Oxfam#Oxfam International

File:Oxfam plaque Old Library University Church Oxford.jpg]]

Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics in 1942 and registered in accordance with UK law in 1943, the original committee was a group of concerned citizens, including Henry Gillett (a prominent local Quaker), Theodore Richard Milford, Gilbert Murray and his wife Mary, Cecil Jackson-Cole, and Alan Pim. The committee met in the Old Library of University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, for the first time in 1942, and its aim was to help starving citizens of occupied Greece, a famine caused by the Axis occupation of Greece and Allied naval blockades and to persuade the British government to allow food relief through the blockade. The Oxford committee was one of several local committees formed in support of the National Famine Relief Committee.Black, (1992)

The first permanent Oxfam gift shop was on Broad Street, Oxford; it opened in 1947.{{cite web |title=Our history |url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/our-history |website=Oxfam International |access-date=2 February 2024 |language=en |date=10 July 2023}} Oxfam's first paid employee was Joe Mitty, who began working at the Oxfam shop on Broad Street, Oxford, on 9 November 1949. Engaged to manage the accounts and distribute donated clothing, he originated the policy of selling anything people were willing to donate, and developed the shop into a national chain.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7024049.stm |title=Oxfam shop founder dies aged 88 |publisher=BBC News |work=News |date=2 October 2007 |access-date=26 February 2012 |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804173658/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7024049.stm |url-status=live }}

Fundraising innovations led by advertising adviser Harold Sumption, including rigorous testing of advertising campaigns, direct mail, the trading catalogue, and the first multimedia fundraising campaign the "Hunger £ Million",{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=George |title=Harold Sumption (obituary) |work=The Independent |date=21 April 1998}} helped Oxfam become, for a time, the largest charity in the UK.{{cite web |last1=Pegram |first1=Giles |title=Has fundraising moved forwards, or backwards, in the last 50 years? And where next? |url=https://101fundraising.org/2017/02/fundraising-moved-forwards-backwards-last-50-years-next/ |website=101 Fundraising |date=22 February 2017 |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209223112/https://101fundraising.org/2017/02/fundraising-moved-forwards-backwards-last-50-years-next/ |url-status=live }} By 1960, it was an international nongovernmental aid organization.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

The first overseas committee was founded in Canada in 1963, and in 1965, the organization changed its name to its telegraphic address, OXFAM. The Oxford committee became known as Oxfam GB.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In 1995 Oxfam International was formed by a group of independent non-governmental organizations. Stichting Oxfam International was registered as a non-profit foundation at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1996.{{cite web|title=Stitching Oxfam International|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/FC019279|publisher=Companies House|access-date=16 February 2018|archive-date=17 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082505/https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/FC019279|url-status=live}}

Winnie Byanyima was the executive director of Oxfam International from 2013 to 2019.{{cite web|title=Winnie Byanyima to serve second 5-year term leading Oxfam International, from Nairobi|url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-12-04/winnie-byanyima-serve-second-5-year-term-leading-oxfam|publisher=Oxfam.org|date=4 December 2017|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205093101/https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-12-04/winnie-byanyima-serve-second-5-year-term-leading-oxfam|url-status=live}}

File:First Oxfam shop crop.jpg]]

File:Oxfam East Africa - Mogadishu aid flight 005.jpg, Kenya]]

Oxfam has provided relief services during various global crises, including the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, North Korean famine, 2011 East Africa drought, 2012 Sahel drought, Nepal earthquake,{{cite web|url=http://earthquakenepalin2015.com|title=Open Sans|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518072737/http://earthquakenepalin2015.com/|archive-date=18 May 2015}} and Yemeni crisis.{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-humanitarian-idUKKBN0NB0DT20150420|title=Aid agency Oxfam condemns Saudi airstrike in Yemen|date=20 April 2015|work=Reuters|access-date=5 July 2021|archive-date=19 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119155023/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-humanitarian-idUKKBN0NB0DT20150420|url-status=dead}} The Bosfam NGO was also founded in May 1995 by women participating in an Oxfam GB psychosocial 'radionice' project to support internally displaced women during the Bosnian war. Oxfam has become a globally recognized leader in providing water sanitation to impoverished and war-torn areas the world over. In 2012, Oxfam became one of the humanitarian groups that comprise the UK's Rapid Response Facility to ensure clean water in the wake of humanitarian disasters.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/rapid-response-tackling-cholera-in-sierra-leone-with-oxfam|title=Rapid response: Tackling cholera in Sierra Leone with Oxfam|publisher=Department for International Development|access-date=2 February 2015|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112051407/https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/rapid-response-tackling-cholera-in-sierra-leone-with-oxfam|url-status=live}}

