“Cooperation between the United States and Turkey is vital. The two countries have distinct yet complementary strengths and must work together to find real, coordinated solutions that will save lives in Syria and bring stability to the region. Now is the time for Turkey to match its generous contributions to the humanitarian response with meaningful action to push for a political solution to the crisis,” said Noah Gottschalk, Senior Humanitarian Policy Advisor for Oxfam.
Last week, the United States pledged another $100 million in humanitarian support to Syrians (bringing the total to nearly $500 million). As President Obama recognized today, Turkey has also made significant humanitarian contributions on border of the Syrian conflict, hosting more than 200,000 refugees in 17 camps and around 200,000 more outside the camps as well as investing more than $750 million to date in response to this humanitarian crisis. This support is critical for the millions of civilians uprooted from their homes and living in camps and host communities throughout the region.
“International humanitarian funding is welcomed, but the demand is simply outweighing the supply. Aid organizations are scrambling to meet the needs and coordination is increasingly difficult in a fragmented and polarized context. Saving lives of civilian women, men and children caught in the crossfire and responding to their basic needs will become increasingly difficult unless common sense prevails, people are allowed to reach the aid they need, and violence stops,” said Gottschalk.
Increasing humanitarian aid, while vital, is not enough. As President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan continue their discussions this evening, more than 70,000 people have already been killed with more dying every day the conflict continues. Prime Minister Erdogan has previously called upon the United States to provide lethal assistance to Syrian opposition groups, but transfers of weapons and ammunition risks both prolonging conflict and further destabilizing countries in the region. It would also almost certainly contradict the principles of the recently-agreed Arms Trade Treaty that outlaws arms transfers, which pose an overriding risk of being used to commit serious abuses of human rights or international humanitarian law. The two governments must push for strong, coordinated political engagement from all sides. Support or providing more arms and ammunition to one side in Syria encourages other governments to increase arms supplies to the opposing side.
“Providing arms won’t ‘level the playing field’; it will fuel a relentless arms race with deadly consequences, both in the short and long term. The meeting today is an opportunity for the United States and Turkey to show leadership in the international community. Instead of arms support, leaders should focus on pressing the warring parties to ensure civilians are safe and can access aid, and work toward a lasting political solution,” said Gottschalk.
]]>Early efforts to control the global arms trade date back almost 100 years to when members of the League of Nations tried unsuccessfully to develop an agreement in the wake of World War I. Ten years ago, when Oxfam joined Amnesty International and the International Action Network on Small Arms to formally launch the Control Arms Campaign, only three small countries--Costa Rica, Cambodia, and Mali--supported the idea of a treaty. Today, the vast majority of world governments now agree with them as consequences of the poorly regulated trade make headlines almost daily.
The suffering in Syria, where armed conflict continues to rage two years after an uprising, is but one example. Within the country, nearly seven million people need humanitarian assistance and more than one million others have fled to neighboring Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
“Millions of people around the world have stood up and called for governments to put an end to the irresponsible arms trade and develop rules of behavior that put human rights and the protection of civilians at the center of arms trade decisions,” said Scott Stedjan, a senior policy advisor for humanitarian response at Oxfam America. “The most heart-rending appeals are from civilians who have endured the chaos and horror of unregulated combat, irregular combatants, and loose arms flowing over borders.”
The treaty—the world’s first—will require governments to determine whether the arms they want to sell or transfer could be used for human rights abuses, violation of humanitarian law, or terrorism. If there is a major risk of that happening, the new global norm that the treaty will eventually establish would make those transfers very difficult.
The treaty will come into force 90 days after 50 countries have ratified it. But first, world governments must sign it, a process that will begin in just a few weeks. Many governments will be watching to see how the US handles this next step. As a leading exporter representing about 70 percent of the global arms market, the US carries enormous clout: The decisions it makes will, inevitably, influence those of other countries. By signing swiftly, the US will signal the urgency of this historic opportunity.
An estimated 1,500 people a day lose their lives because of armed violence. The treaty won’t stop that overnight, but it will begin to change the way in which countries buy, sell, or transfer the arms that have brought devastation to countless families and communities around the world.
]]>Chávez suffered harsh physical and psychological abuse from her husband. The police had to rescue her twice from the brutal beatings and take her to the hospital. Her husband was imprisoned both times. After the second incident, Chávez moved out and set up a new home on her own, taking a job selling Avon products door to door so she could feed her children.
Now, at 30, Chávez lives alone with her four daughters, and has become a leader to the women in her community. When she speaks, it’s with no bitterness in her voice. As she tells the story of how she got where she is today, her tone is soft yet determined.
“A little over a year ago I started to get involved. It was the political campaign for the mayor’s elections,” recalled Chávez “One of the candidates said: ’Gather votes for me and I will help you.’ I said to myself: “I have to get ahead! I will gather women. We will support the candidate mayor, and then help will come for us. I gathered almost 335 women. Now, I’m their leader and I got to know the government institutions. That is how it all started.”
The candidate Chávez rooted for won the election and is now the mayor of Santiago Atitlán, a municipality of the department of Sololá, Guatemala. However, with his election, the much hoped for help for the women did not come.
