ON THE GROUND REFLECTION: Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB’s Chief Executive, recently visited Yemen where chronic poverty is being aggravated by war. Ten million people have insufficient food and two million have been forced to flee their homes. In this post, originally a letter to Oxfam staff, Mark reflects on the suffering he witnessed and Oxfam’s humanitarian response. Many things surprised me …
European governments’ treatment of refugees is doing long term damage to international law
OPINION: The EU’s stance towards migration sets a dangerous precedent argues Maya Mailer, Head of Humanitarian Policy & Campaigns. Today, as Oxfam launches a new campaign calling on world leaders to stand as one with refugees, the right to seek protection in another country is under threat. I visited some of Europe’s refugee camps recently. Oxfam was founded in 1942 …
Three reasons national organisations are vital to humanitarian response in South Sudan
OPINION: National and local actors have a critical role in responding to the humanitarian emergency in South Sudan. When international aid organisations work in partnership with local groups, their joint efforts are more effective and tailored to the people they are trying to help explains Stella Madete, Oxfam South Sudan Information and Communications Lead. National organisations are part of the …
Orchestrating the movement – a personal reflection on the World Humanitarian Summit
OPINION: Last week governments, NGOs, UN agencies and civil society representatives met in Istanbul for the World Humanitarian Summit. With 125 million people currently affected by conflicts and disasters the need for unified humanitarian action is clear. Here Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, reflects on what the summit achieved. Just a few of the 7000 attendees at the …
European countries need to return to humanitarian principles
ON THE GROUND REFLECTION: As world leaders and humanitarian actors meet in Istanbul for the first ever World Humanitarian Summit European countries need to look at themselves and step up to uphold human rights in the migration crisis argues Claire Seaward, Humanitarian Campaign Manager. From an interview with Catherine Meredith. What needs are you seeing on the ground in Europe? …
Resilience is someone – I met her in South Sudan
ON THE GROUND REFLECTION: Definitions of resilience should come from the people we are here to support, rather than our own assumptions. Elizabeth White, Policy Adviser in South Sudan, reminds leaders and humanitarians at the World Humanitarian Summit of the faces behind the words and numbers, and just how much we can, and must, learn from them. ‘Resilience’ has been …
Syria and climate change: did the media get it right?
OPINION: Syria, migration and climate change will all be key issues at the World Humanitarian Summit this week, but are they interrelated, and how? Alex Randall, from the Climate and Migration Coalition, explains why media portrayal of climate driven migration as a source of conflict is both damaging and inaccurate. The crisis in Syria is now in its fifth year. …
How did we do? Using technology to gather humanitarian feedback
NEWS: Often the most valuable beneficiary feedback is given informally and face to face. That’s why Oxfam is exploring new ways of helping staff to digitally record comments received as they go about their work as Emily Tomkys, ICT in Programme Officer, reports. A study into complaints related to humanitarian interventions by Baños Smith in 2009 revealed that ‘All participants …
Who told you that? Inclusion, bias and humanitarian evidence synthesis
OPINION: Dr Ellie Ott, Humanitarian Evidence Programme and Communications Manager, reflects on the challenges and opportunities of evidence synthesis in the humanitarian sector. The Humanitarian Evidence Programme, a UK Aid-funded partnership between Oxfam and Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, aims to strengthen the evidence base of humanitarian policy and practice through synthesis and research uptake. To this aim the programme …
Iraq: preparing for a predictable crisis
LEARNING: The Iraqi army’s planned and ongoing counter-offensive against ISIS is likely to lead to the displacement of between 500,000 and 1.5 million people from the city of Mosul and surrounding areas. They will need urgent humanitarian assistance, including shelter, food, and water. Oxfam with the IRC has conducted a Pre-Crisis Market Analysis (PCMA) to inform preparations, here Corrie Sissons, …