*{Towards Global Equity   -  Strategic Plan 2001 – 2004

Oxfam International is a growing confederation of 12 Oxfams (as per January 2001).  Each Oxfam has signed up to Towards Global Equity, Oxfam International’s Strategic Plan for the period 2001 – 2004. *partie=nil 

This summary of Towards Global Equity offers an invitation to the growing number of individuals, groups and organizations throughout the world who share Oxfam’s belief that ending poverty requires a global citizens’ movement for economic and social justice.

We believe that such a movement is emerging and that Oxfam should play a full part in it. Towards Global Equity sets out what Oxfam can learn from this movement and what we will contribute to it.

*partie=titre For more information, contact one of the Oxfams listed at the end of Towards Global Equity or visit the Oxfam International web site at www.oxfaminternational.org}


*partie=titre Oxfam International’s mission *partie=nil 

Oxfam International is a global group of independent non-governmental organizations dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world. The Oxfams work together internationally to achieve greater impact by their collective efforts.

Oxfams believe that:
Poverty and powerlessness are avoidable and can be eliminated by human action and political will.

Basic human needs and rights can be met. These include the rights to a sustainable livelihood, and the rights and capacities to participate in societies and make positive changes to people's lives.

Inequalities can be significantly reduced both between rich and poor nations and within nations.

Peace and substantial arms reduction are essential conditions for development.

Oxfams understand that:
Poverty is a state of powerlessness in which people are unable to exercise their basic human rights or control virtually any aspect of their lives. Poverty manifests itself in the inadequacy of material goods and lack of access to basic services and opportunities leading to a condition of insecurity.

All poverty is almost always rooted in human action or inaction. It can be made worse by natural calamities, and human violence, oppression and environmental destruction. It is maintained by entrenched inequalities and institutional and economic mechanisms. 

The Oxfam approach is that:

Our programs will:
A) address the structural causes of poverty and related injustice
B) work primarily through local accountable organizations, seeking to strengthen their empowerment
C) help people directly where local capacity is insufficient or inappropriate for Oxfams' purposes
D) assist the development of structures which directly benefit people facing the realities of poverty and injustice and which are accountable to them.

E) In all our actions our ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives. 

For people to be able to exercise their rights:
A) opportunities must be created so people can participate in governing all aspects of their lives, and
B) they must have the genuine capacity to organize and take advantage of those opportunities.

Gender inequalities and other diversity issues will be addressed in our actions and programs.

In the economic arena, we will seek:
A) to enable people to meet their needs by creating opportunities within markets, while protecting themselves against the excesses of unregulated market forces
B) to strengthen institutions intervening in the market in the interests of the poor.

Preventing and reversing damage to the environment is essential to achieving sustainable livelihoods.
Action against violence must include:
A) coming to the aid of victims,
B) strengthening people's capacity to peacefully resolve conflicts, and
C) demanding a determined response from the international community where the situation warrants it.

In working together the Oxfams believe that:

Oxfam International offers a unique potential to achieve greater impact on the causes of poverty and powerlessness by combining the diverse experiences of Oxfams and their partners.

The name "Oxfam" will stand for a clear and consistent approach. We can achieve this through closer cooperation in our communications, advocacy, education and public campaigns; fundraising; emergency, development programs and fair trading.

Oxfam International's purpose is to:

Further the Oxfams' common goals.

Promote, assist and co-ordinate collaboration among the Oxfams where this will result in a greater impact of the sum total of their joint efforts. 

*partie=titre 16.Protect the Oxfam name and enhance its standing. *partie=nil 


*partie=titre Adopted by the Board of Oxfam International, Ottawa, September 1996 *partie=nil 

 
*{Foreword}
 
Towards Global Equity sets out Oxfam’s intent to make a greater impact on the growing problem of the gap between rich and poor in our globalizing world. It is based on an analysis of how globalization affects the position and future chances of those who live in poverty. “Business as usual” is not an option if we want to make a real difference..

Oxfam believes that the gap can be closed, but this will require a fundamental shift in public opinion. The growing concern for international social justice is an inspiring trend. So are the historic examples of the environmental and the women’s movements, which have shifted world public opinion significantly in a short period of time.

