“We are very disappointed by (ICSID’s) decision to rule against El Salvador. It goes against the views the Salvadoran people who are overwhelmingly against mining,” said Keith Slack, manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “We are concerned that the continued presence of Pacific Rim in El Salvador will contribute to further human rights abuses. We urge Pacific Rim not to pursue this case and to listen to the voice of the Salvadoran people.”
The jurisdictional ruling means that the case will now move forward into the merits phase, which may take several years to decide. Pacific Rim also filed a parallel lawsuit, claiming that El Salvador violated the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), however the World Bank agency rejected their claim.
This David versus Goliath story began in the rural area of Cabañas, El Salvador in 2002, when Pacific Rim began exploring for gold. In 2004, the company applied for a required “exploitation permit” to start mining. However, the government refused to issue a permit since the application lacked three out of the five elements required under Salvadoran law.
A year later, CAFTA went into effect and by December 2007, the company reincorporated in Nevada and shortly after launched their suit under CAFTA, using an extremely controversial procedure under which corporations can sue governments for allegedly violating their rights as foreign investors. At the same time, the company filed another claim under El Salvador’s investment law. On Friday, the World Bank’s ICSID rejected Pacific Rim’s claim under CAFTA but accepted the company’s parallel claim under El Salvador’s foreign investment law.
“The Salvadoran government has recognized that not all foreign investment is good for the country,” said Slack. “The ruling undermines the government’s ability to protect its citizens and the environment.”
A number of mining activists have suffered human rights violations since Pacific Rim began exploration activities in 2002. The most recent occurred last June when Francisco Durán Ayala, a student who disappeared after posting flyers as part of a campaign against the mining company, was found in a soccer field a day later with two gunshots in the head. His killing is believed to be linked to his mining activism. Many of the community members such as Ayala along with local groups believe the mine will contaminate local water supplies and ruin their ability to grow crops; independent studies have confirmed their concerns.
]]>The report, 'Stop a Bullet, Stop a War,' has been published ahead of this summer's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in New York, where diplomats from around the world will gather to try and hammer out a new global agreement to regulate the trade of weapons and ammunition.
Some countries, including the United States, Syria and Egypt, have recently voiced their opposition to including ammunition in the final treaty text. But Oxfam believes it is essential that the sale of ammunition is covered by the new agreement, given the devastating impact that the illicit and irresponsible arms trade has on the lives of some of the poorest people in the world, particularly those living in conflict-hit or fragile states such as Afghanistan and Somalia.
Scott Stedjan Senior Policy Advisor for Humanitarian Response at Oxfam America, said: “Guns are useless without bullets; bullets are what turn guns into lethal weapons. It is absolutely essential that the sale of ammunition is included in the treaty and it is far better regulated. It would be totally irrational to leave it out.
“The trade in ammunition is lucrative; but while the monetary cost of production is low, the price paid in human lives for the trade in ammunition is incalculable. An Arms Trade Treaty which doesn’t include the trade in bullets doesn’t make sense.”
Oxfam’s report reveals how poor regulation of the ammunition trade makes it virtually impossible to put an accurate figure on the number of bullets currently being produced and transferred across the world each year, though estimates hover at around the 12bn mark – enough to kill nearly every man, woman and child on the planet twice.
The trade in ammunition for small arms is worth $4.3bn per year, while the trade in firearms and light weapons themselves is worth $2.68bn (Small Arms Survey figures).
Oxfam says only a minority of countries report on their ammunition exports and there is hardly any monitoring by intergovernmental agencies covering this trade. To make matters worse, data on ammunition is often not listed separately and is just added to data on general arms exports, making it hard to monitor the bullets’ final destination.
Of the 34 of states that have publicly reported on their arms exports since 2006 (full list below), 28 did manage to report on ammunition exports as an explicit category including the UK and France. But due to the magnitude of the trade, regulation through an international treaty is urgently needed to ensure transparent reporting.
Stedjan added: “There are no global controls on ammunition flows and no global reporting system to keep track on where the billions of bullets are ending up. That must change.”
Oxfam researchers found some of the biggest gaps in information related to undocumented ammunition transfers to war-torn countries. The report says many bullets end up diverted into the hands of armed groups, often prolonging conflicts and increasing the chance of human rights abuses.