A January 2014 Oxfam report stated that the 85 wealthiest individuals in the world have a combined wealth equal to that of the bottom 50% of the world's population, or about 3.5 billion people.{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2014-01-20/rigged-rules-mean-economic-growth-increasingly-winner-takes-all-for-rich-elites |title=Rigged rules mean economic growth increasingly 'winner takes all' for rich elites all over world |publisher=Oxfam |date=20 January 2014 |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803172203/http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2014-01-20/rigged-rules-mean-economic-growth-increasingly-winner-takes-all-for-rich-elites |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Neuman |first=Scott |date=20 January 2014 |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/20/264241052/oxfam-worlds-richest-1-percent-control-half-of-global-wealth |title=Oxfam: World's Richest 1 Percent Control Half of Global Wealth |publisher=NPR |access-date=25 January 2014 |archive-date=23 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423135514/http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/20/264241052/oxfam-worlds-richest-1-percent-control-half-of-global-wealth |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Stout|first=David|title=One Stat to Destroy Your Faith in Humanity: The World's 85 Richest People Own as Much as the 3.5 Billion Poorest|url=http://business.time.com/2014/01/20/worlds-85-wealthiest-people-as-rich-as-3-5-billion-poorest/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123232731/http://business.time.com/2014/01/20/worlds-85-wealthiest-people-as-rich-as-3-5-billion-poorest/|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 January 2014|magazine=Time|access-date=21 January 2014|date=20 January 2014}}{{cite news|last=Wearden|first=Graeme|title=Oxfam: 85 richest people as wealthy as poorest half of the world|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/20/oxfam-85-richest-people-half-of-the-world|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=21 January 2014|date=20 January 2014|archive-date=30 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430144854/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/20/oxfam-85-richest-people-half-of-the-world|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Kristof |first=Nicholas |title=An Idiot's Guide to Inequality |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/opinion/nicholas-kristof-idiots-guide-to-inequality-piketty-capital.html |date=22 July 2014 |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 July 2014 |archive-date=24 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724004250/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/opinion/nicholas-kristof-idiots-guide-to-inequality-piketty-capital.html |url-status=live }} In January 2015, Oxfam reported that the wealthiest 1 percent will own more than half of the global wealth by 2016.{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Patricia |title=Richest 1% Likely to Control Half of Global Wealth by 2016, Study Finds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/business/richest-1-percent-likely-to-control-half-of-global-wealth-by-2016-study-finds.html |date=19 January 2015 |work=The New York Times |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430144836/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/business/richest-1-percent-likely-to-control-half-of-global-wealth-by-2016-study-finds.html |url-status=live }} An Oxfam report released in 2017 stated that eight billionaires possess the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of humanity.{{cite news |last=Ratcliff |first=Anna |title=Just 8 men own same wealth as half the world |url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world |date=16 January 2017 |work=Oxfam |access-date=16 January 2017 |archive-date=16 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116191825/https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Mullany |first=Gerry |title=World's 8 Richest Have as Much Wealth as Bottom Half of Global Population |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/eight-richest-wealth-oxfam.html |date=16 January 2017 |work=New York Times |access-date=16 January 2017 |archive-date=16 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116211255/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/eight-richest-wealth-oxfam.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last1=Elliott|first1=Larry|title=World's eight richest people have same wealth as poorest 50%|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/16/worlds-eight-richest-people-have-same-wealth-as-poorest-50|access-date=16 January 2017|work=The Guardian|date=16 January 2017|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116005739/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/16/worlds-eight-richest-people-have-same-wealth-as-poorest-50|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Hardoon|first1=Deborah|title=An Economy for the 99%: It's time to build a human economy that benefits everyone, not just the privileged few|url=http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/an-economy-for-the-99-its-time-to-build-a-human-economy-that-benefits-everyone-620170|website=oxfam.org.uk|publisher=Oxfam|access-date=16 January 2017|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116135943/http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/an-economy-for-the-99-its-time-to-build-a-human-economy-that-benefits-everyone-620170|url-status=live}}

The current focus of Oxfam's campaigns includes economic inequality (including tax justice), gender justice and climate change.

The Make Trade Fair campaign organized by Oxfam International focuses on the elimination of trade practices, such as dumping, which occurs when highly subsidized, surplus commodities from developed countries such as rice, cotton, corn, and sugar are sold at low prices and farmers from poor countries have difficulty competing.{{cite web|url=http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_dumping.htm#|title=Rigged Rules – Dumping|access-date=29 January 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209051849/http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_dumping.htm|archive-date=9 February 2006}} Another practice Oxfam opposes is the setting of tariffs, where nations enforce high taxes on imported goods, restricting the sales of products from other nations,{{cite web|url=http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_marketaccess.htm|title=Rigged Rules – Market Access|access-date=29 January 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221040624/http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_marketaccess.htm|archive-date=21 February 2006}} unbalanced labour rights for women, who often earn lower wages than their male counterparts,{{cite web|url=http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_labour.htm|title=Rigged Rules – Labour Rights|access-date=29 January 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224162419/http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_labour.htm|archive-date=24 December 2005}} and stringent patent issues that prevent the prices of medication, software, and textbooks (e.g. gene patents, chemical patents, and software patents) from being lowered. Thus, such essential goods are often inaccessible to developing nations.{{cite web|url=http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_patents.htm|title=Rigged Rules – Patents|access-date=29 January 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322075359/http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=issues_patents.htm|archive-date=22 March 2006}}

