Oxfam America

United States must protect civilians caught in the crossfire

mborum — 2009-02-08T07:43:38Z

According to a new report published today by Oxfam, with the imminent election of a new US President, the re-emergence of Russia, the rise of China and India, and a stronger European and African Union, a new world order is emerging that must do a better job protecting people whose lives are threatened by conflict.

For a Safer Tomorrow: Protecting Civilians in a Multipolar World warns that the safety of civilians throughout the world will be in jeopardy unless these emerging and existing global powers work together to better protect all civilians from falling victim to conflict through genocide and other atrocities.

?The next President of the United States will take office 60 years after the Geneva Conventions of 1949 enshrined the right of civilians to be protected in times of armed conflict. Yet the fundamental principle that civilians should be protected from violence and abuse in warfare is violated in every current conflict,? said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.

According to the report, there is an opportunity for change. For a Safer Tomorrow is based on Oxfam?s experience responding to the world?s conflicts for more than 60 years. It reviews the protection of civilians in current and recent conflicts, and examines the implications of the shift in global power. It sets out an agenda to protect civilians through local, national and regional action with far more consistent international support.

Examples from the last year show that violence against civilians can be prevented by organized local, regional, and international efforts. For example, in January 2008 Kenya did not collapse into bloody civil war, partly because of local community action to prevent widespread outbreaks of violence as well as efforts by African and international leaders to restore peace.

?The wars in Darfur and Afghanistan have shown us that the political will to stop violence to civilians is not enough? said Offenheiser. ?The will to act must be coupled with capable institutions, wise prioritization, and international cooperation.?

According to the report, the war on terror has overshadowed crises like the Democratic Republic of Congo which has lost 5.4 million people?eight per cent of its population?to conflict and the deadly hunger and disease that it has unleashed since 1998. This year, more than a thousand women a month have reported being raped, many as part of a systematic campaign linked to the conflict.

"Americans sympathize with those who suffer atrocities, but many feel impotent to do anything about it. This powerlessness seems justified as multiple presidents have promised ?never again? after mass civilian deaths in the Holocaust, Rwanda, and Srebrenica but failed to follow this rhetoric with concrete action,? said Offenheiser. ?The next president of the US will soon enter the Oval Office. It?s time to prove that the US can make a real impact in ending the atrocities that are still too common in conflicts around the world.?

To protect civilians caught up in armed conflict and improve global peace and stability, Oxfam is calling on the United States to:

make the safety of civilians the overriding priority in the response to conflicts
vigorously invest in diplomacy and civilian conflict response
adopt zero tolerance of war crimes—whether by its own forces or others
act much more quickly to tackle the trends that threaten new or prolonged
conflicts—including poverty and inequality, climate change and arms proliferation; and
prioritize the protection of civilians, not only counterterrorism, in security assistance programs.

Rebuilding Zimbabwe must begin immediately

mborum — 2009-02-08T07:43:34Z

OXFORD, UK — Rebuilding Zimbabwe?s shattered economy must be a priority for the international community, international aid agency Oxfam said today in response to the news of a power sharing deal.

"Delay is not an option. The international community must provide support and assistance to the new coalition government,? said Charles Abani, Regional Director for of Oxfam in Southern Africa. ?Assistance must be carefully coordinated and managed, so that very weak state institutions are not overstretched. Zimbabwean civil society must also be included in a transparent process.?

Ordinary Zimbabweans are desperately short of food, health care, clean water and safe sanitation. The little food that is available is unaffordable to most. An estimated 3.8 million people are anticipated to be in urgent need of food assistance by October. Life expectancy for women is just 35 years, and unemployment stands at 85 per cent.

Investment in agriculture is key. Farmers need fertilizers and seeds urgently, so that they can prepare for the November planting season.

"The international community must not just throw money at this problem then walk away and say 'job done'. Zimbabwe needs a long-term plan, built on partnership and shared responsibilities, and supported by long-term, predictable aid from international governments,? said Abani.

?It is also important that the Zimbabwe government meets its commitments to rebuilding the nation. The coalition government must show leadership in the rebuilding process if international support is to succeed. They should ensure equitable and effective access to humanitarian assistance, extend the operational space for all civil society organizations, and deal quickly with outstanding registration issues for NGOs,? Abani added.

?Many local and international organizations who want to get back to helping poor people in Zimbabwe are still unable to do so because their registration status is pending. We urge the new government to facilitate the registration process in the interest of Zimbabweans in need of assistance.?

Oxfam: Presidents Bush and Kabila Must Commit to Peace in the Congo

mborum — 2009-02-08T07:43:03Z

WASHINGTON — As President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) meets with President Bush today, international aid agency Oxfam called upon both parties to affirm their commitment to securing a swift end to the fresh wave of brutal conflict that is sweeping across North Kivu in eastern DRC.

“The Bush Administration must do all that it can to support President Kabila in his efforts to address the longstanding conflict which is once again threatening the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.

“The Administration must continue its crucial mediation role to ensure that the legitimate concerns of Congolese citizens are addressed. Both Presidents must make it clear that they will not allow the progress made over the past few years to be jeopardized by renewed fighting,” said Offenheiser.

The election of President Kabila in 2006 brought hopes of peace and stability after decades of misrule and a civil war which claimed the lives of approximately four million civilians and led to the displacement of over one million people. Despite the success of the elections, the continued fighting in the east between rebel groups and government forces is a threat to the tenuous peace in the DRC—one of the world’s poorest countries. The DRC ranks 141st out of 174 countries in the United Nation’s human development ranking.

