Catch up on our top papers and blogs of last year, as selected by Oxfam’s Policy & Practice team.
‘I put my hands over my children’s eyes’: stories of the displaced in Lebanon
The start of waves of intensified Israeli airstrikes in September 2024 forced over a million people to flee, with many still displaced today despite a shaky ceasefire. Here, May Achour shares three stories from people caught in the chaos and trauma of recent months.
When conflict destroys services, who fills the gaps in care? We need to make sure it’s not always women
In Gaza and Lebanon, thousands of women are now first responders when it comes to feeding, caring and comforting, all while dealing with their own trauma from deaths, injury, starvation and displacement. Yet too often the way humanitarian agencies operate actually adds to their workload, says Hadeel Rizq-Qazzaz.
We don’t want your money: why do NGOs refuse donations?
Logan Cochrane and Alexandra Wilson on a fascinating new analysis that identifies four principles that drive NGOs to reject large donations – and if your organisation has turned away money recently, they want to hear from you…
‘Four years after the Beirut blast, her story still haunts me’
Sometimes all we can offer in an emergency response is a listening ear and a compassionate heart, says Tarek Al Ali of Oxfam in Lebanon, as he reflects on the aftermath of the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion.
When will the ‘grand bargain’ deliver a better deal for women’s organisations in Pakistan?
How can local Women’s Rights Organisations benefit from the global pledge to channel 25% of global humanitarian funding to groups like theirs when they haven’t even heard of it? Sarah Zafar and Shahnawaz Ali on insights from conversations with Pakistani WROs into what they need to flourish.
Violent pushbacks, a no-go zone and hostility: the triple threat for refugees at the EU’s ‘green border’
In the forests that divide Poland from Belarus, those fleeing war-torn countries face a harsh crackdown. Dominika Ożyńska of Polish organisation Egala describes how many are being forced back into Belarus and cut off from humanitarian assistance, as NGOs are banned from certain border areas. All of this is taking place amid growing public and political hostility and anti-migrant rhetoric.
‘I would expect more trust’: five things holding back LGBTQIA+ led organisations in the Ukraine response
LGBTQIA+ organisations responding to the crisis in Ukraine need better support from international donors, including more flexible funding and support to boost the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. Charlotte Greener shares insights from conversations with two LGBTQIA+ groups working in Ukraine and neighbouring Poland.
Four ways to build youth activism for peace: insights from one UK student’s campaigning on Yemen
Oxfam campaigner Yasmin Turner on how she is working to draw attention to the crisis in Yemen and pressure the UK government to stop the British arms sales fuelling the conflict – from hosting a photographic exhibition to writing to her local MP.
Why a “humanitarian pause” or “humanitarian corridors” are simply not the answer in Gaza
Why are Oxfam and other humanitarian organisations not welcoming calls for corridors, pauses and so-called “safe zones” to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza? Richard Stanforth and Magnus Corfixen explain – and set out why a ceasefire is the only credible solution.