Oxfam Strategic Plan, 2013-2019

6 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYTHE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY 7OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013 – 2019Oxfam’s VisionOxfam’s vision is a just worldwithout poverty: a world inwhich people can influencedecisions that affect theirlives, enjoy their rights, andassume their responsibilitiesas full citizens of a world inwhich all human beings arevalued and treated equally.The ultimate goal of Oxfam is to end the injustice of poverty.Through the period covered by the Plan, to 2019, we wantto see consolidation of the gains that have been made overthe past decade in reducing poverty, measured in terms ofincome levels as well as equality. People who were oncepoor should achieve permanent wellbeing without slippingback into poverty. The achievements within the MilleniumDevelopment Goals (and the post-2015 successors), shouldbe long-term and irreversible.There will have been an accelerated pace of povertyreduction and inequality in all countries, includingemerging economies (such as China and India), low-incomecountries and fragile states, as well as OECD countrieswhere the scourge of inequality risks blighting futuregenerations. That implies that we must find ways to reachvery poor people living at the edge of survival.Our goal is to see significantly less poverty amongstwomen and other excluded groups. Social protectionshould underpin anti-poverty strategies in all countries.Income gains should not be at the expense of people’shuman rights and well-being, for example, receiving betterincomes but still having to work 90 hours a week in apolluted environment or as a rights-deprived migrant in aforeign country.Poverty reduction should not rob the next generation,and should be achieved sustainably, without worseningclimate change.The Power of People againstPovertyToday 1 billion of the earth’s 7 billion women and men live inavoidable extreme poverty. Within a single generation, theearth will be inhabited by 9 billion people, and 90 per centof the additional 2 billion inhabitants are likely to be borninto poverty.The challenge of our generation is to find the ways tochange those odds. How can we reduce extreme poverty,increase people’s rights, and balance the ecologicalsystems that sustain life and the economic systems thatsustain wealth? The answer is, simply, justice; fair useof the world’s natural resources; a global economy thatreduces inequality; a world that does not discriminateagainst women or minorities.Oxfam’s contribution is to use an integrated approach,reducing poverty by addressing the causes of poverty,locally, nationally and globally. Oxfam works at the mostfundamental level to save lives in humanitarian crises,and at the grass-roots level to promote development;and, simultaneously, we link local action with crucialcampaigning that draws on our advocacy in support ofpolicies and practice that underpin justice and well-being.We couldn’t do either well without the other, and it isweaving together this complex web of efforts and joiningwith others, in dialogue or in protest, that Oxfam has foundto be effective.Increasingly the focus has shifted with the understandingthat exclusion, inequality and injustice are the real target,more than simply a lack of income. The most effectivesolutions lie in people demanding their rights to livelihoodsand decent work, and working together to increaseliving standards and reduce vulnerability. Oxfam works toenable people to become fully integrated and respectedmembers of their society and economy. We do this byworking with communities, lobbying for change by nationalgovernments, or campaigning globally to change the waythe policies of rich countries create or perpetuate theinjustice of poverty.There are some recurring priorities that underpin all ourlocal-to-global work.In all Oxfam’s programming, campaigning and humanitarianrelief efforts, we support people to claim and exercisetheir basic rights, to life and security, a sustainablelivelihood, and the most essential services to sustain lifesuch as health and education. The right to be heard andto have a recognized identity are also a fundamental partof human well-being. These rights are explicitly groundedin the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the UnitedNations, and the relevant Treaties and Covenants.In the coming years, we will continue to place a highpriority on supporting women at all levels to becomeleaders and take valued roles in the society and economy.Women are proving their power to lead communities andbusinesses and thwart the violence and oppression thathas kept them illiterate and exploited in many parts of theworld.Equally, campaigning to arrest runaway climate changeis part of our effort to prevent natural disasters andadapt to environmental conditions. We want to ensurethat poor countries do not pay the price for the historicalresponsibility of the polluting rich world which has enjoyedunrestricted carbon-based development. This underpinsour work on sustainable development and food; ouradvocacy for more equality between parts of the worldand within countries; a belief that fairer sharing of scarcenatural resources is vital for the future of the planet andhumanity.These approaches form the basis for the Strategic Plan.Fortunately, there are grounds for optimism.Within the last two decades, 660 million people haverisen out of poverty. Average real incomes in developingcountries have doubled and the world’s average lifeexpectancy has increased by four years. We are developingthe understanding of what is needed to reduce poverty invaried and complex circumstances.Investment in small-scale farming, particularly womenfarmers, can make big inroads on poverty. There is much tolearn from the experiences of large-scale poverty reductionin East Asia. Brazil has demonstrated that effective taxsystems to finance good quality public services, such ashealth and education, can reduce poverty and inequality.There are also increasing numbers of governments thatprove the importance of effective states, without which itis impossible to tackle poverty. Some developing countrygovernments are establishing social safety nets to protecttheir most vulnerable and excluded citizens – a vitalmeasure to address inequality and fairness.