Since last December, the intense fighting has forced over 370,000 people to leave their homes in the eastern region of North Kivu, the largest surge of internal displacement since the formal end of the civil war in 2003. Unlike displacements in the past, the scale of the latest influx is too great for the displaced to be accommodated by local families.

Meanwhile, increased fighting and insecurity have also severely limited the ability of humanitarian agencies like Oxfam to deliver vital aid to civilians in need.

As the conflict intensifies, growing numbers of civilians are placed in imminent physical danger and serious violations of international humanitarian law continue. These include the recruitment of children by rebel forces, the reported use of forced labor by the national army, and an epidemic of violence against women that is among the worst in the world. A 2004 survey found mortality rates in some parts of the country to be close to 3 times the sub-Saharan average, partly from ongoing conflict but also due to disease, malnutrition, and lack of very basic social services.

In the face of the worsening security and humanitarian situation in DRC, Oxfam also called on the US government to maintain its support for a robust UN military presence while increasing its funding and technical assistance to the reform of Congo’s military forces. Tasked with the mandate to protect civilians, the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUC), receives one third of its operating budget from the US government. With the mission’s funding up for renewal in December, it is crucial that President Bush pledges to continue his administration’s support.

“Without a substantial and effective MONUC presence, the DRC’s fragile peace could quickly unravel completely, further threatening not only the Congolese people but also the wider region. Until the DRC’s police, military, and judiciary are able to effectively enforce the law and protect civilians, US support for both the mandate and operations of the UN peacekeeping mission there is absolutely vital,” said Offenheiser.

Communities in Northern Uganda must be heard in Peace Talks

mborum — 2009-02-08T07:42:55Z

KAMPALA, UGANDA — Results from a new study released by Oxfam today reveal that despite positive steps made in the ongoing peace talks in Juba, many of Northern Uganda’s communities fear that their interests are not taken into account. The communities are also doubtful that peace will prevail in their region where conflict and rampant insecurity could reignite in the absence of a signed agreement.
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>Though more than half of those surveyed, 57%, said that security had improved since the start of peace talks in July 2006 and 60.5% were hopeful that conditions would improve further, people remain highly skeptical over the peace prospects. Some 85% of respondents agreed that achieving a formal peace agreement was the most important challenge that had to be tackled for peace to prevail. The vast majority of focus group respondents felt they were not adequately informed or consulted about the peace process and feared that the commitment of the negotiating parties might not last until a successful end of the negotiations.
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>Oxfam also found that many people see freedom of movement as being crucial to peace. A majority of respondents, 83.8 %, said that peace for them signified the freedom of movement to farm their fields and return to the homelands compared with 70.6% who said that peace to them meant the absence of fighting.
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>Conducted in eleven internally displaced people (IDP) camps in the Acholi region of northern Uganda with 600 survey respondents and 91 focus group discussants, the study shows that a large part of the population will only feel that their region is finally at peace once thorny issues ranging from general insecurity to resettlement are addressed. Many of those interviewed still believe that their views are not being adequately heard.
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>“This survey speaks volumes and aims to amplify the voices of the victims. It highlights the continuing urgency of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement but of equal importance is the need for a parallel process that addresses the needs and concerns of the affected communities,” said Savio Carvalho, Oxfam Uganda Country Manager.
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>In an Oxfam report released today to coincide with the survey’s results, “ Building Blocks for Peace,” the international agency urged the Government of Uganda and the LRA, with the support of the international community, to ensure that strong foundations are laid now that will support the building blocks for sustainable peace. Improving security, engaging more robustly with communities affected by the conflict and scaling up resettlement and essential services assistance are all vital to this process. Establishing viable justice and accountability mechanisms is also crucial. Many of the affected communities interviewed stated that justice without peace serves no purpose; but they also felt that some form of justice needs to be served without knowing how exactly it could be administered.
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>Even though fear of attack and abduction by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels has diminished significantly, communities still continue to face a range of security threats from other armed groups in the region. Uncertainty over the prospects for peace in particular stops many people leaving the congested IDP camps.
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>Many of those interviewed expressed their fears: “I am still haunted by the past. If I see a stranger when I am alone, or if a dog barks, I get scared. The peace talks are still not finalized. The Karamojong are still raiding us. It’s not yet peace,” said a man from Mucwini camp.
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>Since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was signed, some 900,000 people have left the camps entirely, many building shelter in or close to their places of origin. But about half have either stayed in the squalid camps, or have relocated to new sites, many in remote locations where they are living without proper access to safe water and sanitation. Just over half (53%) of the communities surveyed said that there had been no development in their region since the ceasefire began. The affected communities identified the squalid conditions and confined space of the camps as among the major factors that caused their suffering. Some 45% of the respondents describe life in the camps as “not peaceful.”
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>Many interviewees said that the conditions in the camps remained unbearable despite security improvements: “Women continue to face a lot of problems; men go out and drink, there are not enough schools, there are many pregnancies. Yes, there are no more gun shots, but other than that things are the same,” claimed a woman interviewed in Madi Opei Camp.
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>“The very serious effects of this decades-long civil war are still acutely felt. Now is the time to build on gains made over the past year and assist communities in returning to a normal life,” said Mr. Carvalho. “Essential services such as water and healthcare in areas of return must be improved while existing levels of assistance helping those living in camps need to be maintained. Without continued and consistent aid – both to those who remain in the camps and those who return to their areas of origin – hundreds of thousands of lives will be at risk.”
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