Towards Global Equity proposes essential changes in the way we work. As Oxfam International, we cannot achieve our ambitious objectives on our own, however much we grow. Working in alliances with other networks and organizations, promoting a broad movement of global citizens for social justice will be a fundamental aim. Strengthening Oxfam’s own capacity to make the strongest possible contribution to these alliances is crucial. It will be part of all dimensions of our activities in program, humanitarian response, advocacy and marketing. 

On behalf of the Board of Oxfam International, I invite you to join hands with Oxfam in pursuing the goals set out in Towards Global Equity.

*{Ian Anderson, Chair, 
January 2001} 
 
*partie=titre A humane global balance sheet. Oxfam’s analysis: globalization without equity isn’t global.
Drivers of poverty – levers of change *partie=nil 

At the start of the 21st century optimists can point to an encouraging revival of internationalism; the setting up of the International Criminal Court, landmark decisions on crimes against humanity and a growing commitment to debt relief by governments and international financial institutions.  

But for others the growing gap between rich and poor, global warming, environmental degradation, the spread of nuclear weapons, increasing levels of social violence, especially towards women, and an increasingly homogenized global culture are truer indicators of the state of the world.

Whether we see the glass as half-full or half-empty, one huge failure of the 20th century casts a massive shadow over the 21st. It is the fact that none of the poverty reduction targets to which the international community signed up in the 1990s are likely to be met by the target date of 2015. The Oxfams are convinced that these targets can be met and that the continuing failure to do so shames and diminishes us all. 

*partie=titre New economic orthodoxy: welcome but not good enough *partie=nil 

A commitment to poverty reduction is now more widely accepted than ever before by many governments and international institutions. But the policies on offer to the poorest countries have not changed in step with the new analysis, and the structural financing gap facing these countries persists.   

The new orthodoxy not only stresses the macro economic and financial basics but also good governance, democracy and country-driven poverty reduction strategies with the broad participation of civil society and elected institutions: this is to be welcomed.  But good governance cannot be imposed from the outside. Where the participation of elected institutions is not a realistic possibility, civil society, usually in the form of NGOs, is expected to “fill the gap”.

The new thinking also recognizes that good health and education services are pre-requisites of economic development as well as being valuable development goals in their own right. However, this enthusiasm for sectoral priorities runs the risks of repeating the “quick fix” approach of the previous century such as the distorted emphasis on the “green revolution” and the over-promotion of birth control.

*partie=titre Public values and ethics *partie=nil 

In the area of public life, official secrecy and efforts to cover up governmental or corporate blunders are becoming more open to public scrutiny and criticism. At the same time, international networks of activists and NGOs are gaining influence:  efforts to co-opt, sidetrack or even suppress them clearly show that they are a power to be reckoned with. 

Against this backdrop, there are signs of global cultural homogenization and an associated loss of identity, and the rise of selfish economic interests over collective values. We see rising rates of crime and violence in many societies; the failure of some sections of the entertainment and news industries to use their enormous power constructively, and the way that culture is becoming a commodity.

*partie=titre So why Oxfam? *partie=nil 

In reaching out to the wider international community and trying to work more effectively towards global equity, what distinguishes the Oxfams?  We are twelve autonomous organizations, each with its own history and supporters, but we nevertheless share a distinctive profile based on the combination of four approaches:

(1) The rights-based approach

The Oxfams focus on the realization of economic and social rights within the wider human rights continuum. Equity is key in the realization of these rights. Equity is about making the rules fair for poor people and ensuring that justice prevails. The five rights, which are enshrined in international agreements and covenants, are the foundation of this Strategic Plan.

(2) Humanitarian response and development action

A second feature of our shared identity is a “joined-up” approach to humanitarian response and longer-term development work. In many parts of the world the Oxfams are perhaps best known for speedy and effective response to man-made and “natural” disasters. Even where the name Oxfam is not associated with such responses, it is often the case that local organizations are supported by one or more of the Oxfams.  Humanitarian action means saving lives: development action means building futures. Both share a common ethical basis and are rooted in a human rights framework.

