping the benefits of savings groups through financial inclusion and social interaction.  We hope to grow this number significantly in the coming years.”

Savings groups (SGs) provide access to basic financial services to 7.5 million rural poor people, mostly women, worldwide. These self-selected and self- managed groups provide their members with a secure place to save and easy access to loans.  SGs stabilize income, increase household financial assets and decrease vulnerability to financial and other shocks. They are a simple, transparent, cost-effective and sustainable means of providing basic financial services to the poor and a great platform that can be leveraged to deliver the additional products, services and trainings the groups regularly request.

“Savings groups have quietly but surely become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to financial inclusion,” said Sophie Romana, deputy director for community finance at Oxfam America. “Thousands of groups bring crucial financial services to the poorest of the poor, allowing them to save in a safe place, borrow with confidence from their own group, and create social capital they can draw upon in times of crisis.”

The conference brought together foundations, financial service providers, bilateral and multilateral agencies, microfinance institutions, international and local nongovernment organizations, and practitioners to highlight the success of savings groups in expanding financial inclusion and creating social cohesion.  In addition to partners and sponsors, experts from Aga Khan Foundation, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Freedom from Hunger, Oxfam America, Plan International, and USAID participated in the discussion.

Note to Editors:

For more information on the conference please visit: www.oxfamamerica.org/sgconference

/ENDS

Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.  We save lives, develop long-term solutions to poverty, and campaign for social change.  As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions.

More than 325,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives because of armed violence since negotiations for the treaty were halted last year, and next week negotiators start anew in the hope of finally delivering an international treaty. Fresh from a trip to South Sudan where he saw first-hand the devastation that the poorly regulated weapons trade is having on families and communities, Hounsou arrived in Washington to make the case for Washington support.

“It felt like a Hollywood movie to see young boys carrying AK-47’s,” said Hounsou. “A strong Arms Trade Treaty would help restrict the flow of such weapons and bullets to countries like South Sudan. We all have a moral obligation to bring about a robust ATT and make the world a safer place.”

The proliferation of guns in South Sudan where war raged for nearly five decades has led the government to begin collecting guns from civilians. However, collection has only occurred in some areas and recently disarmed communities have fallen prey to heavily armed attackers. During the week-long trip, Hounsou visited the states of Warrap and Lakes where community members explained that the free flow of guns and ammunition have made the problem of inter-communal violence and cattle raiding worse.

“For many families in South Sudan, cows are like money in the bank,” said Hounsou. “While cattle theft has been going on for generations, today, with guns instead of spears, the conflicts have turned far deadlier.”

The United States has some of the strictest regulations when it comes to the export and import of weapons such as tanks, guns, missiles, ammunition and other arms, but many countries, such as South Sudan, don’t have any laws on arms imports at all. The Arms Trade Treaty would establish a global framework and bring the rest of the world more in line with the rigorous standards and regulations already in force in the United States.

"As the government of South Sudan continues with the disarmament process, the international community can help slow down the flow of weapons and ammunition into the country by agreeing to the global Arms Trade Treaty,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “The Arms Trade Treaty would close the loopholes exploited by irresponsible arms dealers and help prevent regional and civil conflicts from spiraling out of control.”

Hounsou joined a number of other actors, musicians and directors in a letter to President Obama urging him to support the treaty.

“The world looks to the United States to lead on human rights. Now is the time for us to demonstrate that leadership by endorsing the Arms Trade Treaty,” stated the letter also signed by actors Kristin Davis, Rooney Mara, and Tim Roth, as well as director Ed Zwick and artist Yoko Ono. “As Americans of conscience, we have a responsibility to ensure that children and their families, wherever they are, can live free of violence.”

Four other letters from diverse constituencies, including a dozen retired generals, more than 500 legal professionals and scholars, and Nobel Peace Laureates, were also addressed to President Obama today, urging him to support a robust   Arms Trade Treaty during this critical battle for responsible arms trade.

“As humanitarians and peacemakers, we cannot accept the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are gunned down each year, with millions left maimed and traumatized,” stated the Nobel Peace Laureates letter signed by Oscar Arias, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Leymah Gbowee, among others. “The poorly regulated arms trade fuels conflict, violence, and serious violations of human rights, with devastating effects on health, security, and sustainable social and economic development.”

