Briefing papers & notes

Mali: A New Development Contract

mhart — 2013-05-14T18:34:09Z

Mali needs a comprehensive response to the problems of poverty and governance. It is the third largest producer of gold in Africa and yet one in five Malians still live in extreme poverty. Development must be informed by the needs and interests of ordinary people, who need to be much more involved in decisions that will determine their future. Donors also have an important role to play, given the magnitude of aid they provide, starting with a commitment to continue providing aid for the next 15 years. Aid can also contribute to improving the governance and transparency of the Malian authorities. Donors should evaluate the impact of their aid to Mali over the past two decades and set an example with transparent aid that does not fuel conflict but rather helps to build lasting peace.

Overtaken by Need

mhart — 2013-05-09T18:42:47Z

The human cost of Syria’s conflict has risen beyond all expectations. In January, the UN predicted 1.1 million refugees by June. This April, there are already 1.3 million. Inside Syria, 6.8 million people struggle in urgent need of assistance.

As the numbers grow, however, the money to help some of those refugees and displaced people is running out. UN appeals have received only half of what they sought – to help far fewer people than they now need to assist.

The world has failed to find common purpose to end Syria’s brutal conflict. Shamefully, it has also failed to provide enough aid to help the conflict’s most vulnerable victims. Without a massive increase in aid now, millions of Syrians will miss out on the food, water, shelter and medical care that they desperately need. Donor governments – both in the region and the OECD – must urgently give more aid now, and be ready to give more as needs increase further and, tragically, Syria’s humanitarian crisis continues for some time.

Learning the Lessons? (Summary)

mhart — 2013-04-22T17:17:08Z

While continuing to address the enormous humanitarian and recovery needs in the region, we also must all learn the lessons from the 2012 response and develop a new model that will allow better prevention and management of future crises. The growing momentum around the concept of resilience offers considerable potential to achieve this, but only if all actors work together to turn rhetoric into action that brings lasting improvements for the poorest communities across the Sahel.

Learning the Lessons?

mhart — 2013-04-16T15:48:16Z

In 2012, the Sahel was once again hit by a severe food crisis affecting more than 18 million people. The region’s governments, donors and aid agencies were determined to avoid mistakes made in the response to previous crises. But while their response was better in many respects, there were still some critical shortcomings. The poorest families and communities suffered most, as deep-seated inequalities made some people far more vulnerable than others. While continuing to address the enormous humanitarian and recovery needs in the region, we also must all learn the lessons from the 2012 response and develop a new model that will allow better prevention and management of future crises. The growing momentum around the concept of resilience offers considerable potential to achieve this, but only if all actors work together to turn rhetoric into action that brings lasting improvements for the poorest communities across the Sahel.

A quiet renaissance in American aid

JLentfer — 2013-05-03T18:38:58Z

Current US reform efforts intend to allow countries to lead in their own development. Oxfam's inquiry shows that local development leaders are noticing—and valuing the change. However, the US government must accelerate and deepen these reforms if it hopes to meet the expectations of people in developing countries.

Click here to watch a recording of the report launch event, including remarks by USAID Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah, and a panel discussion hosted by Kojo Nnamdi.

Alexis Nkurunziza, Transparency Expert

JLentfer — 2013-04-02T18:32:55Z

US foreign aid works best as a tool in the hands of the right local leaders—those trying to solve their own problems in their own nations and neighborhoods. Alexis Nkurunziza is one of them.

Colombia: Contested Spaces

jedwards — 2013-03-19T19:59:11Z

Colombia has one of the longest-running armed conflicts in the world, as well as the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The United States is one of the leading donors to NCP, along with Spain and the Netherlands. In the areas where we carried out our research, our interviewees clearly indicated that the NCP and other stabilization efforts had failed to make communities more secure, often leaving them less safe. We found severe limitations in attempts to promote conflict-sensitive development. This briefing paper explores these issues and offers recommendations to improve both security and development in Nariño and Montes de María.

Getting It Right

lrusu — 2013-03-19T18:48:37Z

Negotiators at the second and final Diplomatic Conference in March 2013 must deliver an Arms Trade Treaty text that holds countries to the highest standards.

Public Health at Risk

jabdulla — 2013-03-04T17:06:10Z

During the first week of March 2013, trade negotiators from the US will continue a decade-long effort to promote stricter levels of intellectual property (IP) protection in developing countries. These efforts ignore US commitments under original World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and subsequently in 2001 under the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health and, if successful, would undermine global access to affordable medicines.

Behind the Brands

bgrossmancohen — 2013-02-26T17:38:37Z

In this report, Oxfam assesses the social and environmental policies of the world’s ten largest food and beverage companies and calls on them to take the critical next steps to create a just food system.