(3) Action, advocacy and learning

While compassion and solidarity with those suffering poverty and injustice are the driving forces behind our work, we seek to achieve a threefold impact:
-Supporting the efforts of specific groups of people to make substantial and long-lasting improvements in their economic and social circumstances.
-Advocating changes in the policies and practices which cause poverty and injustice at all levels, and influencing the ideas and beliefs which sustain them.
-Contributing to developmental learning by identifying, demonstrating and documenting how these changes in policy and practice can be achieved.

(4) Working with autonomous, local partners

“The Oxfams at all times work through local and accountable organizations and/or towards strengthening or facilitating the establishment of such organizations or structures…and where and when local capacity is insufficient or inappropriate the Oxfams will help people directly…while working simultaneously on strengthening local capacity (Oxfam International’s Rules of Procedure, Article 52).

In 2000, the combined Oxfams were working with nearly three thousand local partner organizations in some 100 countries. 

We believe that the empowerment of local organizations is vital to secure economic and social justice as well as for the achievement of civil and political rights. The Oxfams are distinctive for applying this principle on such a comparatively large scale.

*partie=titre A more user-friendly Oxfam *partie=nil 

While Oxfam can be justly proud of the achievements of its partners, volunteers and staff, there are also areas that need to be developed. These include:
•Our relatively small membership base, which is mainly from the “North”, and is not representative of the diversity which characterizes our work. We do not yet have members in influential countries such as Japan, France, India, Brazil, Mexico or South Africa.
•Membership conditions which present a high “threshold” for would-be new members (including brand licensing requirements, membership fees, time and cost of participation in a wide range of institutional activities).
•Although Oxfam has co-operated with other actors on specific campaigns, we need to become more open to co-operation as a core strategy.
•With our partners we have worked very effectively and gained enormous experience of working for change at local and sub-national levels. We need to build up our capacity to create powerful vertical links between the local and global levels.

Our three promises

All the Oxfams have signed up to three promises which underpin programmatic and institutional objectives set out in Towards Global Equity:

-First promise: We will work to put economic and social justice at the top of the world’s agenda.
-
-Second promise: We will co-operate in strengthening the emerging global citizens’ movement for economic and social justice.
-
-Third promise: We will significantly improve the quality, efficiency and coherence of our work.

We hold ourselves accountable to these commitments, and expect to be measured against them.  The following chapters outline how we propose to honor them.


*partie=titre Towards global equity. Economic and social rights are human rights *partie=nil 

The five rights-based Aims that underpin Towards Global Equity are supported by the many Treaties and Conventions which are legally binding on those States that have ratified or acceded to them. Many Declarations also refer to the rights on which the Oxfams base their work. Some have been adopted in the form of resolutions of the UN General Assembly, such as the Declaration on Violence against Women. Others are the concluding declarations of international conferences, often accompanied by a Program of Action, such as the Copenhagen Declaration (Social Summit). 

Five rights-based Aims provide the framework for Oxfam's work in the coming years. 
Their unifying theme is to make globalization work for poor and excluded people by establishing and implementing new “fair rules for the global economy”. Whether the focus is on poor people’s access to markets, regulating Foreign Direct Investment, building gender equity into the polices and practices of the WTO, or decreasing violent conflict, Oxfam’s policies and practices will place the rights and interests of poor people at the center of the agendas of international bodies, governments and of the powerful corporate sector – which increasingly dominates the global economic and social landscape.

*partie=titre Beyond economics *partie=nil 

Towards Global Equity focuses on the empowerment of poor people in the economic sphere, but Oxfam does not ignore the fact that there are public goods and social capital that the market cannot, or will not, create. These include the protection of the natural environment; the provision of equitable health care and education; the care and nurturing of all children, and the promotion of social relations, solidarity and culture. The promotion, protection and delivery of these public goods remain a core commitment for Oxfam and is implicit in our work towards meeting the five aims.