In a new report, “Getting It Right: The pieces that matter for an Arms Trade Treaty,” Oxfam and Saferworld laid out the major gaps in the current text of the draft treaty, with suggestions of how diplomats attending the UN negotiations could fix them.

“More than 325,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives because of armed violence since negotiations for the treaty were halted last year; negotiators must fill the gaps in the draft text, and make sure they agree on a treaty that will save lives,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “We have been working towards this treaty for over a decade, and the time has come to seal the deal on a treaty with teeth.”

Loopholes in the existing draft text that could fail to prevent arms being provided to human rights abusers who commit mass atrocities, including genocide if the sale of ammunition and parts and components are only partially-covered. The global ammunitions industry for small arms and light weapons is worth $4.3 billion, with 12 billion bullets produced each year. The report calls for tough controls on their transfer.

“Ammunition is literally the fuel of conflict,” said Saferworld’s Head of Arms Transfer Controls Roy Isbister. “Without ammunition, the guns fall silent.”

The absence of tight controls over the trade in ammunition is expected to become a major bone of contention during the negotiations. The US has expressed opposition to ammunition sales being covered fully by the scope of the treaty; however, others, including many African states say a treaty that does not regulate the sale of ammunition will not be worth the paper it’s written on.

The organizations say the draft treaty’s threshold to assess risks of human rights and humanitarian law violations before agreeing on a transfer is legally ambiguous. The draft treaty sets a threshold of “overriding risk” that states could interpret as allowing national security or other interests to override the obligation not to transfer arms likely to be used to commit serious human rights abuses. The NGOs believe that this loophole could be used to justify arms getting into the hands of warlords and human rights abusers.

Also of concern is that according to the current draft, states may be able to claim that transfers made as part of a separate defense agreement (such as Defense Co-operation Agreements) are not covered by the Treaty. This would mean that transfers made as part of existing defense contracts between Russia and Syria, for example, could still be interpreted as “legal”, despite risks of weapons being misused for human rights violations.

Roy Isbister said: “A strong ATT could make a huge difference to the lives of millions of innocent people around the world. But the loopholes in the current text could actually make things worse, by giving legal cover to bad practice. It’s critical that states refuse to settle for a Treaty that fails to protect lives and livelihoods and instead put all their efforts into delivering a treaty that gets it right.”

During a planned three-day trip to Senegal beginning March 11, Boldin and Fitzgerald will be joined by fellow star receiver Roddy White on a visit with local communities working with Oxfam to improve their access to livelihoods, increase their income, and ensure food security.

“I’m looking forward to my second trip to Africa with Oxfam and the opportunity to make an impact within the communities we visit,” said Boldin. “Getting together again to work with Larry, and being joined by Roddy is a blessing. It’s our duty to help those less fortunate whether they’re here at home or elsewhere in the world.”

Building on their experience in Ethiopia with Oxfam in 2012, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and now White will learn ways that communities are working together to reduce their vulnerability to disaster and increase political, social, and economic opportunities for women and youth.

"I've made great friends in the NFL.  I'm looking forward to sharing this Oxfam trip with Roddy and Anquan to see what people in Senegal are doing to improve their conditions,” said Fitzgerald.  “Any time I get to team up with Q again it means a lot to me.  I travel often but it's an opportunity of a lifetime to travel with Oxfam America to meet local people and learn about their lives and their work."

Boldin and Fitzgerald’s visit and subsequent work on the Ethiopian food crisis last year generated tens of thousands of dollars for the relief effort, as well as much needed publicity for the work being done by Oxfam partners on the ground. The players and their generous fans have played a key role in helping numerous communities in Ethiopia respond to the crisis.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to work again with Mr. Boldin and Mr. Fitzgerald, and are honored to have Mr. White join us on this trip,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “As ambassadors for Oxfam Mr. Boldin and Mr. Fitzgerald have worked tirelessly to raise awareness for the situation in Ethiopia, and we are honored to have them visit our friends and programs in Senegal. It’s a great opportunity to highlight what local communities are doing for themselves, and how Oxfam and our supporters, can help.”

After hearing about their experiences in Ethiopia in 2012, Roddy White was eager for the chance to join the trip this year.