8 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYTHE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY 9OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013 – 2019The changing landscape of global power is moving to Asiaand middle-income countries, home to a majority of theworld’s poor. This shift offers new opportunities to reducepoverty and inequality. It also means that countries suchas China and India are beginning to undertake developmentprograms in other parts of the world.People in all parts of the world are rapidly making use ofdigital communications and sharing real-time informationto assert their right to be heard through smart activistmovements that are often led by young people opposingpolitical tyranny, corporate irresponsibility and theplundering of the planet’s resources.In the midst of such huge change, Oxfam, like otherdevelopment organizations, needs to keep faith with loyalsupporters who drive the campaigns, who so generouslyfund the organization and, critically, who ensure, by theirparticipation, that Oxfam can be genuinely independent.We must also continue to find innovative approaches,develop new sources of finance, make our resources goeven further and promote new, inclusive ways for people toparticipate.This Strategic Plan sets priorities that build on thatprogress and that we judge will do most to reduce theinjustice of poverty to 2019, starting with greater equality.Equality equals RightsDespite the huge progress of the last four decades inreducing extreme income poverty, inequality is becominga critical problem, both between and within countries,whether rich or poor. Inequality means over-abundance forthe few and injustice for the many. This is a denial of therights of millions of people.High-income countries have average incomes that are morethan 70 times those of low-income countries. Redistributionof 10% of the incomes of the richest countries wouldincrease the incomes of the poor countries by more thannine-fold per head.Inequality keeps poor people poor and powerless, andweakens the capacity of economic growth to eradicatepoverty. Systematic exclusion and discrimination createdeep social problems such as youth unemployment anddeny people their dignity and their voice, which deepenssocial frustration and the likelihood of conflict.One of the most serious and pervasive forms of inequality isdiscrimination against women and girls. Two-thirds of theworld’s illiterate adults are women. Women do 60 per centof the world’s work but earn only 10 per cent of the world’sincome (source: UNDP).The Strategic Plan sets the reinforcement of people’srights, and especially women’s rights, at the heart of allwe do. Beyond enabling women and marginalized people tohave access to valued roles in the economy and society,we will put a particular focus on gender justice andempowering poor people to make their voices heard.We will also push for meaningful social protection toensure that peoples’ most basic needs are met andto avoid the exclusion that perpetuates the deepestpoverty. Universal access to essential services is a right.Challenging inequality and exclusion also demands of us amore effective response to poverty-driven migration.We must reverse the trend of increasing inequality.Hunger in a world of plentyVolatility of prices, of weather, and of access to foodis particularly harmful for people living in poverty. Theygenerally lack the social safety nets, such as insurance,that protect people in crises. Over the last decade theworld’s poor have experienced huge multiple shocks. Theglobal economic crisis generated in the rich world, has hadmajor negative impacts on rich and poor countries. Globalfood price crises have sparked protests and riots across thedeveloping world. The impact of climate change is alreadywreaking havoc on vulnerable communities in many parts ofthe world, with weather-related events quadrupling sincethe 1980s. The proportion of the world’s poor living in fragilestates has doubled.This all underscores the importance of helping to buildthe resilience of people living in such a volatile context,helping them to increase their power to sustain their ownlivelihoods.Part of that effort will focus squarely on food. Small-scalefarming, often under the management of women, is a provensuccess in many countries. Property rights and policiesthat prevent speculative acquisition of land for biofuelsand carbon markets – land grabs – will help local peopleto sustain their own food supplies and economy. We willcontinue to engage in, and encourage fair trade, and willpress for food companies to behave responsibly.In a world where there is enough food to feed the wholepopulation of the planet, it is unacceptable that 1 billionpeople go hungry.Fair Sharing of ResourcesPoor communities find themselves in competition withpowerful interests for control over the land, water andenergy resources that they depend upon for survival, withwomen and girls often disproportionately affected. Manyof these struggles also pit rich countries against poor,and corporate interests against ordinary women, menand communities. The global consumption of resources isalready outstripping the earth’s capacity to accommodateit.Climate change, too, affects the poor world vastly morethan the rich world that has by far the greatest historicalresponsibility for emissions of greenhouse gases. For poorcountries, tackling climate change is