As part of its work Oxfam has also campaigned on issues regarding coffee farming. In October 2006, Oxfam accused Starbucks of asking the National Coffee Association (NCA) to block a US trademark application from Ethiopia for three of the country's coffee beans, Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. They claimed this could result in denying Ethiopian coffee farmers potential annual earnings of up to £47m.{{cite news |date=26 October 2006 |title=Starbucks in Ethiopia coffee row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6086330.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314143818/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6086330.stm |archive-date=14 March 2007 |access-date=2 November 2009 |work=BBC News |location=UK}} Following this Starbucks had placed pamphlets in its stores accusing Oxfam of "misleading behavior" and insisting that its "campaign need[s] to stop", while The Economist derided Oxfam's "simplistic" stance and Ethiopia's "economically illiterate" government, arguing that Starbucks' (and Illy's) standards-based approach would ultimately benefit farmers more.{{cite news |date=7 November 2006 |title=Oxfam versus Starbucks: And this time, Oxfam may be wrong |url=http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/businessview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8129387 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218081649/http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/businessview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8129387 |archive-date=18 February 2010 |access-date=2 November 2009 |newspaper=The Economist}}{{Subscription required}} In June 2007, Ethiopian Government representatives and senior leaders from Starbucks Coffee Company worked out an agreement regarding distribution, marketing and licensing that recognized the importance and integrity of Ethiopia's specialty coffee designations. An Oxfam spokesman said the deal sounds like a "useful step" as long as farmers are benefiting, and a big step from a year prior when Starbucks "wasn't engaging directly (with) Ethiopians on adding value to their coffee".{{Cite news |author=Craig Harris |date=28 November 2007 |title=Starbucks chairman, Ethiopia talk beans |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Starbucks-chairman-Ethiopia-talk-beans-1257087.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112060714/http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Starbucks-chairman-Ethiopia-talk-beans-1257087.php |archive-date=12 January 2015 |access-date=20 March 2015 |publisher=Seattle PI}}

{{See also|Oxfam bookshops}}Oxfam has shops all over the world, which sell many fair-trade and donated items since their first charity shop opened in 1948,{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/history-of-oxfam|title=History of Oxfam|publisher=Oxfam|access-date=30 March 2015|archive-date=28 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428131038/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/history-of-oxfam|url-status=live}} although trading began in 1947. The proceeds from these are used to further Oxfam's mission and relief efforts around the globe. Much of their stock comes from public donations but as of 2012 they still sold fair trade products from developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America, including handcrafts, books, music CDs and instruments, clothing, toys, food, and ethnic creations. These objects are brought to the public through fair trade to help boost the quality of life of their producers and surrounding communities.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/|title=Fair Trade Products, Homeware, Gifts & Jewellery from|work=Shop|publisher=Oxfam|location=AU|access-date=16 May 2012|archive-date=8 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208214449/http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/|url-status=live}}

As of 2010, Oxfam had over 1,200 shops worldwide.{{Citation|title=Annual Report|date=November 2010|publisher=Oxfam}} More than half of them were in the UK, with around 750 Oxfam GB shops, including specialist shops such as books, music, furniture, and bridal wear. Oxfam Germany has 45 shops, including specialist book shops; Oxfam France shops sell books and fair-trade products, and Oxfam Hong Kong has two shops selling donated goods and fair-trade products. Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Australia (with over 20 fair trade shops), Oxfam Ireland and Oxfam in Belgium also raise funds from shops.

Of the Oxfam charity shops around the UK, around 100 are specialist bookshops or book and music shops. Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling around 12 million per year. In 2008, Oxfam GB worked with over 20,000 volunteers in shops across the UK, raising £17.1 million for Oxfam's programme work.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/accounts/annual_report_accounts.html|title=Trustee's Report 2007–08|publisher=Oxfam|place=UK|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130061044/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/accounts/annual_report_accounts.html|archive-date=30 January 2009}}

In the wake of the 2018 sexual abuse scandal, CEO Mark Goldring admitted closures of some Oxfam shops were likely.{{Cite web |last=Hopkins |first=Nick |date=2018-06-15 |title=Oxfam to axe jobs and aid programmes in £16m cuts after scandal |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/15/oxfam-warns-staff-urgent-savings-16m-haiti-scandal |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630233608/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/15/oxfam-warns-staff-urgent-savings-16m-haiti-scandal |url-status=live }} Allegations also appeared at this time regarding sexual harassment in Oxfam shops in Britain.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-43039432|title=Newspaper headlines: Oxfam shop abuse claims and 'aid for sex'|date=13 February 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=13 February 2018|archive-date=13 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213003608/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-43039432|url-status=live}} Sector press later reported that Oxfam closed 26 of its shops in 2020 and that shops made an operational loss of £12.9 million in 2020,{{cite web|url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/biggest-charity-shop-chains-report-70m-losses-from-pandemic.html|title=Biggest charity shop chains report £70m losses from pandemic|access-date=16 March 2022|archive-date=28 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328102012/https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/biggest-charity-shop-chains-report-70m-losses-from-pandemic.html|url-status=live}} with further closures reported in local media thereafter.{{cite web|url=https://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/sadness-as-charity-shop-shuts-after-almost-60-years-9205862/|title=Spalding charity shop shuts its doors for good|date=3 July 2021|access-date=16 March 2022|archive-date=5 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705212912/https://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/sadness-as-charity-shop-shuts-after-almost-60-years-9205862/|url-status=live}}