/ENDS

Note to Editors: Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald will be available to speak to the press via phone and Skype during the trip. Oxfam America spokespeople will also be available, in addition to photos and video during the trip.

###

Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.  We save lives, develop long-term solutions to poverty, and campaign for social change.  As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions.

• Women cocoa growers are often paid less than men even though they are critical to the quality and productivity of cocoa.
• Most people who work along the cocoa supply chain continue to live in poverty, and malnutrition in cocoa producing areas of the world is rampant.
• Women working in cocoa fields and processing plants suffer substantial discrimination and inequality. For example, one worker in Indonesia told Oxfam she is made to work without a contract and is called “an animal” by her supervisor but has no way to complain. A worker at a cocoa processing factory in Indonesia told Oxfam that all female workers were fired after a few demanded equal treatment and pay.
• While women increasingly occupy positions of power in food and beverage company headquarters, women working in company supply chains in developing countries continue to be denied similar advances in wealth, status or opportunity.
• Women cocoa farmers have less access than men to land, credit, trainings and tools like fertilizers or irrigation systems.
• Company sustainability programs have not adequately focused on addressing issues faced by women.

“All three companies have launched major projects to improve cocoa sustainability and have committed to increasing the amount of certified cocoa that they purchase,” said Woodhead.  “Companies deserve credit for this work. But these efforts are piecemeal at best and women are often an afterthought. For decades companies have put women first in their advertisements, it is time for them to do the same for the women who grow their ingredients.”

Although the companies do not control or employ them directly, Oxfam is calling on Mars, Mondelez and Nestle to lead an aggressive effort to support and protect the rights of the millions of women worldwide who grow the cocoa essential for their products.  Specifically Oxfam has called on the companies to:

1. “Know and show” how women are treated in their value chains by launching third party assessments and publishing the data.
2. Commit to adopt a “plan of action” to address the findings of these assessments that will increase opportunities for women growers and address inequality in pay and working conditions.
3. Engage with and influence other powerful public and private actors including governments and cocoa certifiers to address gender inequality.

Oxfam has given companies a long list of specific steps that can meet these goals including increasing trainings for women, promoting female recruitment and leadership of farming cooperatives and requiring suppliers provide a living wage to workers.

Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Eliot Engel, authors of the Harkin-Engel protocol to address child labor in cocoa production, expressed support for Oxfam’s campaign.

“I have long believed that in order for the global economy to prosper, it is critical to protect the jobs and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations both in our country and abroad.  That work has largely centered on eradicating exploitative child labor in cocoa production, but it includes protecting human rights along the entire supply chain,” said Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).  “I applaud Oxfam for shining light on these inequalities in global cocoa production – inequalities that impact families abroad and markets around the globe.”

“I have worked to address significant labor issues in the production of cocoa and its derivative products in West Africa for many years,” said Congressman Eliot Engel.  “I know from first-hand experience that all parties – governments, industry, or private organizations – have to be fully engaged to bring an end to abusive labor practices. I have worked with the cocoa industry to address the issue of child labor, but more must be done on all fronts. We have a long road ahead that will require even greater commitment to human and labor rights issues.  Oxfam has done a great service bringing much needed attention to this significant issue.”

“Rooting out gender inequality is among the most important things companies can do to improve the quality and sustainability of their products,” said Woodhead. “Companies see farmers choosing other careers or crops and know how difficult it will be to meet the growing demand for cocoa if the situation does not improve. We are showing companies that consumers will reward them for doing the right thing, and will hold them accountable if they don’t.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:
‘BEHIND THE BRANDS’ PRODUCTS FOR MEDIA
The full behind the brands scorecard is available at www.oxfamamerica.org/behindthebrands
Media briefing on gender and cocoa: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/mars-mondelez-and-nestle-and-the-fight-for-women2019s-rights
Video: The truth about women and chocolate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYqZO4fUSzg
Pictures from the Ivory Coast: http://resources.oxfamamerica.org/pages/search.php?search=!collection1974&k=6969f243a8
Pictures from Nigeria: http://resources.oxfamamerica.org/?c=1971&k=23d6307910

The UN appeal for this year’s humanitarian response is woefully underfunded with just two percent of the $716 million it needs. The Yemeni government is calling for $17 billion to help save the fragile economy. Some $8 billion was pledged at previous conferences last year, but 78 percent of the funds have still not been delivered.

