JUST ECONOMIES
'Threats and harassment, humiliation. They are looking to kick us out, so they can plant palms.'
JUST ECONOMIES
'Threats and harassment, humiliation. They are looking to kick us out, so they can plant palms.'
‘Before, people worked on the land. They planted corn, beans, rice and chili. Now the company is taking everything. They came in and planted without permission. There’s only palm field now. And people are running out of land.’
- Florinda Noemi Xol Guitz
Florinda used to grow bananas, among other crops, on her farm in Eastern Guatemala. Nowadays, looking outside her window, she can only see one thing growing. A palm oil company has been stealing her land, bit by bit.
Today’s economy serves the rich, while Florinda and millions of others are paying the price. We need to rein in the power of the few to create a more equal future for everyone.
OUR WORK
Towards a fair and sustainable economic model
OUR WORK
Towards a fair and sustainable economic model
Global poverty has increased for the first time in 25 years and inequality has risen beyond anything we have seen before. The super rich are richer than ever and continue to use their wealth to buy power and to influence policies that impact the lives of the majority.
Global poverty has increased for the first time in 25 years and inequality has risen beyond anything we have seen before. The super rich are richer than ever and continue to use their wealth to buy power and to influence policies that impact the lives of the majority.
Oxfam predicts that the world could see its first trillionaire within a decade.
Power structures of patriarchy, white supremacy and neoliberalism, while increasingly rejected, remain dominant in underpinning who is winning and who is losing in our economies.
We see statements supporting our campaigns against inequality from major global institutions, and some movement toward concrete policies. The Brasil G20 presidency opened the door to incredible opportunities, including a possible global agreement to taxing the super rich. This is a direct result of continuous engagement and public campaigning by Oxfam and allies.
Recent years have seen progress on progressive taxation in many countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Norway, Spain and Sri Lanka, to name a few. People are again rising up against austerity, after Covid-19 interrupted the momentum of 2019’s unprecedented anti-austerity protests. In 2022 cost-of-living protests took place in 122 countries and territories, and these continued in 2023 – the year when Amazon workers went on strike in 30 countries.
The Brasil G20 presidency opened the door to incredible opportunities, including a possible global agreement to taxing the super rich
Youth unemployment is a significant global concern, particularly for countries in the Global South; as is the historic decline in real wages against the rising cost of living. Both have been focal points of voter concern in national elections in 2024 – touted as the ‘year of the election;’ nearly 50% of the world’s population will have been impacted by the outcome of national elections worldwide – as well as climate change and immigration.
Inequality is compounded by other forms of discrimination, such as that based on age, caste, disability, gender, migration status and race. More than half of the world’s poorest countries, home to 2.4 billion people, are set to cut public spending by a combined 229 billion US dollars over the next five years: this is more than the total amount of official development assistance (ODA), or government aid, in 2022.
Inequality is compounded by other forms of discrimination, such as that based on age, caste, disability, gender, migration status and race
These cuts are often felt acutely by women, girls and non-binary people, especially those who experience intersecting inequalities. Including those facing other forms of discrimination such as those relating to Indigenous, religious and/or disability status, will be crucial to tackling inequality head on.
These cuts are often felt acutely by women, girls and non-binary people, especially those who experience intersecting inequalities. Including those facing other forms of discrimination such as those relating to Indigenous, religious and/or disability status, will be crucial to tackling inequality head on.
Popular resistance movements continue to gain strength and renew people’s hope in community and alternative futures. From #MeToo and Black Lives Matter to the Free Palestine movement and national uprisings on a range of issues, the intersecting theme is Inequality.
We worked with
1.58M
people
This included:
905,000
women and girls
206,280
young people
38,000
people with disabilities
OUR WORK ACROSS THE WORLD
NIGERIA
GETTING THE RIGHT RESOURCES
In Nkwor, a small community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, women farmers were finding it hard to sell their crops. They did not have access to good roads to transport their goods or a proper market to sell them.
In Nkwor, a small community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, women farmers were finding it hard to sell their crops. They did not have access to good roads to transport their goods or a proper market to sell them.
Consequently, a lot went to waste, and it was difficult for the farmers to make money. The local saying ‘beta soup na money kill am’ means you need the right resources to get good results, and that is what the women were missing.
All that changed with a project started by the Mothers and Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre). This is part of a larger initiative, Voice, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and coordinated by Oxfam in six countries: Cambodia, Laos, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Uganda.