But that didn’t stop Chávez. Through the Municipal Women’s Office she got involved in Oxfam’s Campaign for the Prevention of Gender Based Violence. Chávez receives training and information on women’s rights, on where to go for help, and on how to help other women.
“They come to me all beat up, and I won’t permit that,” says Chávez. “I take them in; I tell them a man who does that is not a man. Take a decision. Let’s go and denounce him. Let’s put an end to this. You can do it. You can work and earn your own money. Maybe it won’t be much, but you will be at peace. That’s what I do now, and I like it so much.
“Come here and sleep the night here, I tell them. Tomorrow I will accompany you and we’ll start fixing things. Oh, how I would like to run a shelter for women!”
The 335 women Chávez gathered for the mayoral campaign, are now part of a formal organization they named “Flower of Atitlan,” headed by Chávez. She visits communities, gives talks on women’s rights, and accompanies battered women. Oxfam offers her training and educational material to use.
“Before, I didn’t feel the same strength I feel today,” says Chávez. “Everything that I’ve been through, it has strengthened me a lot. I’m not afraid anymore. If something happens, we shouldn’t keep quiet. We have to make it public. We women have rights, too!”
]]>The international humanitarian organization published a report today called Mali: A New Development Contract, as donors meet in Brussels to discuss their plans for the country’s future.
Marietou Diaby, Oxfam’s Country Director in Mali, said that since the breakout of the crisis last year international attention on Mali has focused mainly on security and counter-terrorism so far. That focus now needs to be widened.
“Donors must learn the lessons from crises such as Afghanistan that a narrow approach to winning a military conflict is never enough to achieve sustainable long-term peace and security,” Diaby said. “Donors need to help build the foundations for genuine prosperity in Mali – otherwise they’ll have left the job half done.”
Mali today is in dire straits. As of last month, people in the north are facing a second food crisis in as many years. There are food shortages, disruption of supplies and inflation. Around 467,000 people – approximately one third of the population in the North – are displaced by the conflict. The country’s economy is now in decline, having fallen in the UN Human Development Index to one of the five poorest in the world over the last 12 months.
Oxfam stresses that Mali does have strong economic potential. It is now Africa’s third largest gold producer but the population has not yet profited from this wealth. One in five people – around three million altogether – live in extreme poverty and are unable to meet their basic nutritional needs.
“The Malian government is primarily responsible to its own people to drive the country’s development,” continued Diaby. “It certainly needs to improve the management of its resources and distribute the benefits more fairly. It must overcome the problems of corruption and lack of transparency. Mali’s future prosperity must be much more grounded in the interests and needs of ordinary people and allow them to play a more central role in determining their future.”
Oxfam says smart development aid can play a significant role at this crucial time too. There are encouraging signs that donors know it’s time now to shift their focus toward solving the structural problems that are undermining Mali’s development. They have to follow through with real action – provide immediate resources for the humanitarian response and commit funding for the long-term, at least the next 15 years. They must also clearly state that they need to see a government using its resources to tackle poverty and corruption and inequality and to promote human rights.
]]>“Savings groups respond to the unmet needs of the rural poor by providing a secure place to save,” said Offenheiser. “Today, billions of adults around the world lack access to basic savings and credit, either ignored or forgotten by the commercial banking sector. This research shows that when given the right tools, the rural poor can be savers. The Saving for Change program has thus created a crucial safety net for families living on the edge of subsistence, when one serious illness or drought is the difference between life and death.”
“Financial inclusion, especially when paired with education and other social inputs, can have a transformative impact on the lives of very poor people,” commented Freedom from Hunger President, Steve Hollingworth. “This study confirms that savings groups contribute substantially to the resilience of people living at the edge of hunger. It verifies what we have known for more than 25 years, that access to basic financial services, even non-formal ones, can help very poor families escape chronic hunger.”
Results from the study show that households in villages with savings groups experienced an 8% increase in food security and saved 31% more on average, underscoring the success of Saving for Change, an innovative savings group program of Oxfam America, Freedom from Hunger and the Strømme Foundation.
Saving for Change promotes resilience and the accumulation of productive financial assets for nearly 680,000 members in 13 countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Working in rural villages, the program trains groups of women to save regularly, borrow from their group’s fund to build small businesses or homes, buy food, educational materials or medicine and to repay loans from the group with interest.
Typically immediate family households in these villages experience a dip in food consumption of about $.38 per adult per week during the “hungry season”, the annual period before the harvest when food is most scarce. The study showed that in participating villages, this dip was essentially eliminated.
Food security, when combined with assets promotes resilience in families and communities. The study showed that the value of livestock held by households in participating villages increased by 13% compared to families in villages without the program. “Livestock are a critical safety net for families. The animals are a form of savings that can be sold in hard times. Imagine if your home value or stock portfolio increased by 13% - it could be game-changing for your family,” said Hollingworth.
The study is unique in that it combines findings from a randomized controlled trial in 500 villages, conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action, with an ethnographic case study conducted in 19 villages by the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology at the University of Arizona. By blending these approaches, Oxfam America and Freedom from Hunger were able to identify statistically significant impacts of the program as well as understand the context and complicated village dynamics. The research took place from 2009 to 2012. The size and duration make this the most comprehensive study to explore the impacts of savings groups to date.