about survival andthe right to develop; for rich countries it is about lifestyleand changing levels of consumption. This is profoundlyunequal.We are also demanding equitable sharing of natural resources. For example, extractive industries need tobecome more transparent, and environmentally andsocially responsible. This means fair sharing of revenueswith local communities and equitable contributions ofroyalties and taxes to national governments.It also requires progressive taxation policies of nationalgovernments to address gross inequalities and enableredistribution, while at the global level, more coordinatedefforts to tackle the scourge of corruption which costspoor governments and poor people vast amounts ofrevenue.Sustainable development and sustaining scarce resourcesare at the core of Oxfam’s work.Saving lives, better futuresOxfam has a long and well-recognized record of humanitarianrelief in times of natural disaster and crisis. We are gettingbetter, as a partnership of international organizations,at coordinating and delivering the water and sanitation,food, shelter and security that are needed in emergencies.Oxfam’s focus in the coming years will also include helpingpeople to guard against future crises by becoming moreresilient. Whether it is adaptation to the vicissitudes ofthe climate, or establishing emergency responses locally,preparation is key. Oxfam will focus on the reinforcement ofpeople’s rights to guard against the effects of disaster andto cope with emergencies, ensuring that all parts of societyare part of the response.The focus for our longstanding role of providing essentialservices – such as health and education – is also shifting,to encourage self-managed local solutions. Yet again, itcomes back to people knowing and exercising their rightsand devising approaches that suit their own environment,whether urban or rural. Increasingly humanitarian responsewill need to address the needs of urban communities, inresponse to the huge changes in global demographicswhich see for the first time ever, the world’s urbanpopulation outstripping rural populations.Work on resilience must include a focus on creatingopportunities for young people whose future is threatenedby the failure of the current generation of leaders to tackleunemployment and other problems blighting the lives ofyoung people.Central to Oxfam’s work will be new ways of organizing atthe local level for lasting resilience to crisis and poverty.Accelerating actionIn rich and poor countries alike, politically active, organizedand accountable people are beginning to realize theirstrength and their capacity to challenge the vestedinterests that perpetuate the injustice of poverty. We wantto find and support innovative approaches to building amovement for change. Oxfam believes that people living inpoverty who claim their rights and make their voices heardconstitute an enormous source of hope for real change andgreater power in people’s lives.That means devoting a lot of effort to linking with others– social movements, trades unions, digital communitiesand faith-based organizations – the transient and theestablished. And we must engage with constituencies whohave not previously been involved in issues of poverty anddevelopment.We will join with networks of citizens, consumers,producers, communities, social movements andcivil society organizations who demand change fromgovernments, the multilateral institutions, the UnitedNations, and companies. Political and business incentiveswill shift through the decisions we take and the choiceswe all make as consumers. Whether by leading low-carbonlifestyles, buying Fair Trade goods, or demanding change inthe streets or through the ballot box, Oxfam will work withothers, to help build momentum for change.Critically, we need engagement with business, whethermultinational companies or small and medium-sizedenterprises. That engagement may take the form of both

10 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYTHE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY 11OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013 – 2019tougher challenge and of deeper collaboration in order toachieve corporate accountability, with transparency andserious consequences for corporate misconduct; as wellas effective partnerships for innovative change involvingthe state, business and civil society working together in amutually accountable way.Oxfam recognises the enormous positive impact thatprogressive businesses can have in reducing globalpoverty. But businesses that put profits before people andthe planet should be called to account for the harm they doto poor and vulnerable communities and the damage theydo to the environment.Throughout this Strategic Plan, Oxfam will focus onengagement with business in the finance, agriculture andextractive industries sectors, as well as on taxation issuesand the contribution of the private sector to humanitarianassistance.It is not just businesses that must be held to account: wewill work to strengthen the legitimacy of Oxfam and fellowinternational NGOs. Our sector is increasingly challenged todemonstrate program effectiveness as well as the qualityand impact of campaigns.Oxfam takes the stewardship for the public moniesentrusted to us very seriously, whether from thepublic or governments. We will continue to strengthenaccountability to all stakeholders; the communities wework with, the