*partie=titre What are “Strategic Change Objectives"? *partie=nil 

Oxfam has defined “Strategic Change Objectives” (SCOs) for each aim. These articulate the significant and sustained positive changes we want to become a reality in the lives of people suffering from poverty, injustice, insecurity and exclusion. Achieving these SCOs needs changes in the policies and practices of institutions, communities and individuals. By definition, such objectives cannot be met by any one organization. Work is needed on a significant scale with the concerned population group, as well as with local, regional, national and sometimes international power-centers, policy-makers and other institutions. The following pages summarize the program strategies towards which the Oxfams will align their resources and work during the Plan period, within the framework of the five rights-based Aims.


*partie=titre Aim 1: the right to a sustainable livelihood *partie=nil  

Global Strategic Change Objectives:

• People living in poverty will achieve food and income security as well as greater protection of, and control over the natural resources on which they depend.

• People living in poverty will achieve access to secure paid employment, dignified working conditions, labor rights and be empowered to participate in and benefit from markets.

*partie=titre Markets and trade *partie=nil 

During the period of this Plan, Oxfam aims to make significant progress towards the following outcomes:

• Global trade, particularly in primary and extractive products and manufactured goods, will be reformed to protect and promote the interests of poor producers and traders. Rules on intellectual property rights which disfavor the poor will be challenged; 
• Fair Trade, ethical investment, and the values on which they are based will become the norm for significant numbers of individual investors and consumers;
• Economically excluded people will better understand, gain access to, and have greater power in local, national, and international markets.

We are developing a policy for constructive, critical engagement with the corporate sector. This will be completed in early 2001 and its action points will be incorporated into this Plan.

*partie=titre Control of assets; food security and sovereignty *partie=nil 

The core of our program co-operation with partners, of our advocacy, communication and learning will continue to be empowering poor and excluded people to gain access to and control over the assets that help them to sustain their livelihoods. While building on our strong collective experience of “integrated rural development”, we will shift the focus away from subsistence production towards empowering poor people to participate in and benefit from a wider range of economic opportunities. We will give priority to land, forests, water and other natural resources, as well as credit, financial services and knowledge. This will help poor people, especially women, to compete in local and international markets on a fair basis, to achieve food and income security, to sustain their own livelihoods and to build secure futures for generations to come. 

*partie=titre Employment, child labor and women’s participation *partie=nil  

Women’s participation in the labor force makes a significant difference to the well-being of women themselves and also to their children. This will require eliminating barriers to women’s employment, including challenging ideas and beliefs about men and women’s roles within household. We will also help to protect and promote the rights of workers to decent employment conditions, and to eliminate abuse – including ending the exploitation of children’s labor and other vulnerable groups. Fair working conditions will be promoted through co-operation with local, regional and international coalitions of producers, laborers, employees, trades unions, and consumers.

*partie=titre Reducing environmental vulnerability *partie=nil 

Oxfam will further its understanding of the links between vulnerability associated with environmental degradation, natural disasters and their effects on poor people. As a priority we will campaign for environmental concerns to be better taken into account by appropriate regulation at local, national and international levels. We will strengthen people’s ability to protect themselves from the worst effects of natural disasters by supporting prevention and preparedness, as well as by promoting people’s rights and helping them to assert their views and interests. We will strengthen our co-operation with organizations working for environmental rights, rather than duplicate their work. 

*partie=titre Aim 2: the right to basic social services *partie=nil 

Global Strategic Change Objectives:

•People living in poverty will achieve tangible improvements in their health through increased access to affordable and adequate basic health services, clean water, sanitation, and public health services.

•All children living in poverty will achieve their right to a good quality basic education, and adults living in poverty will have educational opportunities to help them overcome their poverty.

Oxfam is committed to the principle that equitable access to basic social services is a right recognized in international agreements. Guaranteeing this right is the responsibility of governments.

We will support three program strategies in our programming, advocacy and campaigning across all regions:

*partie=titre Public financing of basic social services *partie=nil 

Oxfam will continue to campaign for debt relief and equitable economic governance that gives priority to building human capacities through investment in basic social services. We will continue to promote genuine participation in official development policy debates such as the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). We expect progress towards the following:

•Debt relief in eligible countries – to increase investment in education and health services;
•Reduction in new indebtedness that would reintroduce constraints on public financing of basic social services;
•PRSPs which result in prioritizing more investment in health and education.