Oxfam has several successful fundraising channels in addition to its shops. Over half a million people in the UK make a regular financial contribution to its work. In April 2017, the Information Commissioner's Office fined Oxfam charities for breaching the Data Protection Act by misusing donors' personal data. Oxfam was fined £6,000.{{cite web |url=https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2017/04/ico-fines-eleven-more-charities/ |title=fines eleven more charities |publisher=ICO |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=13 November 2017 |archive-date=13 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813221413/https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2017/04/ico-fines-eleven-more-charities/ |url-status=live }}

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Oxfam International consists of 21 affiliates and the international secretariat in Nairobi. Additional offices were in Addis Ababa, Washington, DC, New York City, Brussels, and Geneva.{{cite web |title=Oxfam International Financial Statements 2019-20 |url=https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2021-11/Oxfam%20International%20Financial%20Statements%202019-20.pdf |website=Oxfam International |access-date=2022-01-02 |archive-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118025415/https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2021-11/Oxfam%20International%20Financial%20Statements%202019-20.pdf |url-status=live }}

Oxfam Japan was a member from 2003 until its closure in 2018.{{cite web |title=Oxfam Japan closure |url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/node/10797 |website=Oxfam International |date=October 2018 |access-date=2022-01-02 |archive-date=2 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102110035/https://www.oxfam.org/en/node/10797 |url-status=live }}

Oxfam is in process of exploring additional southern affiliates in the global south, including Oxfam in the Pacific, The Philippines, Sengal, Kenya and Indonesia.{{cite web| title= New Affiliates| url= https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/about/how-we-are-organized | website=Oxfam International | date=4 January 2025}}

File:Oxfam International.svg

The Oxfam International Secretariat (OIS) leads, facilitates, and supports collaboration between the Oxfam affiliates. The OIS Board comprises the executive director, chair of each affiliate, and the OI chair. The affiliates' chairs are voting members and are not remunerated. The executive directors and the OI Chair are all non-voting members. The board also elects the deputy chair and treasurer from among its voting members. The board is responsible for ensuring that Oxfam International is accountable, transparent, and fit for purpose.{{cite web | url=http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/file_attachments/story/rulesofprocedure-2013_1.pdf | title=Stichting Oxfam International Rules of Procedure as amended on 4 October 2012 | access-date=20 January 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314195344/https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/file_attachments/story/rulesofprocedure-2013_1.pdf | archive-date=14 March 2016 | url-status=dead }} In 2009–10, it had about 77 staff (including secondment placements and temporary staff). It is funded by contributions from affiliate organizations and has an operating budget of US$8.7M.{{cite web|title=Wealth: Having It All and Wanting More|url=http://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Wealth_Having_it_all_and_wanting_more.pdf|publisher=Oxfam|access-date=20 January 2015|pages=1–12|date=January 2015|archive-date=4 April 2015|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150404073454/http://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Wealth_Having_it_all_and_wanting_more.pdf|url-status=live}} The legal name of the entity is Stichting Oxfam International.{{Cite web|date=2019-10-17|title=Privacy Notice|url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/privacy-policy|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Oxfam International|language=en|archive-date=22 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222042247/https://www.oxfam.org/en/privacy-policy|url-status=live}}

In 1970, Oxfam America became an independent nonprofit organization and an Oxfam affiliate in response to the humanitarian crisis created by the fight for independence in Bangladesh. Oxfam America's headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts, with a policy and campaigns office in Washington, D.C., and seven regional offices around the world. A registered 501(c)3 organization, Oxfam America campaigns for climate change adaptation, food security, aid reform, access to medicines, and fair trade. Ray Offenheiser served as the president and CEO of Oxfam America from 1996 until 2016.Fallon, Joan (21 November 2016). "[https://news.nd.edu/news/ray-offenheiser-to-join-notre-dame-faculty-as-distinguished-professor-of-the-practice-in-the-keough-school-of-global-affairs/ Ray Offenheiser to join Notre Dame faculty as Distinguished Professor of the Practice in the Keough School of Global Affairs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012070050/http://news.nd.edu/news/ray-offenheiser-to-join-notre-dame-faculty-as-distinguished-professor-of-the-practice-in-the-keough-school-of-global-affairs/ |date=12 October 2017 }}". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved 21 September 2017. As of 2017, the president and CEO is Abby Maxman."[https://www.oxfamamerica.org/people/abby-maxman/ Abby Maxman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922051849/https://www.oxfamamerica.org/people/abby-maxman/ |date=22 September 2017 }}". Oxfam America. oxfamamerica.org. Retrieved 21 September 2017.Maxman, Abby (5 July 2017). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/opinion/aid-to-africa.html Aid to Africa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922051839/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/opinion/aid-to-africa.html |date=22 September 2017 }}" (letter to the editor). The New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 21 September 2017.

