Offering temporary jobs on donor-funded and public projects can boost community incomes, as well as women’s economic empowerment and local quality of life. However, our new paper also finds such schemes need to do more to improve long-term economic inclusion and social impact, say Léa Moubayed-Haidar and Christina Elias of the EU-funded Economic Development Policy Unit (EDPU), hosted at Oxfam Lebanon
East Africa vs Ukraine: two tragedies, two very different responses
East Africa is facing its second hunger crisis in a decade, yet it barely registers in the news, and the international system is failing… How did the humanitarian system end up in this mess? Duncan Green on the stark messages from the new Oxfam/Save The Children paper, Dangerous Delay 2, a follow-up to the briefing Dangerous Delay, which warned of the need for change back in 2012
They were promised a fair share of power and resources… so why are local humanitarian actors still waiting?
In May 2016, at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, world leaders, humanitarian actors and the UN pledged to share power and resources with the local, front-line organisations who are critical to saving lives in humanitarian crises. Five years later, have they delivered on their commitments? The answer, unambiguously, is no. The Istanbul summit promised to “empower national and local humanitarian …
My journey as a female logistician at Oxfam
Yasmin is a Humanitarian Support Personnel (HSP) Logistician for the Global Humanitarian Team (GHT) since 2016. She is from Bangladesh and has worked in the major humanitarian emergency responses and development programmes in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Nepal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somaliland, Jordan, and Yemen. Logistics and women Logistics is at the heart of lifesaving work in the humanitarian sector. In …
What does the UN Security Council Resolution on COVID-19 mean?
On July 1st, the UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously backed U.N. chief Antonio Guterres’ March 23rd call for a global ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic. Resolution 2532 (2020) was finally adopted after more than three months of deadlock. Oxfam and our partners have campaigned for this resolution as a first step towards silencing the guns. The resolution drafted by France …
With coronavirus, now is the time for the humanitarian system to change for good
The humanitarian system is overwhelmed. With coronavirus predicted to double the number of people at risk of acute food insecurity to over one quarter of a billion, this pandemic has created unprecedented pressures on the system. Despite years of growth, the gap between what’s needed and the capacities available is growing. Repeating the same approach of simply asking for more …
Three reasons why an intersectional approach to women’s peace and security agenda is important
October 31st marks 19 years since the historical recognition of the unique gendered impact of violence on the well-being of women and girls. The adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was the first time where women rights and leadership were acknowledged as vital components in peace building and post-conflict reconstruction. It changed the way the international community …
Why women humanitarian workers matter
August 19 is World Humanitarian Day, when we mark the work done by humanitarian staff all over the world, who often risk their lives to support people affected by crises. This year is dedicated to women; the thousands of women working on the front lines in their own communities in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous places. Women …
Three things we’ve learned about measuring quality in humanitarian WASH responses
Six months ago, we started a process for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practitioners and coordination platforms to measure the quality of our responses across different contexts. James Brown reflects on what we have learned so far. Back in January, we introduced the Quality Assurance and Accountability Project (QAAP) – a Global WASH Cluster initiative led by Oxfam, in partnership with Solidarités International, Tufts University, and UNICEF. The project supports humanitarian WASH coordinators to go beyond simple headline indicators to …