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OXFAMExchange Winter 2006

mborum — 2009-06-16T21:42:49Z

It was a year of feeling vulnerable. The tsunami. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. An earthquake in Pakistan. A triple blow of hurricanes, landslides, and volcanic eruption for Central America. Conflict in Sudan. Food shortages in Ethiopia and West Africa. The fact of so many emergencies does not diminish the magnitude of any one of them.

It was also a year in which the global community could no longer ignore poverty. The planet's poorest citizens—here in the US and around the world—suffered the most. When a storm hits, impoverished communities are the last to receive aid. When an earthquake strikes, they are the least prepared to withstand it. And when conflict is waged, they have the fewest resources with which to recover. According to the Red Cross, seven times as many people die per disaster in a poor country as in a rich one.

Throughout 2005, the Oxfam community responded—knowing that, as crises mount, our responsibility to act is heightened. For this, we thank you.

Truth or Consequences

lmcfarlane — 2009-05-27T23:00:59Z

The USA and the EU are currently blocking a deal to make trade fair in the Doha Development Round. In the wake of findings by the WTO that US cotton subsidies and EU sugar subsidies are illegal, this paper presents powerful new research detailing a slew of other rich country subsidies of $13bn that are also on the wrong side of the law. In addition to the strong moral imperative for the trade superpowers to radically reform the way they subsidise agriculture, there is a also a legal requirement for change. The choice lies with the USA and the EU: either they face manifold legal actions that will force reform on a piecemeal basis, or they negotiate reform upfront in the Doha trade round.

Africa and the Doha Round

lmcfarlane — 2009-05-27T23:02:08Z

As a result of unfair trade rules and falling commodity prices, Africa has suffered terms-of-trade losses and increasing marginalisation. Ten years after the Uruguay Round, the poorest continent on earth, which captures only one per cent of world trade, risks even further losses, despite promises of a ‘development round’ of trade negotiations. This would be a great injustice. There cannot and should not be any new round without an assurance of substantial gains for Africa.

Oxfam in South America

Oxfam America — 2009-06-09T20:49:25Z

Since 1984, Oxfam America has helped them voice this message in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru—by strengthening farmers' organizations, women's groups, and indigenous associations that represent poor communities. With a stronger voice and the right skills, indigenous and rural people can manage their lands, promote their rights and cultures—and build a better, more prosperous future.

OXFAMExchange Fall 2005

lmcfarlane — 2009-04-30T19:32:57Z

For some people in the developing world, the chance to overcome poverty takes the form of pipes and pumps to irrigate fields. For others, it's the savings group that allows them to put aside income for bigger goals and to borrow money when they need it. It's electricity and a freezer. It's learning to read and write. It's a chance to sell cotton or corn at a profit.

The stories that follow testify to the fact that aid can be used effectively—in Africa and beyond. By investing directly in people, by helping them gain access to education, credit, and natural resources, by challenging the policies that perpetuate poverty, Oxfam puts the systems in place that can end poverty. Without this work—and your support—people remain hungry, poor, and lacking meaningful ways to change their lives.

Together, we have the chance to make that change.

OXFAMExchange Spring 2005

mborum — 2009-06-16T21:38:59Z

This issue of the Exchange focuses on Oxfam's response to the devastating tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26th, 2004. The magazine includes stories from the field, a timeline of Oxfam's response, and an update on our budget and strategy.

Annual Report 2004

mborum — 2011-01-13T21:15:00Z

Oxfam America revenues for 2004 totaled just over $30 million. We thank the more than 170,000 donors who remain steadfastly committed to our mission, and we welcome the tens of thousands of new donors who contributed funds exceeding $30 million in response to the tsunami.

In 2004, in addition to investing directly in our programs, we made strategic administrative investments to enhance our effectiveness, including improved financial management and staff development systems. We also established the Oxfam America Advocacy Fund to conduct advocacy activities that Oxfam America cannot pursue because of IRS limitations.

Congressional Testimony: The Implementation of DR-CAFTA

mborum — 2009-04-30T22:33:21Z

The rules set forth in the DR-CAFTA on agriculture, intellectual property, and investment add up to a bad deal for farmers, workers, and consumers in Central America and the Dominican Republic. Rather than setting out provisions that will foster broad-based economic growth and sustainable development, DR-CAFTA will put millions of poor people at risk of losing their livelihood. The US should do better if it wants to promote peace, political stability, and economic security in this region that has struggled with poverty and inequality, and the resulting instability, for so long. Unfortunately, the DR-CAFTA is wrong way to achieve these goals, which is why Oxfam urges Congress to vote no.

