Committee: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
Organization: Oxfam International
Highland Park High School
Yuchen Feng
Oxfam Mission and Strategies
Oxfam International emerged out of a British World War II effort to provide food to
starving women and children in enemy-entrenched Greece.1 Now a collective of thirteen
organizations (ranging from Oxfam America to Oxfam Hong Kong and subdivided into 3,000
local partner branches), Oxfam is both nonprofit and nongovernmental. Free from political or
economic ties, Oxfam is a humanitarian organization that aims to give voice and opportunities to
the underprivileged, promote justice, and attack poverty. Like many other nongovernmental
organizations, Oxfam “pursues purposes of public interest” and often works with the United
Nations to coordinate humanitarian efforts in regions sensitive to outside intervention—most
often in underdeveloped regions in Africa, Central America, and the Middle East.2
Concerned with poverty, war, inequality, and human rights violations, Oxfam devotes its
resources to projects in local communities that aim to counteract these afflictions. As the Oxfam
mission statement indicates, ills like “poverty [are] almost always rooted in human action or
inaction.”3 Oxfam acts as an agent of human action dedicated to addressing the needs of
underprivileged individuals by providing them with infrastructure, opportunities, and basic
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“History….” 1
“What Are….” 1
“Oxfam International….” 1
human necessities—all with the ultimate goal to instill in them a sense of optimism and
confidence in life. With the support of Oxfam—which could range from food to daily
supplies—underdeveloped regions will gradually achieve a level of economic independence
under the guidance of local Oxfam affiliates. Independence is not only economic but also
personal and political. Oxfam emphasizes human rights and will impart upon the underprivileged
knowledge about self-government and the will to seek opportunities and basic rights. Also an
advocate of nonviolence, Oxfam seeks to reduce conflict by helping victims and educating them
to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts. Furthermore, Oxfam encourages underrepresented
individuals to seek redress in their governments; oftentimes, Oxfam will speak out against
blatant injustices committed by governments ignorant of the plight of poverty-stricken and
voiceless pockets of their states. Moreover, Oxfam takes action in cases of emergency—natural
and man-made; the Hong Kong division of Oxfam coordinated monetary aid, volunteers, and
other resources to contribute to the rescue effort on the ground. Comprehensively, Oxfam
operates on multiple levels: in the field, in research, in advocacy, in developed states, in
developing states
In recent years and future years, from 2007 to 2012, Oxfam has focused and will continue
to focus on justice. As a part of the 2007 annual report, Oxfam has identified five general goals:
“the right to a sustainable livelihood; the right to basic social services; the right to life and
security; the right to be heard; and the right to an identity.”4 Oxfam wants small farmers to
receive just compensation for their work and thus has targeted the attainment of fairer trade
standards to protect these marginalized minorities. Using its name and influence, Oxfam
encourages governments to provide to poor citizens access to healthcare, education, water, and
sanitation. For all the underprivileged but especially for underprivileged women and children,
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“Annual Report 2007.” 1
Oxfam wants to offer protection and a spring board to propel them to a peaceful existence.
Eventually, Oxfam hopes that women and children will become independent and take leadership
roles in local communities.5
In Marcala, Honduras, for example, Oxfam broadcasts to a mostly female audience on a
local radio station—with the intent to brief women on their rights and propose to them leadership
positions that they could assume. Los Lagos, Chile, also saw Oxfam workers campaigning for
women’s rights. Indignant about pregnant women working 16 hour days in the salmon industry,
Oxfam helped to empower local women so that they could form their own trade unions and fight
for not only women’s, but also worker’s rights.6
In addition to portraying a supportive role for the poor in developing states, Oxfam also
acts as a sentinel—one watching to ensure that developed states fulfill their promises toward
their counterparts. In June 2007, for example, Oxfam publicly denounced the leaders of the
Group of Eight for their inability to deliver $50 billion in aid (previously promised in 2005) to
developing states.7 Oxfam also sponsored a campaign at the Bali United Nations Climate
Conference in December 2007—in an attempt to encourage the reduction of global warming so
that flooding and inclement weather do not disturb the lives of those in disaster-prone regions
(who are also coincidentally the most poverty-stricken).
