Research

R4 Rural Resilience Initiative

manand — 2013-04-25T20:15:16Z

In its two years of inception, R4 has successfully expanded the HARITA operations in Ethiopia, and has kicked-off the implementation of R4 pilot 2013 in Senegal. With its successful initiation on the ground, the R4 partnership is set to enable many more vulnerable people to graduate from food insecurity through a community-oriented, risk management– focused, and market-based approach to achieve rural resiliency.

In this report we share key accomplishments during the October– December 2012 quarter, including the risk reduction activities conducted during the 2012 agricultural season in Ethiopia, and present the Senegal pilot design for the 2013 roll-out.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Haiti land rights, land tenure, and urban recovery

nhailu — 2012-08-06T17:46:13Z

More than two years after the earthquake in Haiti, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain in tents and informal settlements in the earthquake zone. The reasons for this vary, but land rights and land tenure are central.

Tackling the food deficit in the world's newest country

estevens — 2012-08-06T15:19:32Z

This brief looks at the reasons for the current food crisis in South Sudan and draws attention to its impact on the population. It calls on the government of the Republic of South Sudan and international actors to urgently address the food insecurity crisis, ensure that resources reach the most vulnerable, and work for peace and development for the citizens of the world‘s newest country.

Housing Delivery and Housing Finance in Haiti

jedwards — 2013-05-09T18:39:44Z

Although the 2010 earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's urban infrastructure, it is not the sole cause of the nation's distress today. Rather, the earthquake exposed weaknesses in Haiti's housing ecosystem—including delivery blockages and the absence of effective supply and demand value chains that must be addressed or the nation will never be able to build a successful society with quality affordable urban housing.

The Food Transformation

aperera — 2012-07-23T16:08:46Z

Every time you open your fridge and food cupboards, you step into the global food system. Sounds odd, but it’s true. The system is an enormously complex web of all the people, businesses, organizations and governments involved in the production, distribution, sale and consumption of food. Irrespective of who we are, or where we are on the planet, the food we eat is made available by this global food system.

PREP Value Chain Climate Resilience

mborum — 2012-08-08T18:12:16Z

This guide has been developed by companies and organizations engaged in the Partnership for Resilience and Environmental Preparedness (PREP) — a pilot partnership formed to address the risks and opportunities that climate change impacts pose to businesses and the communities on which they depend. One of the primary goals of PREP is to engage and inform good practice in companies as it relates to building climate resilience in partnership with communities. This guidance has been developed on behalf of the PREP member companies Calvert Investments, Entergy, Levi Strauss & Co., Earth Networks, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., Starbucks, and Swiss Re.

This report was prepared by Jean-Christophe Amado and Peter Adams (Acclimatise). Heather Coleman (Oxfam America) and Ryan Schuchard (BSR) were lead contributors.

Harvesting data

jedwards — 2012-11-20T16:34:50Z

This Research Backgrounder paints a picture of overall US government spending on agriculture during the 10-year period 1998-2007 using a macro, evidence-based approach and treating “official development assistance to agriculture” as it was defined prior to the global food price crisis. The author hopes to thus provide researchers and others with a baseline against which to track shifts in spending patterns that result from the whole-of-government approach that emerged from L’Aquila.

A Shift in Focus: Putting the interests of Somali people first

mborum — 2012-02-23T17:05:29Z

Responsibility for this situation lies first and foremost in Somalia, where warring factions are accused of impeding and diverting aid flows, but the international community has also been at fault. Policies focused more on international security concerns than on the needs, interests and wishes of the Somali people have inadvertently fueled both the conflict and the humanitarian crisis.

In February 2012, key governments and institutions from the region and the wider Islamic and Western world will meet in London to chart a way forward. They must seize this opportunity to refocus on the Somali people that past policies have failed, developing more coherent strategies to ensure that aid and protection reach those who need it and addressing the root causes of the protracted conflict and chronic vulnerability in the country.

Crises in a New World Order: Challenging the humanitarian project

jlee — 2012-02-28T15:09:59Z

In 2010, vast humanitarian crises from Haiti to Pakistan almost overwhelmed the international system’s ability to respond. Despite years of reform, UN agencies, donors, and international NGOs (INGOs) struggled to cope. In 2011, Somalia yet again saw a response too little and too late, driven by media attention, not a timely, impartial assessment of human needs. At the same time, humanitarian action is needed now more than ever.

Western-based donors, INGOs and the UN provide only part of the answer. Already, new donors and NGOs from around the world provide a significant share of humanitarian aid. Future humanitarian action will rely on them, and on the governments and civil society of crisis-affected countries even more. The UN and INGOs will be vital, but their contribution will increasingly be measured by how well they complement and support the efforts of others, and encourage every humanitarian actor to uphold humanitarian principles.

Saving lives through country ownership

kfield — 2011-02-24T21:48:29Z

The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is an opportunity to leverage global health dollars as effectively as possible in a budget where every penny matters. For US investments to be truly sustainable, they need to be driven by what communities need most. In a nutshell, the best way to put ourselves out of the aid business is to help countries build their own hospitals and clinics, hire nurses and doctors, so that they will be ready to take over for good.

In December 2010, Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser published an article in the winter edition of the Harvard Global Health Review focused on the GHI, and how US efforts should help citizens in country tackle their own health challenges, instead of donors tackling challenges fro them.

Beyond Sudan's big day

llucas — 2011-06-29T14:24:11Z

Southern Sudan will face enormous challenges and will need long-term support from the rest of the world regardless of the outcome of this week’s referendum. The vote could create the world’s newest country, which would also be one of the least developed and home to some of the world’s poorest people.