Policy Papers

The report, "Who Profits from the Global Gateway? The EU's new strategy for development cooperation" attempts to answer the question: is the Global Gateway prioritising the EU's foreign policy goals and its own economic interests over positive development outcomes in its partner countries? This report builds on previous research and provides a timely and comprehensive analysis of the Global Gateway, including its financing, governance and latest projects.

Israel’s war on Gaza is the latest and most brutal onslaught of violence against Palestinians in the 57-year-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Oxfam, along with 20 partner organisations, has reached 776,917 people with cash, food, and essential basic items, restoration of water and sanitation services, and provision of protection to the most vulnerable groups. 

Multilateral efforts are failing to adequately respond to critical global challenges, including the climate crisis and persistent poverty and inequality. While some have blamed the deadlock solely on rising geopolitical tensions between powerful countries, such a focus is incomplete. Rather, a key reason for failures of international cooperation is extreme economic inequality. Today, the world’s richest 1% own more wealth than 95% of humanity.

Keeping global warming to below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels - as stipulated in the Paris Agreement - is essential if we are to avoid the worst impacts of the climate and ecological crisis. With people in the lowest-income countries already suffering disproportionately from the climate crisis, Oxfam recognises that, beyond advocating for action by world leaders, we have an urgent ethical responsibility to mitigate our own impact on the environment and ultimately on the very communities that we work with and serve. 

The last two years have had a devastating impact for the civilians impacted by the war. Uncertainty is a constant part of daily life. Attacks on essential services like water and electricity continue to make life difficult.

The February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation caused the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. With no existing presence in the region and recognizing the strong civil society that had already begun responding to the needs of affected communities, Oxfam decided to implement a partner-led humanitarian response model. 

Given the immense financing needs to achieve development goals —nearly $4 trillion annually— Oxfam supports a robust and generous IDA replenishment. But reaching a record dollar amount only makes a bigger IDA, when what is most needed is a better IDA. A better, more impactful IDA must minimize the cost of finance, but more importantly catalyze investments that reduce inequality. After all, funds like IDA remain so crucial in part because we have collectively failed to address extreme inequality within and between countries.
 

We, the undersigned, are calling for a stop to funding from Development Finance Institutions to private for-profit healthcare providers. Mounting evidence shows that this funding is going to expensive out-of-reach private hospitals and clinics in low- and middle-income countries that are widening healthcare inequalities, exacerbating poverty and gender-based discrimination and violating human rights. Far from advancing progress towards Universal Health Coverage as governments have committed, this form of development finance is undermining it. 
 

As the newly elected European Parliament holds its inaugural plenary session in July and a new College of Commissioners takes office before the end of the year, there is a pivotal opportunity to shape an EU that prioritizes the well-being of future generations and the planet. Oxfam recommends focusing on three key priority areas in the new mandate: 

• Championing a strong and coherent international development agenda 

• Promoting international (humanitarian) law, humanitarian action and civic space 

• Leading the charge against the climate crisis, hunger and inequalities

To date, Oxfam along with 14 partner organisations, has reached 262,424 people with cash, food, and essential basic items. This also included restoring water and sanitation and providing protection services to vulnerable groups. Oxfam has also led a global movement for a permanent ceasefire and to allow unfettered humanitarian aid into Gaza. We are grateful to our supporters and institutional donors for their contributions to this response.

Oxfam welcomes the work of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) to build consensus on a set of rules to expedite debt restructuring exercises. This note lays out Oxfam’s views on the GSDR’s agenda, in response to the latest GSDR’s progress report of October 2023. 

Two years on from the escalation of the war in Ukraine, Oxfam spoke with a number of people leading the work of local and national women-led organizations (WLOs), women’s rights organizations (WROs), LGBTQIA+ led organizations, and other local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) addressing the needs of women, girls and gender minorities in Poland and Ukraine. 

When a massive earthquake hit southern Türkiye and northern Syria in early February 2023, it affected people in Syria already suffering through more than a decade of war. One of them was Khadjia , a married mother of five children whose home was partly destroyed. 

As the war in Ukraine continues on, communities affected by the crisis are having to constantly adapt to new realities. In response, humanitarian action needs to be flexible, agile and responsive to people’s needs.

Since 2020, the richest five men in the world have doubled their fortunes. During the same period, almost five billion people globally have become poorer. Hardship and hunger are a daily reality for many people worldwide.

On Thursday, 1 June, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote on the EU’s new rules to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). If the European Parliament fails to vote in favour of ambitious amendments, the final text risks being a far cry from what is needed.

Read Oxfam EU's media briefing which breaks down the rules and what MEPs need to do to make them stronger.