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1. The 34 states are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States. Reports are available on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) National Reports Database at: http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/transfers/transparency/national_reports/
]]>The organizations, including Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, the Norwegian Refugee Council, CIVIC, Christian Aid, and the Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security – Afghanistan, made the call as NATO states prepare for a summit in Chicago on May 20-2 to discuss their future role in Afghanistan. They said that despite some positive efforts by NATO to improve the quality of Afghan security forces, more action and safeguards are needed.
“Over the past decade, the lives of millions of Afghan men, women, and children have improved: 2.7 million girls go to school, women sit in parliament, Afghans can vote, and there is better access health services.
But these improvements are continually threatened by insecurity and weak rule of law. There are consistent reports of abuse by poorly trained and unaccountable Afghan security personnel. NATO governments have an obligation to ensure that the security forces they have helped create, fund, arm, and train do not commit abuses and can serve all Afghans. Security forces that are poorly trained, unaccountable, and unable to uphold law and order are bad for Afghans and bad for peace and security in the region,” said Anjo van Toorn, Oxfam’s Regional Manager for South Asia.
The organizations also warned that proposals to slash the size of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) post-2014 could result in up to 120,000 men with weapons training left unemployed throughout the country, risking even further the safety of Afghans.
The organizations called on NATO and the Afghan Government to:
“In Chicago, NATO must heed what is at stake for Afghans. Efforts to improve the conduct and accountability of the Afghan security forces must be urgently accelerated, and women are critical to this. The evidence is clear that women and girls are especially vulnerable to violence and insecurity: their voices must be heard and be part of the solution for a sustainable peace and prosperity’’ says Wazhma Frogh, Executive Director of Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security. ‘’What happens to women in the coming years, is key to the international community’s legacy in Afghanistan’’
]]>Congress set a deadline of April 17, 2011, for the SEC’s promulgation of the final rule that is needed to bring Section 1504 into effect. The SEC has now missed this statutory deadline by one year and one month. Oxfam America notified the SEC on April 16, 2012 that it would file suit if the regulatory agency did not issue a final rule within 30 days. As Oxfam America’s lawsuit states, “the extractive payment disclosures that Congress mandated nearly two years ago will not take place unless and until the SEC issues a Final Rule. Unfortunately, the SEC’s pattern of delay gives no assurance that it will ever promulgate a Final rule without the involvement of this Court.” The SEC issued a proposed rule on December 15, 2010.
This legal action follows engagement by Oxfam America and allies in the Publish What You Pay coalition with the SEC since the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law. Oxfam America has made numerous substantive submissions to the SEC and has had multiple meetings with SEC staff about the proposed rule and the need for a strong final rule.
“We have been patient, but the Commission’s continued failure to issue a Final Rule implementing Cardin-Lugar frustrates Congress’s intent to increase transparency in resource-rich countries,” said Ian Gary, senior policy manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “For those living in poverty in resource-rich countries, there’s no time left to wait.”
Gary added, “Oxfam America is simply asking for the SEC to follow the law.”
Investors representing more than $1.2 trillion worth of assets under management have made submissions to the SEC in support of the provision. Secretary of State Clinton has called on the SEC to “go as far as possible” in the final rule and many prominent members of the Senate and House of Representatives have called on the SEC to respect the statutory deadline and Congressional intent. The oil and mining industries have been fighting implementation, with the American Petroleum Institute calling on the SEC to “repropose” the rule.
“One of the reasons for the financial crisis was a lack of public information about the real risks of investments,” said Gary. “In the case of the oil and mining industries, investors have a right to know how and whether companies are exposed to political and expropriation risks in volatile resource-rich countries.”
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, asks the court to order the SEC to issue a Final Rule as required by Section 1504. Oxfam America is represented in this matter by Baker Hostetler LLP, one of the largest law firms in the US, and EarthRights International, an organization dedicated to defending human rights and the environment through legal actions and other strategies.
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]]>Baaba Maal said: "In February I traveled to Mauritania with Oxfam and was shocked by how bad things were. But I have just returned from a neighboring region of Senegal and found that already things are so much worse. As well as the acute lack of food, we saw children struggling to find water to drink. Everywhere is dry, wells have dried up and dead animals are littered everywhere.”
Approximately 18 million people are threatened by this year’s food crisis in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa, 850,000 of whom live in Baaba Maal’s home country of Senegal. And in the area of Matam visited by the musician, the effects of drought have hit hard.
The food crisis, which was brought about by low rainfall, poor harvests, a lack of pasture and rising food prices, is only set to escalate. The region is also dealing with more than 320,000 displaced people who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of conflict in Mali. About 160,000 of these are seeking refuge in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger – countries where communities are already struggling to find enough to eat.
