Oxfam GB

Tax havens are depriving the world of more than £100 billion -...

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:37:00 +0100

Tax havens are depriving the world of more than £100 billion - enough money to end extreme poverty twice over. Reblog if you think this is unfair!

Shatha lives in a house in Lebanon still under construction....

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:08:32 +0100

Shatha lives in a house in Lebanon still under construction. Since leaving Syria, where her school was bombed, she has no access to education. Read her story here: http://bit.ly/10to2QA

How much do you know about tax havens? Once you get start...

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:14:40 +0100

How much do you know about tax havens? Once you get start reading about how rich companies and individuals avoid paying tax by hiding their income, I think you’ll want to know more.

10 global tax havens have strong links to the UK. British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies like the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Montserrat allow rich companies and individuals to avoid paying tax by hiding their income from the countries where the money should be taxed.

The lost income from just one type of dodging scheme - transfer mispricing - is estimated to be worth around $160 billion.

Here in Britain, the government has made deep cuts to social services across the nation in the name of austerity, and food banks have sprung up in many major towns and cities. Around the world, 1 in 8 people go to bed hungry every night. In Zambia, a recent report showed local market traders paid more tax than some big multinationals.

What could governments of both poor and rich countries do for their people, if they claimed the tax dodged through havens?

Next month, the G8 will be held in Northern Ireland. We think David Cameron needs to know that the British public won’t put up with tax havens any longer. The vast majority of ordinary people pay their taxes every year. It’s time the dodgers followed our example.

Sign our petition: Cameron, close all tax havens

We’re not the only ones interested in tax dodging, though. Plenty of other amazing organisations from around the world have put together videos illustrating the global scandal of tax havens, and we’ve picked the best for a week of creativity and sharing.

Here’s the first: Tax havens 101
Everything you never knew you wanted to know about those islands in the sun (mostly) that hide billions every year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gy2RgjIIZyA

Syria: No-one expected this

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:40:00 +0100

Syria: No-one expected this :

We’re aiming to reach 650,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon over the next twelve months. But we can’t do this without your support. Find out how you can help.

1.3 million people have fled the Syria conflict. Way more than...

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:11:24 +0100

1.3 million people have fled the Syria conflict. Way more than expected. Act now to increase aid and find a peaceful solution. http://bit.ly/12UIeQp

We wanted to say a huge thank you to all our amazing London...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:26:20 +0100

We wanted to say a huge thank you to all our amazing London Marathon runners. What better way to do it than with a song?!

UPDATE: Syria emergency - an infographic that speaks volumes

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:28:11 +0100

The number of people leaving Syria to seek refuge in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan, and the number being displaced with Syria itself, is increasing everyday. We’ve put together this infographic to help sum up the situation. The numbers are really quite staggering.

I think the infographic pretty much speaks for itself. Putting the numbers into a UK context goes some way to helping us comprehend the scale of the crisis and the upheaval it has caused. Oxfam’s staff are on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan, helping refugees desperately in need of emergency assistance.

Thank you to everyone that has supported our Syria Crisis Appeal. If you haven’t done so yet, please donate today.

Four million people are now in need of assistance inside Syria,...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:00:42 +0100

Four million people are now in need of assistance inside Syria, including 400,000 Palestine Refugees. Find out more:http://bit.ly/14UcsFn

Monsoon and Oxfam Homewares

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:57:00 +0100

Oxfam and high street retailer Monsoon have joined forces with artisan producers in India to design produce and sell a delightful range of ethical homeware products. Monsoon designed each item and then skilled workers fromSelf Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Noah’s Ark and Tara Projects produced them to be sold in Oxfam shops.

The exquisite selection of kitchen textiles, including hand-embroidered oven gloves, aprons and tea towels. Plus, other home accessories are adorned with a fun, vintage cherry print for the Spring/Summer range. There are also brightly coloured, enamel elephants covered in a floral design which make fantastic gifts to decorate any home.

The textile products, including tea towels and oven gloves, were hand embroidered by Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) an organisation which empowers female skilled workers. SEWA have been registered as a Trade Union since 1972 representing who rely on their own labour for survival. They aim to help women workers develop and organise employment to become self-reliant and secure.

The enamel products, such as storage tins and plant pots are hand finished by Noah’s Ark and Tara projects who are both established fair trade organisations. The projects work to empower low-income artisans and preserve the cultural traditions of their craft whilst breaking the cycle of poverty.

