Soledad Carrasco reflects on her experience of attending the UN youth forum as a representative of the indigenous peoples of Peru. Youth are often accused of being indifferent to the political events unfolding in our society. But I saw no evidence of that at the Youth Forum of the United Nations which I attended recently in New York. The forum, organized …
What are the best desalination solutions?
As levels of salt in the world’s water systems rise, access to drinking water is a major concern. What desalination solutions are available? And how should NGOs be using these technologies? Our new briefing provides an overview of existing and emerging technology for cost-efficient and low-energy desalination in Asia. In this podcast Oxfam’s Tom Wildman, and Chinmayee Subban and Kate Boden from the University …
Women’s rights in South Sudan: how do you empower women in a country in conflict?
How do you help empower women in a conflict zone? In South Sudan, Oxfam is pushing to help women make money through agriculture and small businesses, with the aim of boosting their ability to claim their rights in the household and community. In this podcast Anne Daniel Ali, Director-General of the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare in Wau State, …
Questioning the use of biometric technology in humanitarian response
Anna Kondakhchyan shares the findings of new research, Biometrics in the Humanitarian Sector, which looks into the benefits and risks of using biometric technology to register people to receive humanitarian aid. How would you feel if refusal to submit your biometric data meant you were excluded from the provision of humanitarian assistance? Biometrics, the measurement of human characteristics through technology such …
How improving access to water can help reduce care work
Changes to infrastructure and equipment can make a real difference to time spent on care work . Lucia Rost and the WE-Care team share research from the Philippines, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Everyone needs care, but in many countries, it is mostly women who are responsible for providing it. Heavy care work responsibilities can restrict women’s opportunities for education, employment, political …
Gender, development, and the challenge of intersectionality
On International Women’s Day Marion Sharples from the Gender and Development Network reflects on the importance of understanding intersecting oppressions. In the field of gender and development, intersectionality has emerged as a new framework for understanding oppression and building inclusion—but it has proven a difficult concept to put into practice. The Gender & Development Network (GADN), a London-based network with …
Follow the money: calculating net aid flows
What percentage of aid reaches the intended recipient country? Our methodology tool can be used to calculate this, but more aid data transparency is needed. Aid data transparency just got a major boost from the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its new policy document, ‘Open aid, open societies: A vision for a transparent world’ reaffirms the agency’s requirement that …
Taking emergency water, sanitation and hygiene to market
Esther Shaylor explains how Oxfam is working with other NGOs to share learning about providing emergency water, sanitation and hygiene using local markets. In recent years there has been a change in how we deliver humanitarian aid. The humanitarian sector as a whole is moving away from distributing food and other items, and, through research and practice, is working out …
