Welcome!

Welcome to the January issue of Oxfam Policy & Practice News. This month you'll find features on a new guide to humanitarian funding, use of mobile technology for disaster risk reduction, and reporting on the World Economic Forum. There's also a Policy Paper which looks at the causes of hunger in Africa amidst economic growth, and a Case Study on effective linking of relief and rural development using EU funding.

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Making sense of humanitarian funding

The Development Initiatives think tank has produced an interactive guide to the complexities of humanitarian finance. Seven clear lines deliver humanitarian assistance to the 'aid recipient' placed, quite rightly, at the centre.

Ed Cairns, Oxfam's Senior Policy Adviser, reviews the infographic.

Read more

Wealth inequality and the World Economic Forum

The annual World Economic Forum in Davos took place from 21-27 Jan in Davos. An Oxfam Media Briefing published in advance of the event calls on world leaders to curb today's income extremes.

Duncan Green, Oxfam's Senior Strategic Adviser, asks: Should we (and everyone in Davos) worry about extreme wealth?

Latest blogs

Latest publications

Africa is Wide Awake But Still Hungry

Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva and Richard King

One of the most remarkable turn-arounds in development occurred in the last decade in many of the countries south of the Sahara. Economies have been growing even in the face of economic and financial instability elsewhere in the world; poverty has fallen and child mortality has dropped considerably, among the most visible indicators of progress. But, as this Policy Paper explores, the number of people suffering from undernourishment (a proxy for hunger) has continued to rise. 

Effective Ways of Linking Relief and Rural Development: Oxfam’s experience of implementing programmes using EU Food Facility funds

John Magrath

Aid is often criticised for breaking 'humanitarian' and 'development' aid into silos; EU aid is often criticised for being overly bureaucratic. Both criticisms are largely unfounded in the case of the EU Food Facility (EUFF) which was set up in response to the 2008 food price spike which threatened millions of people with hunger. This Case Study looks at Oxfam's experience of running EUFF programmes.

Mali's Conflict Refugees: Responding to a growing crisis

Caroline Baudot

With conflict escalating in Mali, the aid effort to help some 145,000 refugees living in camps across remote, poor areas of the Sahel could become overwhelmed. Oxfam’s Briefing Paper analyses the shortfalls in the humanitarian response to refugees, and outlines what is needed to better meet the needs of refugees and the communities among which they are living.

Making Climate Finance Work for Women in South Africa

Trusha Reddy

Women living in poverty across South Africa need support to adapt to climate change and to take an active part in the transition to a low carbon economy. This Policy Paper sets out the context of climate finance in South Africa and provides recommendations to policy makers in South Africa for helping women to access and benefit from climate finance.

Achieving Healthcare for All in India

Lucy Dubochet

The stakes of the current debate around Universal Health Coverage in India are high. As this Briefing Note explains, the coming months will decide whether the government takes a proactive role in ensuring access to healthcare for all. The debate has raised questions such as: How should healthcare be funded? What should be the role of public and private providers? How should the latter be regulated?

Effectiveness Review: Livestock commercialisation for pastoralist communities in North Dakoro, Niger

Robert Fuller

This Effectiveness Review looks at a project aimed at strengthening livelihoods among pastoralist households in the rural commune of Bermo, in the Maradi Region of Niger. The project facilitated the formation of a pastoralist self-help group and sought to increase household resilience to drought. The review documents the findings of a quasi-experimental impact evaluation carried out in December 2011 and January 2012.

Within and Without the State: Effective programming in fragile and conflict affected contexts: Workshop Communiqué, November 2012

Louie Fooks and Amanda Buttinger

This 'Communiqué' from the Within and Without the State Workshop captures the key messages, identifies areas for development, and suggests key ways to take these forward. It was developed by the participants themselves throughout the course of the workshop.

Recent additions

Previously published papers now available online for the first time

Exploring the Links Between International Business and Poverty Reduction: The Coca-Cola/SABMiller value chain impacts in Zambia and El Salvador

Bethan Grillo

This study is the result of a multi-year collaboration between The Coca-Cola Company, Oxfam America, and SABMiIIer to apply Oxfam’s Poverty Footprint methodology to the Coca-Cola/SABMiIIer value chain in Zambia and El Salvador. The methodology, which was originally developed and applied to Unilever’s operations in Indonesia, is designed to help companies understand and improve their poverty impacts.

Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons: Challenges in eastern Chad

Caroline Baudot

Between 2005 and 2007, a combination of regional conflict and national crisis led to the internal displacement of about 180,000 people in eastern Chad. The Chadian government has publicly recognized that it is responsible for setting up an appropriate framework for durable solutions; however, as this Briefing Paper explains, very little has yet been done by the government to make this a reality.

Financial Transaction Tax campaign: Evaluation report

Cambridge Policy Consultants

The Robin Hood Tax campaign is a series of loosely coordinated national campaigns aiming at a small tax on financial transactions, with some of the proceeds spent on development. First launched in the UK in February 2010, by mid-2012 the campaign has spread to countries across Europe and the world.This Evaluation Report was produced by a team of external consultants between Jan-June 2012.

Quality Educators: An international study of teacher competences and standards

Paloma Bourgonje and Rosanne Tromp

This Research Report arises from a study conducted by Oxfam Novib, which included interviews with teachers and other stakeholders in eight countries about the development and implementation of quality standards for primary school teachers, as well as reviewing the literature about competence-based teacher education.