*partie=titre Education for girls and women *partie=nil 

With girls’ access to education and female literacy as a priority, Oxfam will promote adequate investment in educational infrastructure, teaching quality, parental participation and appropriate curricula development. We will also research the links between child employment, labor rights and high school drop out. 

Oxfam will continue to build on the activities and successes of the Global Campaign for Education. This advocacy work will emphasize access for all, but there will be a special focus on girls’ education. Advocacy, to increase public financing, is most effective when it is grounded in the practical experience of local groups – who are working to provide access to quality education through replicable models, and to make changes in local policies and practices. The main focus of our work here will be to promote a global movement for the public funding of education – in particular girls’ education. 

*partie=titre Access to basic health care *partie=nil 

Building on our experience of economic and social justice, Oxfam will support and co-operate in efforts to prevent and control HIV/AIDS. This will include making affordable medicine more widely available. Oxfam expects to contribute to the HIV/AIDS issue through the whole range of aims and SCOs, particularly contributing its expertise and capacities concerning the social and economic dimensions of the crisis.

We will also support work to provide reproductive health care, vaccinations and immunizations, hygiene and nutritional services, and good quality water. Oxfam will explore the private sector’s potential in bringing high quality and affordable health and education to the poorest and most excluded people.

*partie=titre Aim 3: the right to life and security *partie=nil 

Global Strategic Change Objectives:

• A significant reduction in the number of people who die, fall sick, or suffer deprivation as a direct result of armed conflict or natural disasters.

• A significant reduction in the number of people who suffer personal or communal violence, forced displacement or armed conflict.

Oxfam’s work in this area is guided by respect for the autonomy, dignity and capacities of people affected by humanitarian crises. The principles are set out in two international protocols to which the Oxfams subscribe: the Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response’  and the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief. 

We will continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of our own and others’ humanitarian emergencies. Ensuring the dignity of people affected by disasters will remain a central focus of our practical response and advocacy. We will use our credibility and influence to improve the standard of international response.

We will substantially increase our investment in preparedness for disaster-response by supporting and building the relief and rehabilitation capacities of communities, local groups and organizations.

The protection of the most vulnerable people, particularly women and children in conflict situations, will be a major focus of work for Oxfam. At the same time we will foster an appreciation of the positive role of women as actors in conflict resolution, peace building and humanitarian response.

We will make better use of the media to build global understanding of the causes and consequences of man-made and natural disasters.

Oxfam has an important place in the international humanitarian response community, particularly through the capacities and reputation of Oxfam GB which represents Oxfam International in the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR). We will make better use of this position in order to influence the policies, practices and quality of the overall sector’s response. We aim to contribute to the following outcomes in this respect:

•Improvements in the quality of global humanitarian response. These include the implementation of international standards; reform of donor policies; and the development of new rules where necessary;
•Strengthening the capacities of conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building, at all levels including within the United Nations, and within regional, national and community-level bodies;
•Confronting those who benefit from conflict, and reducing the incentives for exploitation that lead to environmental and social disasters. These include regulation of the arms trade and key extractive industries (oil, mining, forestry);
•Addressing widespread intolerance and prejudice, which is both created and fuelled by conflict and violence.

*partie=titre Aim 4: the right to be heard – social and political citizenship *partie=nil 

Global strategic change objective:

• Marginalized people will achieve their civil and political rights; will have an effective voice in influencing decisions affecting their lives; and will gain the moral support and skills they need to exercise these rights.

As Amartya Sen has argued in Development as Freedom   the achievement of civil and political rights also has an instrumental relationship with poverty eradication and equitable economic development. This relationship is reciprocal: equitable development promotes the achievement of freedom. 

*partie=titre Capacity-building for empowerment *partie=nil 

The empowerment of poor and excluded people has underpinned much of Oxfam's work for many years. Empowerment both as an end in itself, as well as a necessary condition for eradicating material poverty will continue to lie at the heart of Oxfam's mission and work.