donating public and institutional funders.We will build on the INGO Charter of Accountability of 2006to demonstrate how we meet the expectations and trustplaced in us by our stakeholders.All of Oxfam’s work is based on people working together,building communities of progress and pressure, influence,informal leadership and political action.OXFAM’S GUIDING PRINCIPLESAimsOxfam’s mission and work are based on the followingrights-based aims:The right to life and securityThe right to a sustainable livelihoodThe right to essential servicesThe right to be heardThe right to an identityThese are grounded in Oxfam’s commitment to theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and the associatedTreaties and Covenants.PurposeThe purpose of Oxfam is to help create lasting solutions tothe injustice of poverty.We are part of a global movement for change, one thatempowers people to create a future that is secure, just,and free from poverty.Oxfam’s emerging theory of changeAt the heart of Oxfam’s work is a theory of change that seesthe interaction between active citizens and accountablestates as fundamental to human development. Oxfammainly focuses on the first of these, helping to buildthe organizational capacity of the organizations of poorpeople, with a particular focus on women’s leadershipand attitudes and beliefs concerning gender roles. But italso engages directly with the state, for example helpingwith training of local government officials. Often, its maincontribution is in the space between the two, brokeringcontacts between people’s organizations and state bodies(as well as with the private sector), and creating ‘safezones’ in which they can discuss problems and solutions.Development is about power and its progressiveredistribution from the haves to the have-nots. Thistouches on the deepest structures that underlie society,politics and the economy. The starting point for Oxfam istherefore ‘power analysis’ – understanding the currentdistribution of power between different actors in thedevelopment drama, and how that affects the struggle forchange: who are the drivers of the change? Who are theblockers likely to oppose it? What are the main institutionsinvolved, whether formal (e.g. ministries) or informal (e.g.customs and beliefs)? What coalitions and alliances canbe built either to strengthen the drivers or overcome theblockers?The answers will vary depending on issue and context(open versus closed systems; local versus national), butpower analysis is as essential when seeking changes toattitudes and beliefs on issues such as violence againstwomen, as to changing public spending priorities or thelegal rights of poor people. Effective alliances may be‘horizontal’, bringing together similar organizations suchas peasant producers or women’s savings groups, butoften Oxfam can play a particular role in convening (andbuilding trust within) ‘vertical’ alliances of non-usualsuspects, bringing together civil society organizationswith private sector companies, urban groups, middle classphilanthropists, sympathetic state bodies or faith-basedorganizations.One effective way to build such alliances is by generatinga solid evidence base to make the case for change. Oxfamis both supporting a range of ‘access to information’initiatives that equip civil society with the data they needto lobby on public spending or other issues, and expandingits own ability to produce credible research. One particularstrength is the ability to combine programming work (forexample piloting new approaches) with research andadvocacy.Change is sometimes a smooth, steady process, but oftenemerges from ‘critical junctures’ – windows of opportunityprovided by elections, changes in leadership, naturaldisasters or conflicts. Oxfam’s theory of change stressesthe need to improve its ability to identify and respondto such moments. Nor is change always peaceful – itis often accompanied by social conflict. Improving ourunderstanding of the turbulent and complex dynamics ofchange in the lives of poor people is at the heart of thisstrategic plan.RoleBased on this Theory of Change, Oxfam’s role is to enabletransformational change, as convenor and catalyst;opening political space, building capacity and sharingtechnical expertise, raising funds and public support,leveraging our own resources to multiply funds, providingstrategic funding to partners and carrying out humanitarianwork that integrates life-saving response with buildingresilience. Our approach is to be both practical andvisionary.Enabling requires listening, showing solidarity in wordsand actions, supporting and collaborating in partnershipswithout imposing top-down solutions; and acting as arespectful ally. It can also mean expressing a view if thatincreases impact and expands political space and voice forpartners and allies.Transformational change means projecting our vision offairness, equity and rights, a vision that resonates in allcountries. It means the communities and partners we workwith acquiring or taking power, equitably and irreversibly,to realize their rights with dignity. It means people andcommunities, particularly women and girls, gainingconfidence, capabilities and hope, in the place of apathyand exclusion.Transformational change also means structural change.Changing the policies and practices of governments,institutions and businesses, to improve equality andinclusion, and to help people rise out of poverty.

THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY 13OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013 – 20192. Six goals tochange our worldIntroductionThis Plan sets out the priorities for Oxfam for the six years,2013-2019. It is the strategy that all affiliates of Oxfamwill use to guide resources, campaigns, programs andfundraising, and how we operate as a confederation.It is the shared agenda for the confederation, from withinwhich countries and other program teams will choose theapproaches and themes of work that will enable them toachieve the most impact in their specific contexts.During the last two decades growth in many largeeconomies has led to many of these countries becoming“middle income” countries. Rising inequality within most ofthe world’s countries means that the majority of the world’spoor now live in middle income countries - there are morepeople with incomes under $1.25 a day living in India thanin all of sub Saharan Africa. 1Oxfam believes that all people living in poverty have thesame rights and will, therefore continue to work to helppeople exercise their rights – irrespective of geography.In doing this work Oxfam will, however, adopt adifferentiated approach and allocate different levels ofresources to different types of countries – fragile states,low and middle income countries.Oxfam will continue to allocate the bulk of its resources tofragile states and low income countries – where aid is mostneeded - where many vulnerable communities are at riskfrom natural disasters or conflict. In these countries muchof our work will use Oxfam’s operational capabilities.Oxfam will also work in middle income countries, inparticular the BRICSAMs, where much of our work will befocussed on influencing others to address poverty andinjustice – working with the public and private sectors aswell as civil society actors to ensure poor people get afair share of resources available. Oxfam’s work in middleincome countries will also seek to harness their increasingpower to influence poverty outside their own country – inglobal or regional arenas.In the multi-polar world in which we now live, workingacross many geographies and with many approaches iswhat underpins Oxfam’s ability to connect issues from thelocal to the national, regional and global contexts – andmake a difference for poor people through policy, practiceand shared learning.Oxfam will use a range of programming and influencingapproaches, appropriate to local contexts, to work in90-100 countries in Latin America, Africa, former sovietcountries, the Middle East, South and East Asia and thePacific as well as implementing domestic programming insome of the affiliates’ home countries.Finally Oxfam will ensure that it continues to deployresources strategically in order to influence key countriesas well as institutions, processes and forums at regional,continental and global levels that have a major impact onpoverty, inequality and sustainable development.The priorities are set out in six goals that will guide usover the period of the Strategic Plan. In each of the goals,the approach will be to equip people living in poverty toknow and exercise their rights and use the many availablemeans in a digitally-connected world to influence, maketheir own demands and find their own solutions to buildingbetter lives. Young people will be a crucial catalyst in thisenvironment. And in all that we do, there will be a priority onempowering women. In addition, there are separate goals(Goals 1 and 2) that are specifically aimed at equippingwomen and activist people to bring about change.The Strategic Plan describes six goals to reduce povertyand bring greater justice; followed by the internalbenchmarks, or Operational Goals, that will guide the waywe work; and a section on the budget to support the Planand the benchmarking to check progress on the goals.Photo: Aubrey Wade1. UN inequality adjusted HDI report. India 517m people under $1.25 a day

14 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYTHE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY 15OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019OXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013 – 2019Goal 1:Right to be heard:People claiming their rightto a better lifePoor and marginalized people can gain control over theirown lives by exercising their right to political participation,freedom of expression and information, freedom of assemblyand access to justice. That is the foundation of all thatOxfam believes and does.There are many recent examples of people asserting theirrights in many forms, often through youth-led or women’smovements, to lead positive societal change in the faceof economic volatility, social inequality and corruption,especially where corporate and political institutions areweak. Yet these rights are at risk in many parts of the world,making women, youth, and their organizations especiallyvulnerable.This goal will be pursued in many different contexts incountries around the world, but we will particularly focuson supporting women and youth because deep-rootedinequalities of societal power are often gender- andgeneration- based.This goal aims to connect with, and support, young peopleas social change leaders in the effort to overcome povertyand injustice.It is also a goal that involves our publics and supporters,encouraging them to recognize the consequences oftheir personal economic, political and social choices - asconsumers (for example, by purchasing Fair Trade products),through actions of solidarity with poor and marginalizedpeople, and through engagement with governments andbusinesses.This goal will focus also on urban poverty, building theability of marginalized urban poor to organize and claim theirrights, and to demand strong governance and recognition oftheir entitlement to critical infrastructure and services. Thepeople most at risk should have most to say about planningfor the future and