The Financing for Development conference let us down: now the fight for feminist economic justice continues

Rachel NobleGender, In the news, Influencing

The lack of consistent attention to gender was concerning, as was the failure to tackle the Global South debt crisis – and the blinkered expansion of private finance, despite evidence of its harms. But, says Rachel Noble, as the world turns to implementation of the Financing for Development commitments, there are valuable opportunities to seize and build on, including for the women who do most of the world’s care work.

Women in the Global South know exactly how to support their own communities – so why don’t we get behind them?

Halima BegumGender, Innovation, Power Shifts

What does it mean for international NGOs to truly shift power? At Oxfam, we think our fund for grassroots women’s rights organisations, which is founded on the principle that our partners should decide what to spend money on, holds some of the answers. Oxfam GB CEO Dr Halima Begum writes here about a project that has just won two 2025 Charity Awards. 

Let’s build a collective movement to win economic justice for carers

Hannah WebsterInfluencing, Poverty in the UK, Women's Economic Empowerment

Too many unpaid carers in the UK are struggling by on their own, unseen by policy makers. Taking inspiration from the union movement, says Hannah Webster of Care Full, it’s time to build the collective solidarity that can amplify our demands for an economy that values and supports us – and lifts carers out of poverty.

Five ways to back enterprises that drive climate and gender justice

OxfamGender, Private sector, Women's Economic Empowerment

Women are already leading innovations in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation. Here’s how to support their enterprises and ensure that climate-friendly businesses also boost gender justice. By Keisha Gani, Anais Mangin, Windy Massabni, San Sar and Diana Tjoeng.

Queer liberation is African liberation – and solidarity is like sunshine: everybody deserves some

Dumiso GatshaGender, Influencing, Rights

In a blog for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, activist Dumiso Gatsha considers what this year’s theme of “the power of communities” means when it comes to supporting grassroots organisations working towards liberation for LGBTQIA+ communities, in a world that is increasingly hostile to their rights.

Peru banned child marriage: here are three ways longitudinal research helped to make that happen

Kath FordGender, Influencing, Research

What does it take to persuade policy makers to make real progressive change? Kath Ford explains how Oxford University’s Young Lives study found success with a combination of robust longitudinal data, translating research into policy influencing and, crucially, relationships built painstakingly over many years.

Land is at the heart of women’s rights in the Global South: so why no mention of it in this year’s UN political declaration?

Naomi ShadrackGender, Land rights, Women's Economic Empowerment

While the landmark Beijing declaration 30 years ago on women’s rights mentioned land rights 30 times, this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) declaration fails to mention them at all. Naomi Shadrack explains why we need to put land firmly back on the global feminist agenda.

Austerity is creating fertile ground for the far-right: instead the UK must invest to fix its social infrastructure

Amy BrookerIn the news, Poverty in the UK, Women's Economic Empowerment

The UK government needs to listen to Iceland’s progressive prime minister when she says robust welfare policies are the antidote to far-right extremism. And what’s more, investing in social infrastructure – in care, in health, in schools – is essential to driving the growth the government wants, says Amy Brooker of the Women’s Budget Group.

Why the UK must take a bold stance against global attacks on women’s rights

Gender and Development NetworkAid, Gender, Rights

Amid a worldwide backlash against women’s rights, and after its own aid cuts that further threaten those rights, it has never been more urgent for the UK government to speak up loudly for global gender equality, says the Gender and Development Network.

Why the campaign for reparations must put gender justice at its heart

Lurit Yugusuk and Hazel BirungiLand rights, Research, Women's Economic Empowerment

Millions of women in the Global South earn a pittance, own no wealth or land and do far more unpaid care than men – and much of their condition today can be traced back to the economic devastation caused by both colonialism and the extractive economic system it created. That’s why any plan for redress must include justice for women. In the latest blog in our World Economic Forum series, Lurit Yugusuk and Hazel Birungi set out five ways to do that…