Overall, Oxfam International is a nongovernmental and nonprofit organization dedicated
to bettering the lives of the underside of the world’s population. By creating economic incentives,
developing infrastructure, providing resources for education, and working face-to-face will locals
in developing regions, Oxfam helps one person at a time.
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“Annual Report 2007.” 4
“Annual Report 2007.” 7
“Annual Report 2007.” 5
Applying Oxfam to Specific Committee Topics
Female genital mutilation. A weighty topic to be discussed in the Social, Humanitarian,
and Cultural Committee (SocHum) of the General Assembly, female genital mutilation greatly
disturbs Oxfam. An atrocious violation of basic human rights, female genital mutilation is
unfortunately rooted in cultures spanning back thousands of years, often in North African, some
Asian, and some Middle Eastern states. Although research, education, and awareness campaigns
have emerged—most notably championed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)—they are not enough.8
In line with its mission statement, Oxfam advocates a simultaneously international and
local effort targeting affected states and individuals. Oxfam will provide volunteers and
resources for a ground campaign of education and female empowerment. Education must extend
to the arena of human rights (specifically female rights) and even economic independence. After
all, if women are to have a voice in local communities, they must first be able to support
themselves. Gradually, women in local regions must be given power to direct some of their own
campaigns—not only because local face-to-face contacts are more personal and culturally
proximate but also because women will learn to use their own voice. Like Congolese rape
victims finally speaking out and standing up for their rights at a Bukavu, Congo conference, so
must genitally-mutilated female victims.9 Yet for these women to do so, they must be armed
with opportunity, education, and a sense of security. Oxfam aims to provide all necessary
prerequisites.
Agricultural subsidies. As the Economic and Financial Committee (EcoFin) in the
General Assembly prepares to discuss the topic of agricultural subsidies, Oxfam would like to
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“Female Genital Mutilation.” 3
Gettleman. 1
draw attention to the unfair competition and marginalization experienced by farmers in
developing (and generally less influential and affluent) states. As economically sound states in
the European Union and other developed states like the United States heavily subsidize their own
agricultural industries, they flood the world market with excess crops (often staple crops like
sugar, which is linked to the survival of poorer farmers). As supply increases so dramatically,
prices drop and small farmers are unable to successfully and fairly compete in the global market.
Essentially, excessive agricultural subsidies monopolize the agricultural market and regulate
prices at the expense of less organized, individual farmers.
Oxfam is a firm believer in fair trade; we want marginalized producers to enjoy fair
competition in global markets so as to maintain sustainable development. Oxfam has already
spoken out against developed states intent on continuing with unfair subsidies. Yet, we believe
that more ground-work campaigning is necessary. The fair trade movement needs to gain more
momentum in developed nations, so that individuals can pressure their governments into
stopping excessive agricultural subsidies. Moreover, Oxfam aims to target marginalized
producers by helping them form cooperatives and educating them on their rights. Furthermore,
Oxfam will encourage the formation of lending systems in local areas of developing countries so
that farmers are able to both save and borrow money (so as to purchase agricultural implements,
for example). Essentially, Oxfam advocates a two-tier approach, which aims to affect both
developed and developing states.
Works Cited
“Annual Report 2007.” Oxfam International. 10 June 2008. Oxfam International. 29 Sep. 2008. <
http://www.oxfam.org/files/OI-annual-report-2007-en.pdf>.
“Female Genital Mutilation.” World Health Organization. May 2008. World Health Organization.
08 Nov. 2008. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/>.
Gettlemen, Jeffrey. “Rape Victims’ Words Help Jolt Congo into Change.” New York Times:
Africa. 17 Oct. 2008. The New York Times. 31 Oct. 2008.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/world/africa/18congo.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>.
“History of Oxfam International.” Oxfam International. 10 June 2008. Oxfam International. 29
Sep. 2008. <http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/history>.
“Oxfam International’s Mission Statement.” Oxfam International. 10 June 2008. Oxfam
International. 29 Sep. 2008. <http://www.oxfam.org/en/about>.
“Stop the Dumping.” Oxfam Briefing Paper. 1 Oct. 2002. Oxfam International. 28 Oct. 2008.
<http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/trade/subsidies/2002/10stopdumping.pdf>.
“What Are Non-Governmental Organizations.” NGO Handbook. 06 Aug. 2008. World
Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. 29 Sep. 2008.
<www.ngohandbook.org>.