Oxfam warned that funding gaps are making it hard for agencies to help those in need. The UN has reported that health projects for 200,000 Yemenis in Hajjah and Sa’ada in Yemen's north may be at risk if money does come through. Oxfam is calling on more donors to deliver their pledges quickly, warning that delays could cost lives now. 

Colette Fearon, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen, said.

“Yemen is a forgotten crisis. Millions of people are struggling to feed their families, find clean water to drink, access basic healthcare and send their children to school. This conference must mark a turning point for ordinary Yemenis, when life really starts to improve. Too much time has been wasted on empty promises and donors must act now. Humanitarian aid must be quickly followed by investment to tackle the root causes of Yemen’s hunger crisis. We urge other countries to follow the UK Government’s lead in providing long term funds to start Yemen on the road to recovery.”

This year’s wheat harvest is predicted to be eight percent lower than last year’s leaving many farmers facing food shortages. Already a quarter of a million malnourished children are at risk of dying unless they receive urgent support. In total, some 10.5 million people do not have enough food to eat, while 13 million people lack access to clean water, out of a population of 24 million. Widespread humanitarian needs as a result of conflict in the north and south of the country is further exasperating the crisis.

The conference comes at a critical time ahead of the National Dialogue, which sees Yemenis debating the shape of their new Government and the constitution. Oxfam said that addressing emergency needs and investing in basic services as well as ensuring that Yemeni women have a say in the vision of their country will help put fragile Yemen on track to a better future.

“This landmark figure of one million refugees forced to flee fighting is an indictment of international failings to deal with the Syrian crisis. It should now spur governments and donors to redouble efforts to tackle both the refugee crisis and the conflict within the country," said Oxfam’s Syria response crisis program manager, Francis Lacasse.

“In January, donors promised more than $1.5 billion in aid. Only about 20 percent of this has been received, leaving aid organizations struggling to respond to the urgent needs of refugees who are flooding into neighboring countries as well as the millions who need help inside Syria.”

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, which funds Oxfam’s emergency work in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, has said it has only received 9 percent of requested funds and, without additional resources, the agency says it will have to scale back on life-saving interventions, including water, sanitation and hygiene work, and child protection.

“This money needs to be released immediately to address urgent and growing needs,” said Lacasse.

While more than one million refugees have been recorded by UNHCR, the true figure is likely to be much higher, say aid workers, since many Syrians fleeing their country choose not to register with the agency.

On Friday (March 2) the UN Secretary General warned that Syria would fall apart if its government and rebels continued fighting instead of seeking a negotiated peace.

“The likelihood is that the situation will continue to worsen, yet we are not getting enough help right now to support the refugees, with some organizations saying they may have to curtail some of their life-saving work. The prediction for the coming months is grim,” said Lacasse.

Oxfam teams are planning to assist 120,000 people in Lebanon and Jordan. Click here to support Oxfam’s Syria appeal.

Almost five million people were affected when heavy rains flooded parts of Baluchistan, Punjab and Sindh from mid-September 2012. Persistent floodwater meant many were homeless for months, unable to resume their usual way of making a living. Over a million people who did return to their villages found their homes too badly damaged to inhabit at the end of 2012, a UN survey found.

Flood victims have been forced into high level of debt and at increased risk of exploitation, ill health and long term destitution. Women, children, elderly people and flood survivors with disabilities are most at risk, warned the aid organizations.

Financial resources for critical relief and recovery work have almost dried up, said members of the National Humanitarian Network and the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum in a joint briefing published on Monday.

“Many flood survivors are poor farming families who missed the winter sowing season and have gone deeper into debt,” said Dr. Manzoor Awan, deputy executive director of Sungi Development Foundation and chairman of the National Humanitarian Network. “If they miss the next one too, it’ll be a second disaster for them.”

The aid organizations said that Pakistani authorities had provided vital life-saving assistance to tens of thousands of families. Additionally, although the federal government had avoided calling for international donor assistance, several donors had responded generously to requests from the UN and other aid organizations to support their flood response. However, the overall relief and recovery effort had not matched the scale, scope and duration of the disaster.