Women learned about organizing working groups, budgeting and speaking up for their needs. They used these skills to meet with government officials, including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
In October 2023, the women’s hard work paid off when the government agreed to build a new road and marketplace. Now the farmers can easily transport and sell their crops, which means they make more money and have better lives. Some women also felt inspired to become leaders in their community to ensure that facilities continue to improve. The entire Nkwor community now enjoys better resources and a brighter future.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
The Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre
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The Mothers and Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA), partnered with Oxfam since 2018, is raising awareness of the many challenges faced by women in Nigeria.
‘Together with Oxfam we have been able to provide opportunities for community women to be heard by their local and state governments. This is what we at MAMA Centre love most – to work with women living in rural areas at the community level and to see the success stories coming out of that. Oxfam provides the funds and the platform that enables us to do this. Oxfam staff are also there for us, providing information and technical support where needed.’
Ola Onyegbula, Project Coordinator, MAMA
Together we work with women and girls, investing in advocacy, capacity strengthening, research, networking and delivery of services. The center advocates with the Nigerian government to advance the rights of marginalized groups in relation to socio-economic or political issues and healthcare.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
The Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre
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The Mothers and Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA), partnered with Oxfam since 2018, is raising awareness of the many challenges faced by women in Nigeria.
‘Together with Oxfam we have been able to provide opportunities for community women to be heard by their local and state governments. This is what we at MAMA Centre love most – to work with women living in rural areas at the community level and to see the success stories coming out of that. Oxfam provides the funds and the platform that enables us to do this. Oxfam staff are also there for us, providing information and technical support where needed.’
Ola Onyegbula, Project Coordinator, MAMA
Together we work with women and girls, investing in advocacy, capacity strengthening, research, networking and delivery of services. The center advocates with the Nigerian government to advance the rights of marginalized groups in relation to socio-economic or political issues and healthcare.
DAVOS
EXPOSING THE SUPER RICH
Oxfam invests money and time in research, policy, influencing and advocacy work. We do so because we believe that those in power have the ability, and the duty, to change the system – and thereby improve the lives of billions of people around the world. Getting the most powerful to do so requires expert knowledge, a large network and the ability to speak to the right people at the right time.
Oxfam invests money and time in research, policy, influencing and advocacy work. We do so because we believe that those in power have the ability, and the duty, to change the system – and thereby improve the lives of billions of people around the world. Getting the most powerful to do so requires expert knowledge, a large network and the ability to speak to the right people at the right time.
A pivotal part of our influencing work targets the world’s most powerful people as they gather in Davos, Switzerland, each January for the World Economic Forum. Our 2024 Davos report, Inequality Inc, gave an update on who is winning and who is losing in today’s economy, and exposed how the super rich are amassing enormous wealth and power.
We reported that ‘The world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes, from 405 billion US dollars to 869 billion US dollars since 2020 – a rate of 14 million US dollars per hour – while nearly five billion people have been made poorer.’
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HEEIN LEE
Heein Lee, an elementary school teacher in Incheon, South Korea, has been supporting Oxfam for over nine years. He has also used information from Oxfam reports to inform his courses on relief work, conflict zones and global citizenship. He says, ‘I feel that Oxfam does not hesitate to go to the hardest places and respond quickly to help those in need. I also like that Oxfam provided information I didn’t know previously, such as information about the near-famine situation in East Africa and reports on inequality.’
‘Through Oxfam, I have learned that behind many tragic news stories, such as the situation in Gaza and Ukraine, there are even more challenging realities that we are often not aware of. One of the main causes is inequality. Honestly, it was difficult but also interesting to read Oxfam’s inequality research paper and discover clues to how the structural problems can be solved.’
Heein Lee contacted Oxfam in December 2023 to say that the school pupils were organizing a flea market as part of a project on finance awareness. They wanted to use the money they raised to do good in crisis-affected countries, and especially to help Palestinian children under bombardment. As a thank you, local Oxfam staff visited the school and ran a session on Global Citizenship.
Funds raised by supporters like Heein are spent globally where we stand the best chance of helping people to create change in their lives. This may include advocacy work on inequality, alongside other projects.
AMITABH BEHAR
The report also focused on how corporate power, monopolies and the pursuit of shareholder value over everything else are driving inequality worldwide. And we continued to argue for increased taxation on the richest.
The impact of the report and our supporting advocacy efforts show the potential of carefully crafted influencing work to move the needle for people facing social, political and economic exclusion. The report received wide coverage, and our policy proposals have started to influence both discourse and actions of some of the most powerful people on the planet.
IMPACT EXAMPLES:
WORLD BANK
GREATER TRANSPARENCY
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge, with a mission to ‘end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a liveable planet.’ In 2023, Oxfam seized the opportunities presented by its new president, Ajay Banga, who in June that year began his five-year term and instigated an ‘evolution roadmap.’
