Background
- Poverty and Violence
- Conflict for Profit
- Peace through Advocacy
PEACE THROUGH ADVOCACY
Conflict is one of the major reasons that millions of poor people are unable to escape poverty. Preventing conflict starts at the local level. Oxfam helps communities identify the root causes of conflict and find creative ways to build lasting peace.
When local efforts to prevent and resolve conflict fail, the 12 Oxfam International affiliates engage in high-level advocacy efforts to convince governments and international organizations to protect civilians, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, and fund long-term development projects. Some recent examples include:
- In 2003, Oxfam helped convince the UN Security Council to authorize a rapid reaction force to be deployed to Bunia in the Ituri District of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Fighting between armed groups had killed 300 people. Tens of thousands were displaced and at risk of attacks . The UN rapid reaction task force helped to stabilize the situation, allowing Oxfam to carry out essential water and sanitation work that stopped a cholera epidemic.
- Oxfam called for the US government to send troops to Monrovia, Liberia, to protect the city and 200,000 displaced people there. Faced with a serious public health crisis, Oxfam was providing clean water and sanitation services. But the escalating violence was preventing the timely delivery of this assistance. Oxfam and other humanitarian aid agencies brought advocacy and media pressure to bear on the US government, which caused the US Marines to be deployed in support of troops supplied by other West African countries attempting to secure the area in and around Monrovia.