{{Main|Oxfam Australia}}

Oxfam Australia is an independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and an affiliate of Oxfam International.Blackburn, (1993)

Oxfam Denmark has its roots in the Danish department of World University Service and has been active since the 1966 (initially mainly against apartheid and similar situations in other southern African nations).{{cite web | url = http://oxfamibis.dk/oxfam-ibis-historie/ | publisher = Oxfam IBIS | title = Historien kort | language = da | access-date = 15 December 2016 | archive-date = 17 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160817170946/http://oxfamibis.dk/oxfam-ibis-historie/ | url-status = live }}{{Cite news | url = https://globalnyt.dk/content/ibis-hedder-nu-oxfam-ibis | publisher = Globalnyt | title = IBIS hedder nu Oxfam IBIS | language = da | access-date = 15 December 2016 | archive-date = 20 December 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220175840/https://globalnyt.dk/content/ibis-hedder-nu-oxfam-ibis | url-status = live }} Since the 1970s, it mainly worked with projects in Africa and Latin America, and usually focused on democracy, education and the causes of poverty.{{Cite news | url = http://www.altinget.dk/artikel/ibis-om-oxfam-medlemskab-vi-kommer-ikke-til-at-drukne | publisher = altinget.dk | title = Ibis om Oxfam-medlemskab: Vi kommer ikke til at druknet | language = da | access-date = 15 December 2016 | archive-date = 20 December 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220174227/http://www.altinget.dk/artikel/ibis-om-oxfam-medlemskab-vi-kommer-ikke-til-at-drukne | url-status = live }} In 1991, the affiliate broke loose and founded the independent organization IBIS, International Bistand International Solidaritet (in English: 'International Aid International Solidarity'), and was mainly involved with transformative education, inequality, women's rights and democracy. In 2015 IBIS became a member of Oxfam.{{cite web | url = http://oxfamibis.dk/vejen-til-medlemskab-af-oxfam/ | publisher = Oxfam IBIS | title = Vejen til medlemskab af Oxfam | language = da | access-date = 15 December 2016 | archive-date = 20 December 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220203901/http://oxfamibis.dk/vejen-til-medlemskab-af-oxfam/ | url-status = live }} Around the same time, the name was modified from IBIS to Oxfam IBIS, and in 2023 they made the complete transition and changed its name again to Oxfam Denmark.{{Cite web |title=Nyhed {{!}} Oxfam Danmark bliver til Oxfam Danmark og lancerer en ny strategi |url=https://oxfam.dk/artikler/oxfam-ibis-bliver-til-oxfam-danmark-og-lancerer-en-ny-strategi |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=Oxfam.dk |language=da}} Today the organization mainly focus on transformative education, climate justice, economic justice and humanitarian aid.{{Cite web |title=Vores arbejde |url=https://oxfam.dk/vores-arbejde |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=Oxfam.dk |language=da}}

File:Recycle for Oxfam or you'll be sorted - geograph.org.uk - 1501324.jpg]]Oxfam GB's headquarters are in Cowley, Oxford. The finance office is in Newcastle, from where Oxfam shops are managed.{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/in-an-oxfam-shop |title=Volunteer in an Oxfam shop | Oxfam GB |access-date=22 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116063957/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/in-an-oxfam-shop |archive-date=16 November 2015 }} Oxfam GB had a total income of £408.6m in 2016/17, had 5,000 employees, and used the services of 23,000 volunteers.{{sfn|Oxfam GB Annual Report|2017|pp=31, 54}}{{cite news|last1=Elgot|first1=Jessica|title=Oxfam told to show 'moral leadership' or lose government funds|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-show-moral-leadership-lose-government-funds-prostitutes-haiti|work=The Guardian|date=11 February 2018|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-date=13 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022310/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-show-moral-leadership-lose-government-funds-prostitutes-haiti|url-status=live}} In 2016 it received £31.7m from the British government.{{cite news|title=Reality Check: How much UK charity money goes to Oxfam?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43031911|work=BBC News|date=12 February 2018|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820221156/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43031911|url-status=live}}

Mark Goldring was the chief executive officer from 2013 until January 2019, followed by Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah who held office from January 2019 until December 2023.{{cite web|title=Oxfam's CEO, Directors and Trustees|url=https://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/our-trustees|website=Oxfam.org.uk|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-date=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126132505/https://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/our-trustees|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|url=https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstream/10546/620278/1/mb-brexit-refugee-crisis-150617-en.pdf|title=Brexit and the refugee crisis|publisher=Oxfam GB|year=2017|page=6|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903162124/https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstream/10546/620278/1/mb-brexit-refugee-crisis-150617-en.pdf|url-status=live}} Halima Begum was announced as his successor as chief executive officer in December 2023.{{Cite web |date=7 December 2023 |title=Oxfam GB appoints Halima Begum as Chief Executive {{!}} Oxfam GB |url=https://www.oxfam.org.uk/media/press-releases/oxfam-gb-appoints-halima-begum-as-chief-executive/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Oxfam GB}}

Oxfam GB produces a regular supporter magazine called "Voices".Oxfam GB, [https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/voices-magazine/ Voices Magazine], accessed 1 May 2024

Oxfam's involvement in India began when money was granted in 1951 to fight famine in Bihar in eastern India. Bihar at the time was one of the poorest and most populated states in India.

