Policy Papers

The devastating impacts of the 2015–16 El Niño will be felt well into 2017. There is an urgent need for humanitarian action where the situation is already dire, to prepare for La Niña later this year, to commit to new measures to build communities’ resilience, and to mobilize global action to address climate change

In this report, Oxfam identifies three key issues that need to be tackled for Unilever to move to the next level of social impact and responsible sourcing and for the good intentions of their policies to translate into real impact for the lives of workers.

The DAC’s reform process offers an opportunity to develop rigorous and demanding criteria and standards to better regulate the use of aid in private sector investments. The following recommendations aim at ensuring the reform leads to a principled approach.

This research project aimed to improve Oxfam’s understanding of the protection and livelihood challenges faced by refugees from Syria as well as the protection concerns arising from the coping strategies used to try to meet those challenges.

Despite progress, much work remains to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to support the millions of people already hit by climate change. This paper presents new data commissioned from the research consultancy CE Delft on the greenhouse gas emissions footprints and water scarcity footprints of major food commodities. 

With their response to migration, the European Union and its member states risk further undermining  their credibility and authority in the defence of human rights, more than 120 NGOs have warned.

This paper from Oxfam Italia examines the hotspot approach in Italy through the experiences of humanitarian agencies and civil society organizations on the ground, and through the voices of migrants themselves.

Oxfam and ActionAid have listened to hundreds of refugee and migrant women and men in Greece to understand why they fled their countries, what their immediate needs are, and what they plan to do next. Their situation is desperate, but also avoidable.

Malawi has a proud history of delivering free healthcare for its citizens, but this is now seriously under threat. Malawi cannot be the first country in a generation to introduce these dangerous fees while the world watches. 

Oxfam, together with a coalition of development NGOs, calls on European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to make Europe become a leader on the global agenda for development and the fight against poverty.

This paper takes a snapshot of women’s rights and political representation in Myanmar today and examines the potential of a quota system for a country at a true turning point in its history. 

Rising economic inequality across Asia is threatening poverty reduction and slowing down the fight against gender inequality. We believe that women’s economic empowerment is a critical factor in achieving gender equality and in supporting wider development goals

The Netherlands is a top EU tax haven for corporations, an Oxfam analysis of European Commission data shows.

Climate change is a brutal reality confronting the world’s most vulnerable people. Their need for financial support to adapt to climate extremes is urgent and rising.

This report reveals the widespread use of tax havens and low tax jurisdictions in the corporate structures of companies holding petroleum rights in Kenya.

Africa is losing billions to corruption, poorly negotiated deals and tax dodging. Leaders must listen to their people. They must crack down on tax dodging and maximize progressive revenues to create a more human economy for Africa.

This study seeks to understand the strengths and challenges of working with national and local nongovernmental organisations in South Sudan’s conflict-driven emergency, and reviews how the broader humanitarian system facilitates or prevents their involvement.

This briefing sets out Oxfam’s challenge to world leaders who fail to resolve conflicts, permit warring parties to ignore International Humanitarian Law, and do everything possible to keep the world’s refugees and displaced people from their doors.

As recovery in Nepal begins after the earthquake that struck in April 2015, there is an opportunity to ensure that reconstruction and resettlement policies and programmes are inclusive of women and those who are landless.

In February 2013, Oxfam launched the Behind the Brands campaign to challenge the ‘Big 10’ food and beverage companies. The companies have made significant new commitments, but they must now ensure that their suppliers actually change their practices in line with the commitments made.