“We need sustained efforts by Pakistani authorities, international donors and aid organizations so that flood survivors can keep their families safe and healthy now, and get timely support to rebuild their livelihoods, homes and communities,” said Fayaz Ahmed, country director of Islamic Relief and chairman of the Pakistani Humanitarian Forum.

“A strong recovery and reconstruction strategy should be followed by intensified work led by the government to ensure Pakistanis are better prepared for future disasters,” said Arif Jabbar Khan, country director of Oxfam. “We need to accelerate current efforts. With climate change set to make floods and droughts more frequent and severe, the next government should make this a priority.”

ENDS

Note to editors:

1.        The National Humanitarian Network is an alliance of 159 Pakistani NGOs working to provide emergency relief and promote disaster resilience.
2.        The Pakistani Humanitarian Forum is an alliance of 53 international NGOs working to provide emergency relief and promote disaster resilience in Pakistan.

3.        The Monsoon Humanitarian Operations Plan, launched by the UN in September 2012, requested $168 million from international donors to assist flood affected communities. By 1 March it was only 30 percent funded. Activities to provide shelter were only 5 percent funded, health activities 6 percent funded, and water and sanitation projects just 8%.

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in more than 90 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.

Increasing conflict over the last months linked to disputes over land and mineral resources challenges the notion that Darfur is on a path to peace. In January, an estimated 100,000 people were displaced and 100 killed by intertribal fighting in Jebel Amr in North Darfur, and conflict in recent days killed an additional 50 people. According to the UN, the number of those displaced in the first two months of 2013 alone represents more than all of those displaced in 2012 combined.

With the bridge from conflict to peace still under construction, the international community must recommit to working towards peace in Sudan. Local peace efforts need to be encouraged and humanitarian aid must reach the millions of people who still need it.

“We have 1.4 million people still living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Darfur who cannot return home safely,” said El Fateh Osman, Country Director for Oxfam in Sudan. “With a renewed commitment to seek a just peace – including through better funding for and implementation of provisions outlined in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) – the country and the region can begin to emerge from this protracted crisis which has caused so much suffering and cost so many lives.”

The government – with the support of the hybrid United Nations/African Union Peacekeeping Mission UNAMID – must protect people from violence, and it must guarantee displaced people the right to return safely home if they choose. Those who do not wish to return even when there is peace must not be forced to do so. Ten years after the start of the conflict, Darfur has changed forever. More urbanized than before, the camps are home to large numbers of people who are not able to return to rural areas, and this reality must be reflected in donor and government policies. Humanitarian access must reach those in need throughout the country – including in areas affected by the separate but related conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States – and the government must accelerate efforts to provide services to all citizens.

“This anniversary should serve as a moment to awaken our consciousness and put an end to this conflict once and for all. The international community has spent 10 years trying to ease the impact of this crisis; now is the time to find lasting solutions and to help the people of Darfur to rebuild their lives and their communities” said Osman.

Talks resume in Singapore this week for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), where the US is expected to insist that countries must take on strict intellectual property protection and drug pricing rules when they sign the deal. At the same time, the US will meet with World Trade Organization members in Geneva to determine whether the world’s poorest countries (least developed countries, or LDCs) can avoid implementing intellectual property rules until they are able to graduate from extreme poverty.

“Between the TPPA negotiations and the meeting of the TRIPS Council, the US will seek in one week to dramatically expand intellectual property rules across most countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, with damning public health consequences,” said Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam’s America’s senior policy adviser. “For millions of people lacking access to medicines today, these new rules could mean that medicines will not be affordable, for themselves, their families and generations to follow.”

In the past decade, the US has consistently demanded in these trade negotiations that poor countries introduce measures that will increase medicine prices. Despite opposition from many of its trading partners, the US is insisting on intellectual property provisions that introduce an expanded scope of patentability, data exclusivity, patent linkage and patent term extensions, all of which expand drug industry monopolies at the expense of public health.  The US has also proposed new pharmaceutical pricing rules that would hinder the ability of governments to effectively negotiate medicine prices with big drug companies.