adapting to an environment where urbandisaster is becoming more inevitable.Objectives for 2019More poor and marginalized people will:• Increase their voice by understanding and being better ableto exercise their rights to organize, to information, to publicparticipation and to equal justice• see more responsiveness from governments and private sectorto their interests; and increase their influence and benefitfrom the policies and legislation of governments on resourceallocation, and the policies and practices of the private sector;• benefit from increasingly accountable and transparentgovernments and private sector because they are betterable to demand transparency, fulfilment of pro-poorpromises and respect for citizens’ rights and the rule of lawAnd:• more citizens will contribute to overcoming poverty andinjustice through personal choices as consumers (throughfor example purchasing Fair Trade products), taking action insolidarity with poor and marginalized people and influencinggovernments and business as active global citizensAchieving the goalOrganising civil society• Organize to persuade governments to lift restrictive laws thatdeny civil and political rights and to engage constructivelywith civil society• Strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations toself-organize around the priorities of poor and marginalizedpeople (in particular women and youth) in both rural andurban settings• Work with youth, womens and indigenous people’sorganizations, recognizing and supporting their own waysof expression and organizationAccess to information and technology• Use the disclosure policies and laws that guarantee rightto information and revenue transparency to enhance thetransparency of governments and companies• Use digital communication and social media to makeinformation more accessible and understandable to poorand marginalized groups – especially women and youth –so that they can generate and share their own information,ideas and opinions (citizens’ reporting)• Enhance access to the information that is needed by poorpeople to participate in decision making and to perseverein the event of shocks, stresses and uncertainty (such asearly warning, weather and market information)Public decision and policy-making spaces• Encourage women, young and indigenous people and othervulnerable people to influence and participate in decisionmakingprocesses that affect their lives, and to strive forpolitical leadership• Promote social accountability tools such as participatorymonitoring of government income and expenditure tomonitor and influence public decisions and to ensure thatpoor people benefit from revenue flows, including fromextractive industries• Enhancing public participation and accountability isespecially relevant for policies on revenue collection/taxation and therefore directly connected with the goal onfinancing for developmentAccess to justice• Support legal aid, rights awareness and public litigationinitiatives that primarily benefit women who aremarginalized from usual legal systems; use legal strategiesto enable civil society to use the law to uphold the humanrights of poor and marginalized people Global citizenshipGlobal citizenship• Encourage Oxfam supporters to act as global activecitizens through personal choices and actions - asconsumers of energy and food, through Fair Tradeproducts, as political constituents regarding aid, socialjustice, transparency and accountability; and through theiractions as employees and employers• Support organizations of poor and excluded people (inparticular women and youth organizations and networks)to link with other organizations and activists to learn fromeach other and collaborate on joint campaigns for people’sparticipation, civic awareness about global challenges andpro-poor policies• Support the most vulnerable to participate in processesand debates that identify and manage risks anduncertaintyExpected impact by 2019More women, young people and other poor andmarginalized people will exercise civil and politicalrights to influence decision-making by engagingwith governments and by holding governments andbusinesses accountable to respect their rights.Goal 2:Advancing genderjusticeSystematic discrimination against women and girls is botha cause and a result of the inequality that drives poverty.It can be exacerbated by class, ethnicity and age, aswell as religious and other fundamentalism. Women whorespond to disasters, defend rights to natural resources,campaign for freedom from physical and sexual abuse, andpromote democratic participation often suffer physical andpsychological violence.Our goal is to build on the significant progress that hasbeen achieved in recent years in securing women’srights. Further improvements in legislation and policyare necessary but not sufficient. Our goal is sustained,widespread changes in attitudes and beliefs about genderpower relations in order to further women’s rights andgender justice.There is now more widespread recognition of “theimportance of investing in women” but this has not alwaysbeen from a women’s rights perspective. In the hands ofsome external actors this approach is too instrumentalistas it supports women as a means to other ends -- suchas improved child nutrition, greater farm productivity orincreased household income. And it has the unfortunateeffect of prompting a decline in donor funding for programsfocused on women’s rights. Oxfam’s vision is moreambitious, putting women’s rights at the heart of all we do.There is growing evidence that women’s taking controland taking collective action are themselves, the mostimportant drivers of sustained improvements in women’srights. In the coming years, it will be more importantthan ever for women to be supported in developing theirown visions and strategies for change, and buildingthe organizations and movements required to affirmthat achieving women’s rights is a foundation for alldevelopment goals.

