Dear 

Welcome to the June edition of the Oxfam Policy & Practice newsletter. This month we explore the future of development in two new papers by our senior strategic adviser, Duncan Green.

We also discuss the role of the G7 in tackling climate change, and take a look at how successful innovation happens in our programmes.  

Finally, you'll find new blog posts and publications about all aspects of Oxfam's work, including content from Oxfam India and Oxfam Mexico.

Best wishes,

Oxfam Policy & Practice Team

What next for development?

This month we published two new papers by Duncan Green. The first explores how our understanding of development is changing and the implications of these changes. The second considers the ‘cup half full’ interpretation of development. Is it realistic to say that poverty can be abolished within a matter of years? Or does new thinking about development suggest that any celebration of achievements is premature? 

• Download Fit for the Future? Development trends and the role of international NGOs >
• Download The Age of Development: Mission accomplished or RIP? >

Coal, the G7 and climate change

In the run up to the crucial new UN climate talks in Paris in December, we are calling on the G7 to lead the world in setting out clear plans for a just transition away from coal. Let Them Eat Coal shows how with the right mix of regulatory and policy measures some countries can move to coal-free electricity grids within the next decade.

• Download Let Them Eat Coal: Why the G7 must stop burning coal to tackle climate change and fight hunger >
• Read a blog post from Kiri Hanks on why the G7 have made but a stuttering start on climate change >

Unlocking innovation

In this rapidly changing world, how can a development and humanitarian NGO like Oxfam GB unlock its people, knowledge, networks, partnerships and resources to achieve greater impact at scale? Unlocking Innovation considers examples of innovation in our programmes, and explores how we can foster new approaches which can bring impact at scale.

• Download Unlocking Innovation: Enabling and blocking factors in developing innovative programmes in Oxfam GB >

June blog posts

June publications

Financing the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from government spending on the MDGs

Matthew Martin, Jo Walker
Beyond 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require at least $1.5 trillion extra each year. Based on lessons from tracking country budgets, this report looks at how the SDGs should be financed and makes a number of suggestions.

Africa: Rising for the few

Claire Godfrey
Securing Africa’s economic rise will be top of the agenda at the 25th World Economic Forum-Africa in Cape Town. Oxfam is calling on business and political leaders to demand an intergovernmental tax body to reform the global tax rules so that multinational companies pay their fair share of tax in Africa.

Money Talks: Africa at the G7

Claire Godfrey
If G7 leaders are serious about supporting Africa’s growth and poverty reduction, they must support ambitious commitments on tax and aid - including comprehensive reform of the global tax rules - leading up to the UN Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July.

Is South Africa Operating in a Safe and Just Space? Using the doughnut model to explore environmental sustainability and social justice

Megan Cole
This paper uses Oxfam’s ‘doughnut model’ to describe the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and environmental change, providing a snapshot of South Africa’s current position against the suggested set of domains and indicators.

Harmless Harvest: How sustainable agriculture can help ASEAN countries adapt to a changing climate

Maria Dolores Bernabe
This policy brief asserts that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can help poor farmers and fisherfolk in the region adapt to climate change through programmes promoting sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology.

Cash Coordination in the Philippines: A review of lessons learned during the response to super Typhoon Haiyan

Gabrielle Smith
The Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) and UNHCR commissioned this review in order to document lessons learnt on the effectiveness of cash coordination during the initial three to four months of the response to Typhoon Haiyan, and to provide recommendations on inter-agency and cross-sectoral coordination.

Towards a Fair and Just Fiscal Policy in Pakistan

Vaqar Ahmed, Mustafa Talpur, Sadaf Liaqa
Pakistan does not currently mobilize sufficient tax revenue to finance essential public services. This paper explains the four basic elements necessary for a fair and just tax regime, which, if implemented, would strengthen the domestic revenue base, increase equity and improve overall development outcomes.

News from across Oxfam

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