Oxfam had launched an appeal that led to the first report on Oxfam's work in the House of Commons in UK. On 31 May 1951, the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations commended the Bihar appeal, stating "the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief has made an appeal for donations and I hope individuals will reply to that generously".{{cn|date=April 2025}} Among the many donations received was one for 100 British pounds from an Indian Rajah in appreciation of what Oxfam was doing for the hungry of his country.The Oxfam Story, page 11, Pergamon Press Ltd (1964) Library of Congress Card No. 64-17726

Famine in Bihar would bring Oxfam back to India in 1965 to address drought arising due to failing monsoons. Bihar had a population of 53 million, of whom 40 million relied on subsistence farming to live.{{Sfn | Black | 1992}}{{Rp | needed = yes | date =November 2012}} This would compound for India in the future; production of food had not been parallel to its exploding population. It is estimated that, over the course of the droughts and famines, 2,400 tons of milk was bought by Oxfam and at the height of this was feeding over 400,000 children and mothers.{{Cite book | title = Drops in the ocean: the work of Oxfam 1960–1970 | place = London | publisher = Macdonald & Co | year = 1970 | isbn=0-356-03568-9}} In 1968 Oxfam's first field director in India, Jim Howard, created the Oxfam Gramdan Action Programme, or OGAP. This was the first joint rural development programme in Oxfam and the first step to a new 'operational' Oxfam. Oxfam India was established on 1 September 2008 under section 25 of India's Companies Act 1956 as a non-profit organization with its head office in Delhi. It is now a member of Oxfam International Confederation. This was marked by Oxfam's 60th year in India.{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfamindia.org/who-we-are |title=About |publisher=Oxfam |location=IN |access-date=11 September 2018 |archive-date=11 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911151934/https://www.oxfamindia.org/who-we-are |url-status=live }}

Effective from 1 January 2022, Oxfam lost its foreign-funding license registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) which is mandatory for charities, NGOs and any non-profit organisations receiving foreign funding in India along with 6,000 other such organisations.{{Cite news|date=2022-01-03|title=Oxfam India says it's 'severely' hit by ban on foreign funds|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59856377|access-date=2022-01-04|archive-date=4 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104094530/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59856377|url-status=live}}

Oxfam New Zealand{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxfam.org.nz/|title=Home|website=Oxfam NZ|access-date=29 March 2017|archive-date=26 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326121823/https://www.oxfam.org.nz/|url-status=live}} is an aid and development organization and affiliate of Oxfam International.{{cite web|title = Oxfam Trailwalker in New Zealand|url = https://www.runningcalendar.co.nz/oxfam-trailwalker/|website = www.runningcalendar.co.nz|access-date = 13 November 2015|archive-date = 17 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031306/https://www.runningcalendar.co.nz/oxfam-trailwalker/|url-status = live}} Oxfam NZ is also responsible for delivering Cyclone relief in several countries in the Pacific region.{{cite web|title = Improving disaster relief in the Pacific with Oxfam New Zealand {{!}} Deloitte New Zealand {{!}} Corporate responsibility|url = http://www2.deloitte.com/nz/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/humanitarian-innovation-oxfam-new-zealand.html|website = Deloitte New Zealand|access-date = 13 November 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020332/http://www2.deloitte.com/nz/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/humanitarian-innovation-oxfam-new-zealand.html|archive-date = 17 November 2015|df = dmy-all}} Oxfam New Zealand's work is made possible by supporters, interns, staff, volunteers, board and overseas partners. Most of the staff are based in their Auckland office. They also have a policy unit in Wellington.{{cite web|title = Who we are – about our people|url = http://www.oxfam.org.nz/about-us/who-we-are|website = Oxfam New Zealand|access-date = 13 November 2015|date = 13 June 2012|archive-date = 17 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024659/http://www.oxfam.org.nz/about-us/who-we-are|url-status = live}} Most of Oxfam New Zealand's funds come from donations, supplemented by New Zealand government funds.

In 2002, Oxfam Belgium published a poster encouraging the boycott of Israel, with an image of a bloody orange. Some critics alleged that it bore resemblance to the antisemitic blood libel, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Following complaints, Oxfam International said that it did not support the boycott of Israel, and that it considered the poster message to have been inappropriate, that it regrets Oxfam's association with this type of message, and offered an apology. Oxfam Belgium was reprimanded by president Ian Anderson.{{cite book|author=Rudi Roth|title=UNIA et l'antisémitisme en Belgique: "stop ou encore" ?|year=2012}}{{better source needed|date=March 2024}}

In October 2009, Oxfam was accused by pro-settler Israeli NGO Regavim of aiding Palestinians in illegal activities in Kiryat Arba, including water theft. Oxfam has denied its participation.{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/NGO-Oxfam-aids-illegal-Palestinian-deeds |title=NGO: Oxfam aids illegal Palestinian deeds |last1=Lazaroff |first1=Tovah |last2=Lappin |first2=Yaakov |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=31 October 2009 |access-date=30 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120209/http://www.jpost.com/Israel/NGO-Oxfam-aids-illegal-Palestinian-deeds |url-status=live }}

In response to a 2012 Oxfam report that blamed Israel for poor economic development in the Palestinian territories, a spokesman for the Israel embassy in the UK said: "Oxfam's latest report on the situation in the Palestinian territories puts a clearly political agenda above any humanitarian concern. Far from advancing peace, such an approach undermines the prospects of reaching a negotiated resolution to the conflict."{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18693709|title=Israeli settlements 'jeopardising' Palestinian prosperity|work=BBC News|access-date=2 February 2015|archive-date=25 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825083954/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18693709|url-status=live}} In January 2013, Oxfam UK partnered with the Board of Deputies, who represent the Jewish community of the UK. The project, Grow-Tatzmiach, included sending 25 people to an activist training programme to help fight global hunger. In exchange for partnering, Oxfam agreed not to "call for a boycott of Israeli goods or to support groups that do so, and will not partner with organizations that advocate violence or oppose a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict". Despite this agreement, there were still those on both sides who objected to this project. As of 2013, Oxfam endorsed the two-state solution and wants Israel to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and dismantle all of the Israeli settlement infrastructure.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/oxfam-agrees-to-conditions-on-israel-set-by-uk-jewry/|title=Oxfam agrees to conditions on Israel set by UK Jewry|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=2 February 2015|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112085030/http://www.timesofisrael.com/oxfam-agrees-to-conditions-on-israel-set-by-uk-jewry/|url-status=live}}