Oxfam’s Regional Campaigns and Policy Manager, Steve Cockburn, said: "The UN is now saying that up to $1.5 billion could be needed to prevent the situation in West and Central Africa from turning into a catastrophe. Some donors have been responding positively, but we still only have about half the funding we need. The money could make a huge difference, but is needed now."
The UN estimates that six million people are already living in severe food insecurity across the region, and that one million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
Claire Lewis, Oxfam Global Ambassador Program Manager said: "We are so fortunate to have Baaba Maal as an Oxfam Global Ambassador speaking out on this crisis. He is hugely respected as an artist, both in Africa and across the world, and we hope that his words will help to galvanise governments into action."
Baaba Maal, who last week held a concert in Matam, Northern Senegal, with funds raised going to the Sahel appeal said: "I am truly honored to be taking up the role of Oxfam Global Ambassador having seen the work that Oxfam is doing in West and Central Africa to try to avert this crisis. I will continue to add my voice to their call for urgent response to the food crisis in the region. Nobody should die from hunger in the 21st century."
]]>Sustained, broad access for aid provision, freedom of movement for civilians, and the opportunity to plant this year’s crops are vital to save lives and will only be fully possible with a cessation of hostilities within and between the two countries.
Jon Cunliffe, South Sudan Country Director for Save the Children: “A toxic combination of conflict, rising food and fuel prices, and severe cash shortages is having a devastating effect on the civilian population in both countries. With the rains on the way the situation could not be more critical. We urgently need the fighting to stop so that we can get access and children can be protected from violence, deprivation, displacement and recruitment.”
In Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, reports suggest continued instability means that some families have not yet planted their seeds, which could potentially lead to severe food shortages later in the year. The insecurity also means children are not going to school. Access to all areas is needed urgently before the rains make getting assistance to communities even harder.
The conflict and hunger in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are driving record numbers of people across the border, with an estimated 151,000 refugees from these states in Ethiopia and South Sudan. In May, in a single day, 700 people arrived at Yida camp in South Sudan’s Unity State. This compares to an average of 287 a day in April, and 83 in February and March. Recent arrivals take the total number in Yida to nearly 30,000, increasing the pressure on agencies already struggling to cope with water stress, sanitation, violence, reproductive health and child protection.
Ibrahim Kallo, emergency field coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in Yida said: “Those arriving in the camp in recent weeks are visibly exhausted and malnourished after walking for four or five days with little food or water, and some children show signs of severe malnutrition. Women are being raped and assaulted, both on the journey and once they arrive. Fear of hunger is likely to trigger a further wave of displacement in the coming weeks, as people try to get out before the rains make the trek across the border more arduous.”
In Jamam Camp in South Sudan’s Upper Nile agencies are struggling to provide 37,000 refugees with even as little as five litres of water per person per day, far less than emergency standards. Despite hydrological surveys and many attempts to drill new boreholes no sustainable new water sources have been found and thousands of refugees will need to be moved. The rains will make things harder – potentially causing flooding and spreading disease.
Agencies are also concerned that supply routes to camps could be cut off, restricting their ability to bring in medical and other supplies, as well as making it harder to conduct medical evacuations. Instability in Unity state has already led some agencies to evacuate staff from Bentiu and consider direct flights from Juba to the camps, which would be expensive and cause delays.
"After more than ten months of fighting, with no sign of peace, we're on the path from crisis to catastrophe. The coming rains could make life for refugees unbearable and bring the threat of waterborne disease. The world needs to wake up to the true cost of conflict for people who have already suffered so many years of war," Oxfam's Deputy Country Director for South Sudan, Johnson Byamukama said.
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Agencies signing the release: Christian Aid, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Refugees International, Save the Children
]]>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.”
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“The mothers we know and love deserve more than one day of praise for the incredible contribution they make toward improving our world,” said Ms. Davis. “This year, give the mom in your life a gift that will continue changing lives for years to come.”
As an Oxfam Ambassador, Kristin Davis has seen firsthand the impact these gifts have on mothers and their families. A water jug ($18) can help a family store and transport clean drinking water; a vegetable garden ($30) can help a mother jumpstart a small business and provide security for her children; or you can help restore a pre-school ($35) so a mother can comfortably send her children off to grow and learn in safety. There are over 70 life-changing products to choose from at OxfamGifts.com.