Noah’s Ark is a Fair Trade handicrafts business for the upliftment of artisans and the community and was formed in 1986. They offer a range of hand made items from home accessories to jewellery. Tara works to improve access to health, education and economic opportunity in nearly two dozen different countries. Their focus is on community as opposed to a specialist area or country .

The range will be available from selected Oxfam shops nationwide and prices start at £2.99. There is also a fantastic introductory offer of 20% off until 29th May so find your nearest participating Oxfam shop here.

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

Monsoon and Oxfam are working in partnership to produce beautiful and affordable, high quality products; hand finished by artisan producers in India. Monsoon launched Monsoon Boutique in 2011 with the aim to create beautiful hand-crafted gifts and homewares, while creating livelihoods for disadvantaged artisan communities.

Monsoon is proud to be a founder member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) and is committed to ensuring high ethical standards across their supply chain. For more information Monsoon’s website Ethical Trading

Monsoon, who has worked with artisans in India since 1973, is committed to creating opportunities for disadvantaged producers. Monsoon approached Oxfam’s Buying Team to collaborate on a range of products that are sourced through the Monsoon Boutique supply chain in order to provide the producer groups with greater access to market. All producer groups are either WFTO members or operate as community cooperatives. Sourcing through Monsoon is in-line with Oxfam’s Ethical and Environment Purchasing Policy and are working together to better inform our approach to sourcing from artisan producer groups.

Oxfam is very excited to be working with Monsoon because of the design kudos Monsoon has on the High Street that will appeal to our current customer whilst attracting new customers. Monsoon are supporting Oxfam in product advice, design and sourcing product to create a unique range to improve market access for artisan producers and generate more money for Oxfam.

All profits from the range will go towards supporting Oxfam’s work around the world.

By Helen Archard Online Fashion Content Intern

Why Syria is Oxfam’s number one priority

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0100

Recent UNHCR figures (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) show the rapid escalation of the refugee crisis engulfing Syria and neighbouring countries.

Far from a steady growth in refugee numbers, instead it shows an alarmingly steep increase of people fleeing violence in Syria to camps across the border. And this doesn’t include many thousands of people arriving in border communities already struggling to cope. With as many as 4 million more displaced within Syria itself, this is a huge and long term crisis.

Today, Oxfam raises its Syria Crisis response to a ‘Category 1’ emergency. This is not a media soundbite (we don’t refer to it publicly). What it means is that our humanitarian teams with years of experience in all kinds of emergencies put the scale of human suffering they are encountering, the complexity of the situation, and therefore the size of response needed from Oxfam and other agencies at the very highest level. It’s also an internal directive for all Oxfam staff to urgently prioritise work on Syria above all else.

This is not something Oxfam does lightly. To put this into perspective, the Asian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 was one of the very few other Category 1 emergencies of the last decade. This emergency was accompanied by shocking footage that revealed the scale of the disaster in the starkest possible terms, and the UK public responded with unprecedented generosity (up to £1M an hour was donated in the immediate aftermath).

Other ‘Category 1s’, such as the chronic food crisis in East Africa in 2011-12, are every bit as important, but more easily overlooked: the causes are complex, and the consequences unfold slowly over time, making them difficult, if not impossible, to capture at a single moment in time. So it is with Syria.

But in the absence of defining images to crystallise the plight of refugees fleeing violence, UN figures like these at least go some way to illustrating that the crisis in and around Syria is huge and growing, and Syria’s families need our help more than ever.

Here, across the Oxfam confederation, it’s going to be all hands to the pump over the coming weeks and months. If you can help, please donate to the Syria Crisis Appeal.

Supporting Syrian families with works of art

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:00:43 +0100

As the Syria Crisis continues to grow, the different things people are doing to support families caught up in the crisis are helping to inspire hope. During the past fortnight, 22 March to 7 April, Syrian-born artist, Issam Kourbaj, has been exhibiting his new art project, Excavating the Present, in a former furnishing emporium in Cambridge. Proceeds from the exhibition are being donated to different charities, including Oxfam.

Issam Kourbaj is artist-in-residence at Christ’s College, Cambridge. He was born in Syria and he trained in Damascus, Leningrad and London.

Issam wanted his exhibition, Excavating the Present, to raise both awareness and funds for Syrian refugee families. In view of the tragic events currently taking place, the exhibition focuses on the fragility of life in current-day Syria - and offers hope for a better world.

