Oxfam opens campaign office in Italy with Italian NGO Ucodep

Oxfam International is opening a campaign office in Italy with the Italian NGO Ucodep on January 23. The office is located in Arezzo, near Rome.

Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 affiliates, the oldest being Oxfam GB which began in 1942. Oxfam now works with more than 3,000 partners groups in more than 100 countries to find solutions to poverty and injustice. Oxfam spent $638 million in development programs in 2006 and runs campaigns on essential services, trade, climate change, agriculture and on people’s rights in crisis. 

Ucodep has worked in Italy since 1976 to fight poverty, support health and education rights and help people in humanitarian emergencies.

“Oxfam is delighted to link with Ucodep and expand our campaigning work into Italy as the country assumes the presidency of the G8 into 2009,” said Jeremy Hobbs, Oxfam International’s executive director.

“Ucodep stands to gain a great deal of experience and strength in partnering such a reputable development and campaigning organization as Oxfam,” said Francesco Petrelli, president of Ucodep. “We’re privileged that our first event together has gathered such a distinguished panel of experts.”

The first public initiative of the new Oxfam/Ucodep campaign office on January 23 will be to host a debate on “Finance for Development: Italy’s role in the G8”. This debate will be held in Rome. Officials, aid workers, academics and business people will be invited to exchange of ideas on Italy’s potential in financing development, namely to promote universal and global access to education, health and water. Speakers will concentrate on Italy’s plans concerning bilateral ODA, on the private sector’s role in supporting finance for development and on Italy’s position on international engagements.

Special Guests include:

• Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International,
• Francesco Petrelli, President, Ucodep,
• Stefano Sannino, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister and Head of the Italian G8 Sherpa team,
• Donato Di Gaetano, Department of International Affairs, Confindustria,
• Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Professor of Development Politics and Economics, University of Florence,
• Patrizia Sentinelli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Development Cooperation, Senate,
• Alfredo Mantica, Vice President of the Foreign Affair Commission, Senate,
• Umberto Ranieri, President of the Foreign Commission, Chamber of Deputies,
• Sergio Marelli, President Italian NGO Association,
• Raffele K. Salinari, President, CINI (International Network Italian Coordination).

More at the Ucodep website

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