“What better way to honor a mother in your life than to help a family in need,” said Stephanie Kurzina, vice president for fundraising and communications at Oxfam America. “With a gift from Oxfam America Unwrapped, you can say ‘thanks mom’ in a truly meaningful way.”
Oxfam America’s Unwrapped catalog offers items that symbolically represent the organization’s lifesaving work, and each purchase is a contribution toward Oxfam’s many programs that help people living in poverty throughout the world. All gift contributions are general donations to support Oxfam America’s mission of fighting poverty, hunger and social injustice in over 90 countries around the world. Gifts are fully tax-deductible. For more information on how to gift better for a special mother in your life, visit OxfamGifts.com.
Camera-ready art and Oxfam America spokespeople are available to the press.
]]>Rockefeller’s $450,000 commitment for this calendar year will help start the initiative in Senegal to enable poor farmers to strengthen their food and income security by managing risks through a four-part approach—improving natural resource management (community risk reduction), accessing microcredit ("prudent" risk taking), gaining insurance coverage (risk transfer), and increasing savings (risk reserves).
Since the first warnings of drought and poor harvests in Africa’s Sahel region emerged in late 2011, vulnerable communities in many areas of the region have been threatened by a looming food crisis. That crisis is now real, and 15 million people across seven countries are vulnerable to its impact.
“Breaking the cycle of hunger and malnutrition and building resilience of the most vulnerable through long-term investments in agriculture is critical,” said David Satterthwaite, Manager, R4 Rural Resilience Initiative at Oxfam America.
“The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support Oxfam America in helping smallholder farmers build resilience, one of the core pillars of the Rockefeller Foundation’s work,” said Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation. “Poor farmers are often the most vulnerable, especially in a time of crisis, and it is critical to help them manage the risks they disproportionately face to both their food and income security.”
This particular grant is intended to improve rural resilience for farmers by implementing a holistic risk management package of improved natural resource management, microcredit, microinsurance and savings in farming households in Ethiopia and Senegal. This grant specifically relates to investments that the Foundation is making to build New Partnerships and Financing Approaches for Implementation.
For the 1.3 billion people living on less than a dollar a day who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, vulnerability to climate-related shocks is a constant threat to food security and well-being. In response to this challenge, the United Nations World Food Programme and Oxfam America have launched the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative, known as R4, referring to the four risk management strategies that the initiative integrates. R4 builds on the initial success of a holistic risk management framework developed by Oxfam America to enable poor farmers to strengthen their food and income security through a combination of improved resource management (risk reduction), microcredit (prudent risk taking), insurance (risk transfer), and savings (risk reserves).
The original framework, called Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA) project, involved a network of global and local partners including Oxfam America, Swiss Re, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Relief Society of Tigray, Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution, Nyala Insurance Company, Africa Insurance Company and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University. In its three of years of delivery this pilot has scaled up from 200 enrolled households in one village in 2009 to over 13,000 enrolled households in 43 villages in 2011.
Through R4, farmers will be able to pay for their insurance premiums through labor in food-and-cash-for work programs. Their labor will contribute to community projects such as irrigation or forestry to reduce the impacts of climate change on their villages. More prosperous farmers will pay their insurance premiums in cash. Over time, as the poorest farmers become more prosperous, they can graduate from the need to pay through labor, and begin paying in cash, helping to ensure the project's commercial viability and long-term success.
Over a period of five years, Oxfam America and WFP plan to scale up and evaluate the R4 approach in 4 countries. In addition to continuing efforts in Ethiopia and the new work in Senegal, this will include two additional countries as the initiative progresses.
]]>After a disaster strikes, funds flow into the areas affected, but they often fail to reach the people who are the most vulnerable and the neediest. In the effort to strengthen the Gulf economy and support real economic development, a diverse coalition of legislators and community groups has been encouraging the Mississippi legislature to pass the “Jobs First” bill.
“This is a very innovative approach that looks beyond the damaged buildings in a disaster to focus on the heart of the problem,” said Minor Sinclair, US Regional Director of Oxfam America. “We can replace the things that we lose but we need to revitalize a whole economy and the life of a community. This bill puts people back to work, which is vital to putting life back into the area.”
As the Mississippi Gulf Coast has been hit by several natural and man-made disasters in recent years, many people have lost homes, businesses, and jobs. This bill seeks to make sure the resources for restoration reach the right people in time to provide real means to recovery.
