Policy Papers

Lebanon is extremely unequal and has been rocked by massive protests in recent months. The country is facing a financial crisis and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about a potential bailout programme.

The coronavirus pandemic is leaving a trail of devastation in low-income countries. This briefing aims to shine a light on the debt owed to private creditors by five African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia. It outlines the steps which the G20 needs to take immediately to avert further economic chaos. 

In July 2020 Oxfam warned that by the end of this year more people could die from hunger related to the COVID-19 pandemic than from the disease itself. But the response of the  international community to global food insecurity has been dangerously inadequate.

The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world unprepared to fight it. Only one in six countries assessed for the CRI Index 2020 were spending enough on health, and in more than 100 countries at least one in three workers had no labour protection such as sick pay.

This research assesses the extent to which countries have advanced their commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure secure land rights for all. While some countries have allocated resources and strengthened land rights in an inclusive manner, most countries are yet to prioritize land rights in their national development agendas.

This briefing describes new research that shows how extreme carbon inequality in recent decades has brought the world to the climate brink. It sets out how governments must use this historic juncture to build fairer economies within the limits our planet can bear. 

The twentieth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) is in October 2020. It is a landmark resolution on women’s role in peacebuilding, but progress on women’s rights and leadership in peace and security decision making continues to fall short.

This paper contains reflections from members of Oxfam’s gender justice community and draws on feminist thinking in order to develop a vision for a caring future, what it might look like and how we might achieve it.

Since the onset of the pandemic, large corporations have put profits before workers’ safety, pushed costs down the supply chain and used their political influence to shape policy responses. COVID-19 should be the catalyst for radically reining in corporate power, restructuring business models and creating an economy for all.

Even before the coronavirus crisis struck, people in the Middle East and North Africa were protesting against the injustice and inequality wrought by a decade of austerity. The pandemic and the lockdown measures taken by governments have paralysed economies and threaten to tip millions of people into poverty. This paper argues that if another decade of pain is to be averted, governments need to take immediate action to reduce inequality.

While the whole world attempts to save itself from the pandemic, the indigenous peoples of Latin America are dying. Abandoned by the state and with no adequate comprehensive healthcare services or clean water, they are extremely vulnerable to the virus that is fast expanding throughout the continent.

The Covid-19 pandemic will not be defeated unless it’s defeated in all countries. In developing countries, where public health spending is often severely constrained, significant debt cancellation will be necessary to deal with the double whammy of health and economic crises.

This paper explores the lessons learned by the Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam in more than ten years of combined operational experience from Damascus which can inform and improve the overall aid response in Syria.

Civil society has a vital role in advocating for inclusive, people-centred security provision which meets the everyday safety and security needs of all. This is especially crucial in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, characterized by high levels of insecurity.

COVID-19 is deepening the hunger crisis in the world’s hunger hotspots and creating new epicentres of hunger across the globe. While governments must act to contain the spread of this deadly disease, Oxfam is also calling for urgent action to end this hunger crisis and build fairer, more robust, and sustainable food systems.

The new Greek asylum law that entered into force on 1 January 2020 has significantly diminished protection for people seeking asylum. The law and its amendments increase asylum seekers’ vulnerabilities, while limiting access to their fundamental right to seek asylum and be protected from serious risks.

“Women’s rights from the ground up” includes a high-level vision of how we see change occurring and the tools we can use to secure women’s land rights. It also draws on discussions with Oxfam staff and partners to help build a stronger, shared narrative on women’s rights and gender justice in our land and natural resources work.

New research by Oxfam and partners reveals that while COVID-19 and the related containment efforts have caused increases in women’s – and men’s – unpaid care workloads, women are still doing the bulk of this work. Care work is essential to the healthy functioning of our societies and economies. It must be at the heart of a feminist COVID-19 recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Thai government’s immediate responses have significantly affected workers and small-scale producers in the seafood sector. This briefing note identifies these impacts, offers reflections on the remaining challenges and further measures to support small-scale producers and workers during the ongoing pandemic.

This study takes stock of inequalities in Tunisia, especially those sustained by an unjust fiscal system. Oxfam puts forth concrete recommendation to turn the page on austerity policies and advocates for fiscal justice and wider redistributive policies in Tunisia.