In relation to Sustainable livelihoods (Aim 1), capacity-building will include groups such as farmers’ groups, women’s organizations, informal workers’ organizations and Trades Unions, and consumer groups. In the area of basic social services (Aim 2) we will work with parent-teacher associations, organizations of health workers and teachers, and water-user groups. The focus on life and security (Aim 3) includes local organizations preparing for disasters, civil defense associations, peace and mediation groups, and refugee organizations. In relation to the right to be heard and gender and diversity we will co-operate with and strengthen the capacities of women’s organizations, human rights groups, organizations of indigenous peoples, and other groups who are excluded on the basis of identity, including groups of disabled people.

*partie=titre Promoting active global citizenship *partie=nil 

Oxfam will co-operate with others to encourage people to act on their responsibilities as global citizens. We will promote the cultural values of mutual respect and internationalism. This is a new emphasis for Oxfam, and we have much to learn from the experience of other organizations and networks which have been promoting world citizenship for many years. However we believe that Oxfam and its partners can add significantly to the influence and impact of the new global movement. In promoting global citizenship, we expect to contribute to the following outcomes:
•A significant increase in the opportunities for individuals and groups in the North and South to express their practical concern and solidarity, and exchange practical experiences;
•Ethical consumption and investment will become more mainstream, rather than minority concerns;
•Political groups, the private sector, the military and other institutions, and the media will become more sensitive and responsive to the views of those committed to economic and social justice;
•An enhanced ability in Southern organizations to build constituencies of concerned citizens;
•School curricula that reflect global citizenship ideas and concerns.

*partie=titre Campaigning for genuine accountability *partie=nil  

During the Plan period, Oxfam will demand greater accountability from itself as well as from States, donors and other actors (including intermediary NGOs). Our programming, advocacy and campaigning work will contribute to the following outcomes at a number of levels:
•Significant numbers of marginalized peoples will be equipped to hold political, bureaucratic and other powerful institutions to account;
•Effective reduction of impunity in areas such as the abuse of human rights and corruption;
•Public and private sector resources intended to benefit poor and excluded people will reach them in full, and through transparent means;
•All governments will sign and/or ratify the international agreements and conventions relating to economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights;
•There will be significant progress towards the implementation of UN resolutions on self-determination, and international conventions on the rights of Stateless and displaced people.

*partie=titre Aim 5: the right to an identity – gender and diversity *partie=nil 

Global strategic change objective:

• Women, ethnic and cultural minorities, and other groups oppressed or marginalized because of their identity, will enjoy equal rights and status.

This Aim addresses the rights of people who are excluded or oppressed because of their gender, ethnic, cultural or other identity. These are homogenous groups, including those who are marginalized by physical or mental disability, or because of traditions or lifestyle choices.

Meeting this Aim requires us to take gender and diversity into account within each of the five Aims, and as separate strategies. Some progress has been made in developing appropriate gender and diversity policies and practices within the Oxfams, as well as in their relations with partners and allies, but much remains to be achieved during this Plan period.

*partie=titre Integrating gender equity into public policy *partie=nil 

Oxfam International will continue to strive for high quality programming on gender. We will establish verifiable indicators of progress in this regard. Oxfam will commit significant resources to integrating gender equity into the policies and practices of all community, private sector, and public institutions. This will require reviewing and shaping all programming on the basis of the SCOs outlined in this Plan. It also implies more co-operation with partners and allies who are equipped to challenge oppressive, structural and deeply embedded cultural practices and abuses.

Oxfam will work to create and enforce legal frameworks and rights as well as to improve access to legal resources. The implementation of the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) including the Optional Protocol, the Beijing Platform for Action, and other relevant agreements through national policies and practices will remain a critical goal.

*partie=titre Countering gender violence *partie=nil 

Gender violence is now a critical issue across many regions, whether or not the areas are affected by armed conflict. Oxfam will pursue a twin-track approach to provide legal and physical protection whilst trying to make legal and cultural changes to prevent gender violence. Areas of exploitation that need to be tackled include the prosecution of traffickers; the decriminalization of prostitution; and the establishment and enforcement of appropriate labor and occupational health standards for women and minority groups.
 