“I'm proud to be part of this landmark legislation which protects jobs for Mississippi residents,” said State Sen. Philip Moran (R), District 46, Hancock and Harrison who advocated for the legislation. “This legislation will strengthen our communities by making sure federal disaster dollars that come to Mississippi are spent here, creating real jobs across the entire state.”
Under the law, contractors are required to outline an employment plan in bid submissions for a given public work project. The plan may include such items as types of jobs involved in a project; skill level required; wage information; how the contractor will recruit disadvantaged, low wage and unemployed applicants. The state, through its appointed agency, can use this information to line up qualified workers, or start training workers for available jobs through workforce systems.
“After the oil spill, like after Katrina, we heard that Mississippi contractors were not getting awarded the cleanup contracts,” said Rep. David Baria (D), District 122, Hancock County. “We are committed to restoring the Gulf Coast, and putting Mississippians back to work. This bill is a good step in that direction.”
Oxfam America worked with legislators from the Gulf Coast region and community groups that represent diverse interests and constituencies to bring this law to life. The timing is fortuitous, as the region may soon see an influx of new restoration funds from sources such as the BP oil spill fines, as directed by the RESTORE Act, a federal bill that has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate and is currently in conference.
“As resources for restoring our coast begin to come into Mississippi, such as potential funds from the RESTORE Act, it is so important that local residents have access to opportunities that help our economy grow,” said Roberta Avila, Executive Director of the STEPS Coalition, which brings together nearly 40 local organizations. “We thank Mississippi’s leaders for making this a reality.”
Kaitlin Troung, Executive Director of Asian Americans for Change, noted the long-lasting effects from the many disasters. “Fishermen and workers along the coast are still hurting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This bill will present an enormous opportunity for the under-employed workers to find new jobs in the restoration economy and recovery of our coast.”
Mississippi, plagued with social as well as environmental vulnerabilities, often ranks toward the bottom of nationwide programs. “It’s great to be first,” said Sen. Sean Tindell (R), District 49, Harrison. “Thanks to this effort, Mississippi is now one of the first states in the union to pass a statewide first source hiring law. It will help to ensure that disaster-impacted communities see long-term economic benefit through an increase in local jobs. This could mean thousands of new job opportunities on state projects.”
“This is a major victory for the region,” said Yumeka Rushing, Gulf Coast Policy Officer for Oxfam America, based in Mississippi. “Mississippi is so often among the last to get resources. Great thanks go to the delegation from the Coast who helped move the legislation along.”
]]>Extensive work by Oxfam and other organizations has been unable to find enough safe and reliable sources of water to meet the growing needs. Heavy rains in the coming weeks will make delivering aid and relocating the refugees even more difficult, and will further exacerbate an escalating humanitarian crisis, Oxfam said. The rains will increase the threat of diseases such as malaria and cholera, and destroy the flimsy shelters under which new arrivals are sheltering.
“We are fast running out of time and options in the midst of a huge humanitarian crisis. We have drilled for water and carried out a geological survey, but there is simply not enough ground water available to sustain the growing number of people who need it. Women have to queue for hours in the burning sun just to collect a fraction of the water they need, and the situation is getting more desperate by the day. The only solution is for people to be moved urgently,” said Pauline Ballaman, head of Oxfam’s operations in Jamam.
Since December, nearly 37,000 refugees have arrived in Jamam, fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, and more continue to arrive. More than 100,000 people have been forced to flee Sudan because of the fighting in Blue Nile and the parallel conflict in Southern Kordofan, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced within Sudan.
Oxfam urged all agencies and local authorities to urgently prepare a new safe and secure site for 23,000 people, where long-term water sources can be found.
This region of Upper Nile is one of the most remote and least developed parts of South Sudan and safe drinking water is extremely scarce. The existing boreholes can only provide the recommended amount of water for about 16,500 people, but there is already twice that number in Jamam camp, and families continue to arrive each day. Shortages are also increasing among the several thousand permanent residents of the area. Oxfam is concerned tensions over competition for water are growing between the refugee community and permanent residents.
Ultimately, Oxfam said, the only sustainable solution to the crisis is for all parties to negotiate for long-term peace in Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and the rest of the border region, so that refugees can return home.
Editors notes:
Extremely limited ground water combined with the increase in refugee numbers means people now only receive six litres every day, enough for cooking and drinking only. While within emergency standards, this is far below the international humanitarian standard of at least 15 litres per person per day.
Public health campaigns in the camp have managed to reduce the spread of diarrhoea in the past few months, but these gains are now at risk.
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