In Vietnam, for example, government officials, experts and civil society groups are already worried about the possible impact of the TPPA on medicine prices. Thousands more people could be pushed into poverty, forced to choose between medicines and other basic necessities, or to forego treatment altogether. Many medicines for diseases including cancer and Hepatitis B and C are already unaffordable for most people there.

The TPPA also comes at a bad time for efforts to provide universal treatment to HIV and AIDS. Up to 170,000 people living with HIV and AIDS still require basic treatment in Vietnam and thousands more will soon need new, patented anti-retroviral medicines as they will develop resistance to their current treatments. US proposals will increase these medicine costs too – undermining US global health efforts through PEPFAR, which currently finances more than half of the country’s HIV and AIDS treatment budget.  It will also undermine the Vietnamese government’s future ability to sustain and expand national efforts to address HIV and AIDS, especially after 2015 when the US may stop providing foreign assistance to Vietnam to treat HIV and AIDS.

“The US is putting the interests of the drug industry above those of public health,” said Burgos.  “Not only do US policies fly in the face of commitments made under original World Trade Organization rules and under the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health, they also undermine the effectiveness of the US’s generous aid to pay for treatment in poor countries.”

As the coordinating body that oversees the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement meets in Geneva this week, trade negotiators must decide whether to renew a waiver issued to LDCs that previously delayed implementation of intellectual property rules for medicines until 2016, and a waiver on all other intellectual property rules until June 2013. Least developed countries are the poorest countries in the world, with approximately 80 percent of all people in LDCs – more than 750 million people – living on less than $2 per day.  But the US has been opposing this waiver, even though WTO rules clearly grant LDCs the right to request and have it granted.

“Intellectual property rules have direct and profound impacts on public health, particularly through intellectual property rules, but time and again, the US Trade Representative has insisted on far-reaching rules that expand drug industry monopolies and thus keep the prices of new medicines high,” said Burgos. “Not only does this undermine the sustainability of public health-care programs, this approach has discredited trade itself as a tool for poverty reduction. “The US government must urgently reconsider its approach on trade policy and access to medicines.”

/ENDS

The event will serve as a platform for conference Advisory Committee members Aga Khan Foundation, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Freedom from Hunger, Oxfam America, PLAN, and USAID will launch “50 by 2020,” an initiative expanding savings groups membership globally from 6 to 50 million by 2020.

WHO:

• Henriette Kolb, ceo, Cherie Blair Foundation
• Henry Mbgatuta, Ugandan assistant commissioner for microfinance
• Experts from Aga Khan Foundation, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Freedom from Hunger, Oxfam America, Plan International, and USAID
• Foundations, financial service providers, bilateral and multilateral agencies, microfinance institutions, international and local nongovernment organizations, and practitioners

WHAT: Two-day conference with panel discussions on the financial and social impact of savings groups and a vision for the future.  For full agenda and additional information visit: www.oxfamamerica.org/sgconference

WHEN: March 4-5, 2013

WHERE: Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, 900 Orme Street Arlington, VA 22204

WHY: Savings groups (SGs) provide access to basic financial services to rural poor people, mostly women, worldwide and provide members a secure place to save and have easy access to loans.  SGs stabilize income, increase household financial assets and decrease vulnerability to financial and other shocks.  They are a simple, transparent, cost-effective and sustainable means of providing financial services to the poor.  This conference will highlight how SGs have positively affected financial inclusion, literacy, health, humanitarian response, and gender violence and serve as a launch pad for an expansion of SGs globally.

/Ends

Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.  We save lives, develop long-term solutions to poverty, and campaign for social change.  As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions.

“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.

Some 5,000 refugees are fleeing Syria every day, 36 percent more than were leaving in December last year. Many have just the clothes on their backs. The UN’s “worst-case scenario” forecast that one million-plus refugees will have fled Syria by June is likely to be realized within weeks.

Although $1.5 billion for the Syria humanitarian response was promised at a donor conference in Kuwait last month, only 20 percent of funding has been received.

“The humanitarian crisis is worsening day by day, leaving relief organizations struggling to provide help that’s desperately needed,” said Francis Lacasse, Oxfam’s Syria crisis response manager. “Money that was generously promised a month ago is urgently needed now, to allow organizations to continue providing basic services like food, water and shelter to ever-growing refugee populations.