The Coffee Crisis Continues

mborum — 2009-05-27T23:04:31Z

Though recent improvements in the international price of coffee provide some relief to small-scale coffee farmers and farm workers, the dynamics of the coffee market leave those at the bottom of the supply chain in a constant state of uncertainty. With a seat at the table in the International Coffee Organization and a commitment to further incorporate coffee-related programs into its development agenda, the US government has the opportunity to take a leadership role in addressing the continuing coffee crisis.

This report assesses the current state of the coffee crisis and calls on the US government to empower small-scale farmers and farm workers to take full advantage of the improved market conditions. With greater access to rural finance, technical assistance programs, and participation in international debate, small-scale, family farmers and farm workers will be less vulnerable to the boom and bust cycles of the market.

Kicking Down the Door

mborum — 2009-05-27T23:05:57Z

The US, along with other rich countries and international financial institutions, is pressuring developing countries to open their markets for rice and other basic foods, while maintaining heavy subsidies and protections for its own producers. From DR-CAFTA to the WTO negations, the US pushes a double-standard on developing countries. Forcing the opening of markets for rice and other basic commodities in developing countries can have disastrous effects on poor farmers. But the US continues to forge ahead irrespective of the consequences for development.

OXFAMExchange Winter 2005

mborum — 2009-04-30T19:43:25Z

Hunger and poverty need more than quick fixes. While people need food, clothing and shelter to survive, they will never attain self-sufficiency and prosperity in an unjust society, no matter how much short-term aid is available.

For that reason Oxfam America's duty is clear: We and our project partners must help reform government policies, laws, and social injustices that deny people the right to live a decent life. We do this by providing funding, training, and the moral support people need to make real, substantive and transformative changes. The courageous and visionary people who do this work are setting out to build a movement for social justice—and Oxfam America is one of the few organizations to which they can turn for the help they need.

A Raw Deal for Rice Under DR-CAFTA

mborum — 2009-04-30T22:11:33Z

The Free Trade Agreement between the United States and the Central American countries together with the Dominican Republic (DR-CAFTA) threatens the livelihoods of thousands of rice farmers in Central America. It opens the door to massive subsidized US rice exports at prices below the cost of production. If the Agreement is ratified and implemented, a flood of subsidized rice will displace thousands of Central American producers from the market. Only a few export and import companies will reap benefits. The dependence on food imports that DR-CAFTA will provoke may also worsen current levels of food insecurity for Central American countries. Oxfam fears that the implementation of DR-CAFTA will have a negative impact on poverty reduction in the Central American region.

Finding the Moral Fiber

mborum — 2009-05-27T23:07:45Z

Cotton has been at the top of the WTO's agenda for the past two years. However, little has changed so far for small-scale cotton producers in West Africa, who will not survive another major slump in cotton prices. In July 2004, WTO members committed to ambitious and expeditious cotton subsidy reforms. To give African producers a chance, it is urgent to turn these commitments into action. Oxfam calls for the implementation of the Brazil-US cotton panel ruling and a timetable for the elimination of all trade-distorting cotton subsidies by the time of the Hong Kong WTO ministerial conference in December 2005.

OXFAMExchange Fall 2004

mborum — 2009-04-30T19:55:30Z

Today, more than one billion people worldwide lack access to a safe water supply—and that number is growing rapidly. This is an issue that concerns all of us, for we all rely on water to stay alive. But it is an issue of particular immediacy for those who live and work in rural areas, where water is used not just for drinking and sanitation, but also for irrigating fields, putting fish on the table, and generating income. When water supplies are threatened, rural communities are often the most affected—and have the most to lose.

From flooding in Haiti to drought in Ethiopia, water has long been central to Oxfam's work. Our emergency water systems are a hallmark of our agency. And our efforts to help communities access water for farming and fishing enable people to realize security.

But in recent decades, some extraordinary water pressures have emerged, as water resources are being swallowed up by dams, mining, and other commercial projects. The result is that, for the villages along the rivers, in the watersheds, and on the floodplains of East Asia being swamped or dried up by dams…for the indigenous people and farmers of South America whose rivers, lakes, and wells have been destroyed by mining…water is quickly becoming a major issue—and a major issue for Oxfam.

Cuba: Weathering the Storm

mborum — 2009-06-30T22:13:33Z

by Martha Thompson with Izaskun Gaviria

Cuba is a case study in successful disaster risk reduction. At the national level, Cuba's disaster legislation, public education on disasters, meteorological research, early warning system, effective communication system for emergencies, comprehensive emergency plan, and Civil Defense structure are important resources in avoiding disaster. At the local level, high levels of literacy, developed infrastructure in rural areas and access to reliable health care are crucial for national efforts in disaster mitigation, preparation and response. Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction from Cuba presents a comprehensive overview of the Cuban model of risk reduction in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and explores what may be adapted from this model in other countries. The report focuses on specific recommendations for Central America.