28 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYOXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019Operational Goal 6:Income strategyThere is huge potential for fundraising success in the longterm if we invest as a confederation early in this StrategicPlan period. We can build on the success of our singlemanagement structure and global brand identity to drivea step change in our approach to income. This requiresup-front investment for new market entry, increased jointworking, and innovation within affiliates. This will securemore and larger revenues from institutional donors andgreater net income from individual supporters; and willstrengthen individual affiliates, and provide the rightbalance of flexible resources required to achieve ourprogram ambitions.Objectives for 2019• Increase resources (a balance of restricted andunrestricted) raised in current markets from all incomestreams including individuals, foundations, corporates,institutional donors and trading/retail• Enter and expand profitably in high growth markets toposition Oxfam for future unrestricted income growth• Maximize individual and institutional funding markets bydeveloping innovative products and channels, compellingmessages and best practiceAchieving the goal• Institutional funding: Develop capacity to increase newhigh-returns funding partnerships, including consortiamanagement, tendering, and competitive bids. Completestaffing, develop capacity for strategic donor relationshipdevelopment in centers of expertise• Invest in expanding community fundraising in new andexisting markets for unrestricted income, based onanalysis and business plans• Individual giving: Enable and drive best practice for highpotential fundraising streams, starting with regular/committed giving, humanitarian appeals and digital/mobilefund-raising and expanding to other channels such ascorporates and high net worth individuals. Requires jointtraining and buddy systems• Trading/Retail: Focus on profitability; develop peer reviewor other support to evaluate retail operations , share bestpractice and encourage new trading initiatives, businessmodels and retail designs in line with the global brandidentity• Establish dedicated research & development staffing tosupport market intelligence, new markets and competitoranalysis, donor mapping, innovation, exchange ofexperiences and learning, training and global partnershipsExpected impact by 2019A step change in investment, fundraising and cooperationamong affiliates will secure EUR 100-300M more than ourbase case, and position us to match our future ambitionsto significantly increase the scale and impact of Oxfam’swork.4. benchmarksand budgetPhoto: Gilvan Barreto

30 THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTYOXFAM STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013-2019Measuring the impact of our work forpeople in povertyIn support of our commitment to accountability andconstant learning, there will be several tools to monitor,evaluate and learn:1) provide information on the scope of our work usingoutput reporting data2) complete several review exercises to understand – andspeak about – our achievements as well as our challenges,and how we deal with them3) undertake a strategic evaluative research process toassess our overall strategies, test the core assumptionsabout how Oxfam contributes to social change and assessour effectiveness in different contexts, and4) Oxfam will consult with key stakeholders to gather theirinsights and assessments about our overall effortsFunding the ambition for povertyreduction in this Strategic PlanOxfam must match its ambitions to overcome poverty tothe resources that are available. We have put a muchgreater strategic emphasis on building resources at theaffiliate level in order match our collective ambition andorganizational requirements. Nonetheless, the globalfinancial crisis and consequences for the flow of aid andpublic donations make it prudent to plan for flat, inflationadjustedgrowth of revenueThe biggest part of our program spending will be allocatedto our work on Goal 3: saving lives (about 35-40%), Goals 4and 5: sustainable food systems and fair sharing of naturalresources (about 30%). The other three goals will accountfor the rest (about 30-35%). It is important to note thatensuring gender justice and enabling active citizenship willrun through all our work in all six goals.The goals will work within existing budget allocations –the unrestricted element (i.e. adjusted for inflation). Anyambition for more spending for a specific initiative will becontingent on raising new funds or re-alignment of internalresources during the life of the plan.In the short-to-medium term, we will invest significantlymore on fundraising and cost-effectiveness (building onour Single Management Structure work) and look for greatersavings across the system. In the short term this mayslightly reduce the total resources available for work ongoals, in order to strengthen finances and achieve greaterimpact in the medium-to-long term. It is anticipated thatthere will be greater resources available for programming inthe latter part of the six-year Plan period and beyond.There will be a comprehensive financial plan, identifyingfunding sources, (savings, reserves, recycled surpluses,external support etc.), which will be updated in the annualOperational Plan.Glossary of abbreviationsDRR Disaster Risk ReductionWRO Women’s Rights OrganizationWASH Water, Sanitation and HygieneMEL Monitoring, Evaluation and LearningBRICSAM Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, MexicoSMS Single Management Structure projectUNDP United Nations Development ProgramGDP Gross Domestic ProductIFI International Financial Institutions (IMF, World Bank, etc)G20 Group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European UnionLGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people