“More than five thousand people are fleeing Syria into neighboring countries every day, placing a massive burden on the host communities and with the potential to undermine stability in the region.”

Since the conflict began almost two years ago, more than 925,000 Syrians have fled the conflict. Inside Syria, where more than two million more have been displaced from their homes, the costs of basic commodities have increased; health facilities have been damaged or destroyed; and contaminated water supplies have resulted in an increase in waterborne diseases such as Hepatitis A and typhoid.

Lebanon and Jordan, which host the largest numbers, are to be commended for keeping their borders open and continuing to provide assistance for the refugees, despite severely strained resources. This month, Jordan recorded its highest-ever figure with more than 50,000 new arrivals.

Refugee numbers have doubled in Egypt over the last three months, risen by almost one-fifth in Turkey since the start of the year, and Iraq already hosts refugee numbers much larger than it had forecast for the end of June.

In Jordan, more than 120,000 refugees are officially registered at the sprawling Zaatari desert camp, near the Syrian border. The camp, the size of a large city, is almost full to capacity. The massive influx is already creating tensions and conflict over sparse resources. The Jordanian government will need additional financial support to provide a safe environment for the refugees and its own population.

Aid organizations in the camp are also facing challenges because of the sudden upsurge in refugee numbers. Oxfam is installing water and hygiene facilities in what was meant to be a new, unfilled section of the camp.  But the fast-moving crisis has meant the organization has had to provide temporary facilities for thousands of refugees who have moved in before permanent facilities have been completed, creating extra work and adding to overall costs.

The Jordanian government is planning to open at least two new camps to house the refugees.

But most Syrians refugees live outside camps, scattered in towns and villages both here in Jordan and in other countries neighboring Syria, where it’s harder for them to access aid. Rental prices for housing have shot up, while health and school facilities have struggled to keep pace with increased demands, creating new hardships for both the refugees and their hosts.

“This is likely to be a prolonged crisis and relief organizations and governments need to prepare for the long-haul,” said Oxfam’s Francis Lacasse. “Even if there was an immediate halt to the violence today, there will be massive humanitarian needs that will need to be addressed for months and years to come. There is no quick fix.”

Humanitarian organizations recognize that host communities have been extraordinarily generous in helping the new arrivals, but tensions could arise in the future because of the increased costs of living, finding shelter and other services and limited job opportunities.

Oxfam teams are planning to assist 120,000 people in Lebanon and Jordan. Donations to support Oxfam’s efforts in Syria can be made here.

• While some of the “Big 10” have publicly committed to women’s’ rights, none have committed to eliminating discrimination against women throughout their supply chains.
• None of the companies have adequate policies to protect local communities from land and water grabs, despite all of them sourcing commodities plagued by land rights violations, such as palm oil, soy and sugar. Not one company has declared ‘zero tolerance’ against land grabs in their supply chains
• All ten companies are overly secretive about their agricultural supply chains, making their claims of ‘sustainability’ and ‘social responsibility’ difficult to verify. Nestle and Unilever are most open about the countries they source from, but no company is providing enough information about their suppliers.
• Companies are generally increasing their overall water efficiency but most have failed to put policies in place to limit their impact on local water sources. Only Pepsi has publicly recognized water as a human right and committed to consult local communities. Nestle has developed guidelines for its suppliers to manage water and was ranked top for policies on water.
• All of the companies have taken steps to reduce direct emissions, but only five – Mondelez, Danone, Unilever, Coca-Cola and Mars – publicly report on agricultural emissions associated with their products. Unilever alone has committed to halve its greenhouse gas footprint by 2020. None have yet developed policies to help farmers in their supply chains to build resilience to climate change.
• None have publicly committed to pay a fair price to farmers or fair business arrangements with them across all agricultural operations. Only Unilever – which is top-ranked for its dealings with small-scale farmers – has specific supplier guidelines to address some key issues faced by farmers.

“It’s time these companies take more responsibility for their immense influence on poor people’s lives,” said Offenheiser. “Eighty percent of the world’s hungry people work in food production and these companies employ millions of people in developing countries to grow their ingredients. They control hundreds of the world’s most popular brands and have the economic, social and political clout to make a real and lasting difference to the world’s poor and hungry.”