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge, with a mission to ‘end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a liveable planet.’ In 2023, Oxfam seized the opportunities presented by its new president, Ajay Banga, who in June that year began his five-year term and instigated an ‘evolution roadmap.’
We met with key senior figures in World Bank Group – including President Ajay Banga himself – and with US decision-makers. We also worked with US Congresswoman Joyce Beatty to organize a round-table meeting, informing US decision-makers on the breadth of reform needed. We secured support from key World Bank board members through engagement meetings that included Oxfam Executive Director Amitabh Behar. And we created pressure by coordinating an open letter from 200+ prominent economists.
We achieved a major advocacy win when the World Bank revised its ‘corporate scorecard’ to include a headline indicator on Inequality. This means that for the first time in its history, the Bank is committing to tackling inequality as a key part of its work. The new indicator will allow for more scrutiny of and accountability for how the Bank’s policies and projects affect inequality.
INDONESIA
BETTER LIVES FOR SHRIMP WORKERS
Indonesia is now in the top five countries in the world for seafood production and exports. But the workers (predominantly women, in shrimp processing), have poor employment rights. ‘Land grabs’ by large companies have evicted workers and devastated whole farming communities
Indonesia is now in the top five countries in the world for seafood production and exports. But the workers (predominantly women, in shrimp processing), have poor employment rights. ‘Land grabs’ by large companies have evicted workers and devastated whole farming communities
With local partners INFID and KOIN, Oxfam has helped to improve the livelihoods of women workers and small-scale farmers in Southeast Asia. Our project ran from 2018 to 2023 in Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam. We worked with farmers, producer groups, government officials and multi-national corporations to promote inclusive, responsible practices and improved resilience to the effects of climate change.
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PAUL CHORLTON
Paul Chorlton, a small business owner from Western Australia, is a long-standing Oxfam supporter. He made his first contribution in 1994, and since then has donated his time and skills to Oxfam and other organizations. At one stage he negotiated with his employer to introduce a four-day week so that people could volunteer with their extra time.
Paul is a keen walker and has participated in Trailwalker, an Oxfam-led sponsored hike, to raise funds. He has also visited Oxfam projects in Indonesia, after hiking up Mount Rinjani. He says, ‘I have been very fortunate in my travels to see the work of Oxfam in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Guatamala and Indonesia. It was amazing to see first-hand the difference Oxfam makes.’
Paul likes Oxfam’s model of working with local partners. ‘I think this leads to better outcomes,’ he says; ‘I am also a great believer in advocacy, and this is another area that I think Oxfam is very strong in.'
Funds raised by supporters like Paul are spent globally where we stand the best chance of helping people to create change in their lives. This may include work with shrimp producers in Indonesia, alongside other activities.
DEA SUKMAWATI
A standout achievement of our collaboration was the transformative impact on PT ATINA – a medium-sized shrimp processor and exporter to Japan. With our support, PT ATINA adopted a gender-inclusive internal policy in June 2023 and set up safeguarding and grievance policies in its factories.
PT ATINA and 11 seafood sector businesses incorporated Women's Economic Empowerment and climate resilience concepts into their business practices. And nationally, the project influenced policy by contributing two position papers that led to the signing of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
CHAD
COMMUNITIES GIVEN A SAY
In Chad farmers face problems from climatic extremes, including desertification; conflicts around access to land; and land grabs by large companies. Chad did not have a national land policy, and the government’s distrust towards civil society organizations (CSOs) presented major challenges.
In Chad farmers face problems from climatic extremes, including desertification; conflicts around access to land; and land grabs by large companies. Chad did not have a national land policy, and the government’s distrust towards civil society organizations (CSOs) presented major challenges.
Starting in November 2022, Oxfam collaborated on a project to help CSOs participate in defining the national land policy. This included, in May 2023, an Oxfam-hosted two-day forum for 150 CSOs to prepare their recommendations.
We offered technical support and training for CSOs from the 23 regions of the Republic of Chad. And we mobilized national and international experts to support CSOs, with six CSO members claiming a seat at the table on the committee to write the land policy.
CSOs influenced the reforms and developed proposals, raising difficult issues such as the abuse of power in land administration. Their achievements included the recognition and protection of customary rights in the same way as legal rights, and replacing the designation of ‘vacant land’ and ‘state-owned land’ which are the origin of speculation and land grabs, with a recognition of land for communities.
CSOs are now recognized by the Chad Government for contributing to an inclusive and fair national land policy.
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