On 17 January 2014, Oxfam UK cancelled an exhibition, "Gaza: Through my Eyes", which had been due to take place at East London Mosque after Left Foot Forward presented information to the charity detailing homophobic and potentially anti-semitic comments by one of the organizers, Ibrahim Hewitt. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was reported as welcoming the event's cancellation but expressed disappointment that the organization "did no proper checks on (Mr. Hewitt) before agreeing to his presence."{{cite web |url=http://www.leftfootforward.org/2014/01/left-foot-forward-forces-oxfam-climbdown-over-homophobic-speaker/ |title=Left Foot Forward forces Oxfam climbdown over speaker's homophobic comments |work=Left Foot Forward |date=15 January 2014 |access-date=16 January 2014 |author=Bloodworth, James |archive-date=16 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116200215/http://www.leftfootforward.org/2014/01/left-foot-forward-forces-oxfam-climbdown-over-homophobic-speaker/ |url-status=live }}

On 29 January 2014, actress Scarlett Johansson resigned as an international spokeswoman for Oxfam after appearing in a TV ad for SodaStream, a company with presence in the West Bank. Her publicist stated that Johansson "respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years ... She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement."{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25958176 |title=Scarlett Johansson quits Oxfam role over SodaStream row |work=BBC News |date=30 January 2014 |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-date=30 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130143127/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25958176 |url-status=live }}

In February 2015, pro-settler Israeli NGO Regavim released a report stating that the European Union had illegally funded the construction of houses; Oxfam and other NGOs participated in the project. Oxfam defended the construction "on humanitarian grounds".

In 2019, the Israeli intelligence services implicated Oxfam Belgium in funding the PFLP, which carried out a bomb attack the same year and killed the Jewish teenager Rina Sneirb. Oxfam Belgium transferred funds to the subsidiary in the amount of 288,002 euros from 2017 to 2018, but claims to have made no funding since.{{cite web |author=L'Echo |title=De l'argent belge géré en Palestine par des terroristes présumés |url=https://www.lecho.be/economie-politique/international/moyen-orient/de-l-argent-belge-gere-en-palestine-par-des-terroristes-presumes/10194915.html |date=31 December 2019 |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518132514/https://www.lecho.be/economie-politique/international/moyen-orient/de-l-argent-belge-gere-en-palestine-par-des-terroristes-presumes/10194915.html |url-status=live }}

In March 2020, the ambassador of Israel in the United Kingdom, Mark Regev, protested that antisemitic books, notably the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, were being sold on Oxfam's website. In response, the Oxfam GB chief executive apologized and removed the books from sale.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/13/oxfam-removes-antisemitic-books-sale-israels-uk-ambassador-tweets/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/13/oxfam-removes-antisemitic-books-sale-israels-uk-ambassador-tweets/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Oxfam removes antisemitic books from sale after Israel's UK ambassador tweets condemnation|date=13 March 2020}}{{cbignore}} In October 2020, NBC News reported that Oxfam was on the list of human rights organizations the Trump administration was considering branding as antisemitic.{{Cite web|title=Trump admin considers branding human rights groups as "anti-Semitic"|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-admin-considers-branding-amnesty-international-other-human-rights-groups-n1244335|access-date=2021-02-01|website=NBC News |date=23 October 2020 |language=en|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309034322/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-admin-considers-branding-amnesty-international-other-human-rights-groups-n1244335 |url-status=live}}

File:Oxfam East Africa - An Oxfam cholera prevention float.jpg]]

In October 2005, the magazine New Internationalist described Oxfam as a "Big International Non-Government Organisation (BINGO)", having a corporate-style, undemocratic internal structure, and addressing the symptoms rather than the causes of international poverty – especially by acquiescing to neoliberal economics and even taking over roles conventionally filled by national governments.{{Cite news | url = http://newint.org/features/2005/10/01/keynote/ | title = The Big Charity Bonanza | type = keynote | work = New Internationalist | date = 1 October 2005 | access-date = 23 February 2007 | archive-date = 15 December 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061215021228/http://newint.org/features/2005/10/01/keynote/ | url-status = live }}{{Failed verification|date=January 2022}} Similar criticism came from Red Pepper magazine in July 2005{{Citation | title = The New Scramble for Africa | journal = Red Pepper |date=July 2005}} and Katherine Quarmby in the New Statesman in May 2005.{{Citation | first = Katherine | last = Quarmby | title = How Oxfam is Failing Africa | url = https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/176/32064.html | work = New Statesman | date = 30 May 2005 | access-date = 26 May 2016 | archive-date = 20 May 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160520071842/https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/176/32064.html | url-status = live }} The latter article detailed growing rifts between Oxfam and other organisations within the Make Poverty History movement.