Our work will also support and promote the positive role of women in conflict resolution, peace-building and reconstruction.

*partie=titre Promoting the identity and interests of excluded groups *partie=nil 

Societies thrive on diversity but mainstream populations have difficulty in recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of groups who are “different". This is particularly the case for indigenous populations who, in some of Oxfam’s home countries, are “first nations”. Through educating and campaigning, Oxfam will help to change the policies and practices of those institutions that fail to respect the identity and value of people who are excluded because of their ethnic, cultural or other identity. 

Oxfams will link with other actors and learn, in order to highlight best practices regarding work with indigenous populations, people with disabilities and others who are excluded on the grounds of identity. Oxfam will facilitate a stronger voice for indigenous people at a global level.
 
*partie=titre Oxfam people are global citizens *partie=nil 

*partie=titre Global citizens: critical and active *partie=nil 

Growing numbers of individuals, groups and organizations share our dissatisfaction with “business as usual”. Examples of the growing power of global citizenship can be seen in a wide range of movements: campaigns for debt relief; for the banning of landmines; for holding the perpetrators of genocide to account; and in the environmental, human rights and women’s movements. Commitment to internationalism and the idea of global citizenship has always been a motivating force for the Oxfams and we have played a significant role in many of these developments.

For Oxfam, global citizenship has a very practical meaning. It concerns many aspects of our daily lives:
•How we inform ourselves about other peoples and their cultures;
•The daily choices we make as shoppers, holiday-makers and investors;
•How we welcome strangers and refugees and question stereotypes;
•How we respond to humanitarian crises in countries far away from our own;
•The attitudes we communicate to our children, colleagues, neighbors 
      and friends;
•The political choices we make as citizens.


*partie=titre An emerging global movement *partie=nil 

International institutions, enlightened actors in the private sector, and the media are  subscribing to an agenda which puts more emphasis on inclusiveness, accountability and social responsibility. We believe that NGOs (including the Oxfams) can work with such forces – indeed such co-operation is essential.

An important institutional goal for the Oxfams will therefore be a stronger commitment to participate in, support and promote the emerging movement for global citizenship. A key part of this will be to empower our supporters and donors to express their solidarity as global citizens. We will listen to and take seriously criticism of the NGO sector in general and of the Oxfams in particular.

Co-operation with others, including partners and other civil society organizations in the developing world, will be complemented  by a sharpened and well-branded capacity for campaigning and advocacy. Oxfam will also engage constructively but critically with the corporate sector.

*partie=titre Oxfam's approach *partie=nil 

In working with other actors who are not formally associated with Oxfam International on a long-term or permanent basis, we will base our approach on the following principles:
•We will strategically combine our work in alliances and networks with strengthening our ability to give voice to economic and social justice;
•Seeking opportunities to work with other appropriate actors will form a standard part of all research, programming monitoring, evaluation and learning that Oxfam undertakes as it carries forward and implements this Plan;
•We will position ourselves to be able, when invited and when we feel we have something to offer, to contribute to the campaigns and programs of other organizations and networks. 
•Without diluting or devaluing Oxfam’s identity, we will publicly identify Oxfam more frequently with a wider range of issues related to our core concerns, especially in the areas of human rights, women’s rights and the environment; 

Oxfam International will build on its experience of informal consultation with institutions and individuals to create a consultative forum in which Oxfam’s leaders can exchange experiences and ideas with counterparts from leading Southern NGOs, other international organizations, academic institutions and those in the private sector who share our vision and goals.

We will add our experience (and that of our partners) to these wider platforms and we will always seek to learn from and to influence them. When appropriate we will be willing to play a major role, including leadership.

*partie=titre Expanding and diversifying our membership *partie=nil  

At present our membership base is relatively small and mainly from the “North”. It does not represent the scale and diversity that characterize our program, advocacy and campaigning work.  During the Plan period we will develop more diverse forms of membership and association, to facilitate relationships in strategic countries including Japan, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and France.