On the opening night of the exhibition Oxfam received £1200 in donations and an additional £3000 is on its way thanks to work that has been sold during the past fortnight. Issam’s work will be touring nationally and internationally - the dates and venues are still to be confirmed. anyone wishing to host the exhibition can contact Issam at ik254@cam.ac.uk.

Over a million Syrian refugees are now registered, or are awaiting registration, with the UN having fled violence in their own country. Oxfam staff are in Lebanon and Jordan, helping refugees desperately in need of emergency assistance and funds are still urgently needed.

If you can, please support Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal.

History has been made!

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:30:29 +0100

By Lisa Rutherford

Congratulations! After ten very long years of campaigning, passion and unbelievable determination from Oxfam supporters in the UK, yesterday the world voted overwhelmingly for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to regulate the global arms trade for the first time. I sat at the back of the UN General Assembly Hall, watching the electronic voting board start to light up and, seconds later, the result flashed up for everyone to see: 154 ‘yes’ votes as the world overwhelmingly agreed an Arms Trade Treaty.

A loud cheer erupted from the Control Arms team, this has been a long time coming. Oxfam was one of the three founding members of Control Arms and your endless email actions, meetings with hundreds of MPs and petitions over the past decade helped ensure that in the UK, our government never lost sight of the public demand for a robust ATT that would save lives.

We simply would not be celebrating this success without your help. It has taken ten years since the launch of the Control Arms campaign, including six years of UN negotiations to reach this historic moment. And there have been endless obstacles put in the way of our progress to bring the irresponsible arms trade under control. But we joined in solidarity with millions of people from around the world and never stopped believing that an ATT could become a reality.

The Treaty text is not perfect, but it was significantly strengthened during the past two weeks. And after consensus was blocked last week by Iran, Syria and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, momentum pushed governments to take the treaty to the UN General Assembly to be adopted by vote instead. The world has now listened to the majority of countries who want an ATT, not the tiny minority who wanted to wreck the process.

This is just the start. In two months time the treaty will open for signature, and we want as many as possible to sign. And once 50 countries have ratified the treaty it will “enter into force”, and become international law. And then we need to ensure that it all governments ratify the Treaty so that the standards become universal.

But for now, we must celebrate. Celebrate that an idea from NGOs that was first supported by just three countries has now been overwhelmingly agreed by 154 countries. And celebrate that people living in countries devastated by conflict and armed violence will now be better protected from the irresponsible arms trade.

Campaigning works - and wins don’t get much bigger than this!

We’ve teamed up with Nectar so that you can collect points...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:52:55 +0100

We’ve teamed up with Nectar so that you can collect points when your donations sell in Oxfam! You can sign up here: oxf.am/UZH

More than a million refugees have now fled the conflict in...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:31:44 +0000

More than a million refugees have now fled the conflict in #Syria. Refugees in #Jordan are in desperate need of food ad shelter: http://bit.ly/10rfuh8

Looking for easy ethical #Easter gift inspiration? Why not try...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:46:29 +0000

Looking for easy ethical #Easter gift inspiration? Why not try our DIY Easter jars! http://bit.ly/X91Mmw

Today is #WorldWaterDay, a day to recognise the 1 billion people...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:43:08 +0000

Today is #WorldWaterDay, a day to recognise the 1 billion people who don’t have access to clean water.
Credit: David Levene/Oxfam

Happy #RND! Good luck to everyone fundraising for Comic Relief...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:39:08 +0000

Happy #RND! Good luck to everyone fundraising for Comic Relief tonight!

On 1 February, 25-year-old Hasan Hariri took over Oxfam’s Twitter page to give us an insight...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:18:07 +0000

On 1 February, 25-year-old Hasan Hariri took over Oxfam’s Twitter page to give us an insight into a day in the life of a Syrian refugee living in Zaatari camp in Jordan. Today, there’s another Twitter takeover. This time, several people - each with their own stories and experiences - will be telling us about their day. Meet the tweeters here: http://bit.ly/YtrKJ8 as we introduce Hanan, Zakaria, Ohoud, Abu Diya - and of course, Hasan. You’ll also be hearing from Oxfam staff, including Farah Al-Basha, who are working in the camp.

Happy International Women’s Day! #IWD2013

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:39:00 +0000

Happy International Women’s Day! #IWD2013

Children carrying slate chalk boards on their way to school in...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:01:44 +0000

Children carrying slate chalk boards on their way to school in Doro Village, Mali.

Photo: Dave Clark/Oxfam