‘Behind the Brands’ –part of Oxfam’s GROW Campaign - will launch in more than 12 countries including the US, Mexico, China, Brazil and across Europe.

Its first public action will target Nestle, Mondelez and Mars for their failure to address inequality faced by women who grow cocoa for their chocolate products. Today Oxfam is also releasing a brief with first-hand accounts of the inequality that women cocoa growers face. Oxfam is urging the three companies to do more to know and show how women are treated in their supply chains, create an action plan to address inequality for women in their supply chains and engage in advocacy to influence other powerful actors to do the same.

“No brand is too big to listen to its customers,” said Offenheiser. “If enough people urge the big food companies to do what is right, they have no choice but to listen.  By contacting companies on Twitter and Facebook, or signing a petition to their CEO, consumers can do their part to help bring lasting change in our broken food system by showing companies their customers expect them to operate responsibly.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

See the full scorecard at www.oxfamamerica.org/behindthebrands

Read Oxfam's Behind the Brands report: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/behind-the-brands

1. Oxfam has engaged with all 10 companies during the last year who have cooperated in providing data to inform this scorecard. The scorecard will be updated if companies change their policies.
2. Oxfam rated the companies on their policies on seven topics: how they ensure the rights of the workers and farmers who grow their ingredients, how they protect women’s rights, management of land and water use, climate change and the transparency of their supply chains, policies and operations. It did not review other important policies such as those dealing with nutrition, tax and waste, for example.

Read Oxfam's media brief Mars, Mondelez, Nestle and the Fight for Women's Rights: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/mars-mondelez-and-nestle-and-the-fight-for-women2019s-rights

Images of women cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast: http://resources.oxfamamerica.org/pages/search.php?search=!collection1974&k=6969f243a8
Images of women cocoa farmers in Nigeria: http://resources.oxfamamerica.org/pages/search.php?search=!collection1971&k=23d6307910

Video: The Truth about Women and Chocolate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYqZO4fUSzg

“Tensions in the El Sireaf area are still high and have the potential to spread more widely. We are worried that there will be more displacement and we are already struggling to meet the needs of those who have already been forced to flee their homes,” El Fateh Osman, Oxfam’s Sudan Country Director said.

At least 90,000 people have been estimated to have been displaced by intertribal fighting in the Jebel Amir area of North Darfur’s El Sireaf locality famous for its gold production. The UN has said that the displacement from Jebel Amir area in the past weeks has been more than the number displaced through all of 2012.

“People are really in a panic and very fearful of more violence. Those who have been able to flee are not sure when they will be able to return to their home areas, many of which have been destroyed in the fighting,” Oxfam’s Humanitarian Coordinator for North Darfur Hamouda Kanu said. “They have inadequate shelter for this colder time of year and are forced to defecate in the open. This could lead to the spread of disease.”

Oxfam and its partner the Kebkabiya Smallholders Charitable Society (KSCS) have been able to provide clean water through trucking and additional latrines for a large proportion of the estimated 1,800 households (between 7,200 and 10,800 people) that fled to Kebkabiya town. KSCS have also been able to distribute blankets and plastic sheeting to around 1,500 households in Gahra El Zawiya but shortages have meant some 300 households there have not received any assistance.

An estimated 40 to 60,000 people have been displaced from surrounding villages to El Seraif town. Oxfam and KSCS are attempting to send materials to construct 200 latrines in El Sireaf together with two technical experts but called on government authorities to improve access for humanitarian groups that so far has been limited. Oxfam and KSCS also called for local authorities and tribal leaders to meet and together diffuse tensions in the area.

Oxfam said the road linking Kebkabiya to El Sireaf town must be immediately opened to allow for bulky aid supplies to be transported to the area in order to help prevent the crisis there from worsening.

Oxfam also warned that the areas affected by the new surge in fighting may also experience food shortages. Farmers were preparing for a good harvest this year but many crops in the area were burned in the conflict. Last year's poor harvests in North Darfur have left people especially vulnerable.

"The world has moved on from this entrenched conflict and humanitarian work is already severely under-funded. We are struggling to meet already existing needs even as more are pushed into crisis,” Osman said. “This conflict in Darfur is now 10 years old and we need to see a renewed effort to bring about stability and peace in this devastated area.”

Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working together in over 90 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.