The research compares villages with the program to those without the program. In participating villages, 30-40% of women joined Saving for Change groups. Despite this, the results were significant, pointing to additional potential since the reported results include women who did not join, but live in participating villages.
“The impact of this program on savings, loans, livestock and food security is positive outcome we all need to share,” added Offenheiser, who will to deliver this message at next week’s Bretton Woods Committee conference at the International Monetary Fund in Washington.
Additional Evaluation Findings
Raymond Offenheiser will speak on May 15 on a panel at the 30th anniversary annual meeting of the Bretton Woods Committee, entitled, “Can the IFIs, Business, Government, and Society End Poverty in a Generation?” For more information regarding this event, contact Helen DaSilva, hdasilva@oxfamamerica.org or 617-331-2984.
The complete evaluation can be downloaded at www.oxfamamerica.org/SfC or www.freedomfromhunger.org.
]]>Nearly seven million people require humanitarian assistance in Syria. Another 1.4 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries are in desperate need of shelter, food, and water. More than half of them are children.
The United States and Russia have both expressed their support for a political process to put an end to the conflict, with Russia envisioning a dialogue involving all sides, and the Obama Administration repeatedly emphasizing the responsibility of international leaders to support the political process. Secretary Kerry's remarks yesterday noted "significant common interests with respect to Syria" and Foreign Minister Lavrov "confirmed [Russia's] commitment to the negotiating process." The day concluded with Kerry and Lavrov agreeing to pursue an international conference on ending the conflict in Syria sometime in the next month.
Noah Gottschalk, Senior Humanitarian Policy Advisor for Oxfam, said:
"By aligning their priorities, two of the world's most powerful countries can facilitate a political solution in Syria. The United States and Russia must build on these talks to increase international diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire and ensure humanitarian aid can reach those in need. Both countries must also commit to an embargo on arms transfers to all sides, and cooperate to ensure it is enforced. The announced international conference is a promising step forward, but this commitment must be honored. There are no easy answers to ending this complex crisis, and increased high-level diplomacy is crucial.
"As an aid organization struggling to keep up with the needs of ever-increasing numbers of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, Oxfam has seen firsthand the devastating toll this conflict is taking on civilians. Millions of Syrians are homeless and struggling to meet their basic needs.
"The status quo is simply unacceptable. Prolonged conflict will result in more death, displacement and suffering, and threatens to destabilize the region. Increasing transfers of weapons will fuel further violence and human rights abuses, and could spark an arms race with deadly consequences. Our leaders cannot stand by and watch this happen, much less fuel the conflict. The United States, Russia, and the rest of the international community must come together to demand a political process that benefits all Syrians and an immediate end to the bloodshed."
]]>"Oxfam America is grateful to the Hewlett Foundation for supporting our efforts to expand our work on making government finances in developing countries more transparent and accountable to citizens," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "We will work aggressively to improve the effectiveness of governments to use revenues from foreign aid, oil, gas and mining for poverty alleviation. And Oxfam will continue to shine a bright light on the current lack of transparency and accountability that perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality in developing nations around the world."
The public finance transparency agenda has gained significant momentum and there will soon be much more information in the public domain concerning government resource flows – whether from aid, extractive industries, or internally generated funds – than there has been in the past. The promise of transparency must be translated into real gains for the poor through accountable management of government finances.
“Transparency is simply the first step in moving towards accountability,” continued Offenheiser. “Change rarely happens unless national civil society organizations, citizens, journalists, parliamentarians and watchdog groups have the political space and capacity to promote public accountability.”
More than 1.5 billion people live on less than two dollars a day in resource-rich countries and in many cases resource wealth has fueled corruption, mismanagement, conflict and the violations of the rights of communities living on or near these resources. Since the late 1990’s, Oxfam America has been a leader on addressing extractive industries issues – once obscure on the international development agenda. Its Extractive Industries Global Program is rooted in deep relationships with local partners in 13 countries and drives policy change through local-global research, advocacy and campaigning strategies. The Hewlett Foundation grant will enable Oxfam to expand its program by increasing staff levels, program activities and impact. Through a new Center for Strategic Support on Extractive Industries Oxfam America (in collaboration with Oxfam Australia) will increase its support to other Oxfam affiliates starting work on the mining and oil sectors and make new investments in field office capacity focused on national government accountability.
The grant will also support Oxfam America’s Aid Effectiveness program, which campaigns to transform US foreign aid into a model that places citizens and governments of developing countries in the driver’s seat of their own developments. Since 2007, Oxfam has worked to build a deep base of field research, a strong policy reputation in Washington, partnerships with civil society leaders and government officials in developing countries, and an informed group of supporters in key congressional districts across the country. The Hewlett Foundation grant will help the program to advocate for increasing the quantity and quality of US foreign aid and ensure that it is more accountable to citizens in developing countries.
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Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in over 90 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. Oxfam America is an affiliate of Oxfam. To join our efforts or learn more, go to www.oxfamamerica.org
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