In addition to full membership of Oxfam International, we will develop other categories such as policy associates (organizations with whom we consult at board level on major policy issues); provisional members (organizations which share Oxfam’s values and mission but participate selectively in governance and activities); and Oxfam groups (groups of individuals who support individual Oxfams or Oxfam International as a whole through campaigning, fund-raising and other forms of activism).
 
*partie=titre Beyond “business as usual” *partie=nil  

Our third promise challenges us to align the Oxfams' energies, resources and work towards our shared strategic objectives. We will make the most of the new opportunities brought about by working together in the context of Oxfam International. We must also redouble our efforts to become more transparent and accountable.

*partie=titre Becoming a global campaigning force *partie=nil 
 
Our work with partners and allies must go hand-in-hand with strengthening and sharpening our own campaigning and advocacy profile under the Oxfam name. This is a crucial strength that all Oxfams can contribute to the movement, and is essential in order to establish Oxfam’s name as a vehicle for social change. 

Co-operation with others and strengthening our own brand are complementary: a strong friend is a strong ally.

*partie=titre Advocacy for global equity *partie=nil 

Adding to the advocacy already being done by the Oxfams in their national territories and through their partners, we will focus on influencing others, in particular with regard to the World Trade Organization, the United Nations system, International Financial Institutions and the European Union. We will also achieve greater global reach and effectiveness through a further strategic deployment of our own staff, which will include placing staff in New York, Brussels and Geneva. 

*partie=titre Marketing and communications *partie=nil 

The twelve Oxfams will align their branding and corporate communications in order to be consistent, and to give specific meaning and content to our visual image. Specifically, we will:
•Reflect the core values that underlie Oxfam's approach including values concerning partnership;
•Promote global citizenship as an integral part of Oxfam’s mission and work;
•Emphasize Oxfam's belief that poor people are actors in their own right, and not “victims” or “beneficiaries”;
•Reinforce Oxfam's commitment to gender equity and respect for diversity.

Other key areas in which the Oxfam International and affiliate staff in the marketing, communication and campaigning sectors will align their efforts are:
•Improving co-ordination among media staff in humanitarian response;
•Providing managers and staff of affiliates with clear and consistent guidance on communicating more effectively with the media and public. We will also develop criteria for media selection. 
•Exploiting electronic media.

{Aligning our work and resources *partie=nil  

All Oxfams are committed to aligning their work and program funding to this strategic plan. More specifically the Oxfams will continuously co-ordinate their investments in the strategic change objectives and geographical regions with a view to optimise our collective effectiveness.

How will we know if we are making progress?

The three promises which underpin Towards Global Equity and the Strategic Change Objectives and institutional goals we have set ourselves amount to a complex but highly challenging work program. We have identified eight significant outcomes which, if we achieve them by 2004, will indicate the progress we are making in keeping each of our three promises:

In 2004….we will be on the way to putting economic and social justice at the top of the world’s agenda if:
•World-wide public understanding that economic and social justice is crucial to sustainable development and to securing human rights has significantly increased and is backed by public action;
•We have provided evidence of significant, practical and durable changes in the lives of the poor and marginalized people with whom we have worked.

In 2004…we can claim to be co-operating in strengthening the emerging movement global citizens’ movement for economic and social justice if:
•We have built a powerful global campaigning force and strengthened our own profile through engagement in the wider movement for global citizenship;
•We have offered opportunities to individuals, groups and organizations throughout the world to be active global citizens in the struggle against poverty and injustice;
•We have built new strategic relations with compatible organizations through links at program and institutional levels and we have expanded and diversified our membership.

In 2004…we will have significantly improved the quality, efficiency and coherence of our work if:
•We have aligned the program, advocacy, marketing, communication and campaigning resources of the Oxfams towards the Strategic Change Objectives;
•We have analyzed, learnt from and shared our experiences and that of our partners and allies;
•We have exploited the strengths of our confederative structure to improve efficiency in our program, advocacy and campaigning.