In a 2011 Columbia Journalism Review article, journalist Karen Rothmyer accused NGOs in general and Oxfam in particular of being unduly influenced by the priorities of the media, of providing inaccurate information to the press ("stories featuring aid projects often rely on dubious numbers provided by the organisations") and of perpetuating negative stereotypes which "have the potential to influence policy". She drew on earlier work by journalist Lauren Gelfand, who had taken a year away from journalism to work for Oxfam: "A lot of what Oxfam does is to sustain Oxfam"; and Linda Polman, author of the Crisis Caravan: "Aid organisations are businesses dressed up like Mother Theresa".{{cite journal | url=https://www.cjr.org/reports/hiding_the_real_africa.php?page=all | title=Hiding the Real Africa; Why NGOs Prefer Bad News | author=Rothmyer, Karen | journal=Columbia Journalism Review | date=March–April 2011 | access-date=27 September 2020 | archive-date=3 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203070410/http://www.cjr.org/reports/hiding_the_real_africa.php?page=all | url-status=live }}

In 2015, Omaar and de Waal, in Food and Power in Sudan, commented, "the 1990s have seen growing pressure for humanitarian institutions to become more accountable. There has been a succession of reviews of operations, growing in independence and criticism."{{Cite book | last1 = Omaar | last2 = de Waal | title = Food and Power in the Sudan: A Critique of Humanitarianism |publisher=African Rights |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-899477-13-5}}{{page needed|date=March 2015}}

Oxfam's study from January 2015{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2015-01-19/richest-1-will-own-more-all-rest-2016|title=Richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016 – Oxfam International|publisher=Oxfam|date=19 January 2015|access-date=21 January 2016|archive-date=23 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123022410/https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2015-01-19/richest-1-will-own-more-all-rest-2016|url-status=live}} on wealth inequality stating that the richest 1% at the end of 2016 will own more than half of the world's assets has been criticized as overestimating wealth inequality and ignoring other indicators of quality of life. Because Oxfam calculated personal assets in net worth, individuals in first-world, developed nations with high incomes who have more debts than assets appear as poorer than rural subsistence farmers with no debts and no assets.{{cite magazine |last=Davidson |first=Jacob |date=July 7, 2020 |title=Yes, Oxfam, the Richest 1% Have Most of the Wealth. But That Means Less Than You Think |url=https://money.com/oxfam-richest-1-wealth-flawed/ |url-status=live |magazine=Money.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427140631/https://money.com/oxfam-richest-1-wealth-flawed/ |archive-date=April 27, 2022 | quote=By that standard, an American with, say, a high salary and a large mortgage might—if the amount owed on the mortgage is greater than his assets—be counted as less wealthy than a subsistence farmer who doesn't owe anything. Consider that U.S. adults under 35 have a negative household savings rate of 2% and you can see how, according to Oxfam, the U.S. has more citizens in the bottom 10% of worldwide wealth than China does. (It places about 7% of Americans in the bottom decile of wealth, and fewer than 0.1% of Chinese citizens.) Only India is said by Oxfam to have more people in this poorest group than the United States. }}

Oxfam's 2022 "Profiting from Pain" report[https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-05/Oxfam%20Media%20Brief%20-%20EN%20-%20Profiting%20From%20Pain%2C%20Davos%202022%20Part%202.pdf Archived copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612215920/https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-05/Oxfam%20Media%20Brief%20-%20EN%20-%20Profiting%20From%20Pain%2C%20Davos%202022%20Part%202.pdf |date=12 June 2022 }} claims that 1 million people fall into poverty every 33 hours. Journalist Noah Smith observed that the report depended on incorrectly cited numbers, allegedly from the World Bank, claiming that 198 million people would become poor in 2022. However, the number in question represented the worst-case increase in global poverty between 2020 and 2022, rather than the increase for 2022 alone, which was according to the World Bank likely closer to 12 million. Further, the Oxfam data added an additional claim of 65 million people further falling into poverty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in spite of the fact that the World Bank already considers the war in Ukraine when making its poverty projections.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Noah |date=2022-06-15 |title=Oxfam serves up a lot of dodgy statistics |url=https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/oxfam-serves-up-a-lot-of-dodgy-statistics |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=Noahpinion |archive-date=15 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615094951/https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/oxfam-serves-up-a-lot-of-dodgy-statistics |url-status=live }}

File:OxfamCirencester.jpg, England]]

In 2010 Oxfam was criticized by independent bookshops and the booksellers association for aggressively expanding its specialist bookshops, using tactics more often associated with multi-national corporations. The charity's critics claim its expansion has come at the expense of independent secondhand book sellers and other charity shops in many areas of the UK.{{cite magazine |author=Victoria Gallagher |date=10 February 2010 |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/indie-booksellers-concerned-latest-oxfam-bookshop |title=Indie booksellers concerned by latest Oxfam Bookshop |magazine=The Bookseller |access-date=30 March 2015 |archive-date=12 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112112337/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/indie-booksellers-concerned-latest-oxfam-bookshop |url-status=live }}{{Cite news | first = Susan | last = Hill | url = http://www.spectator.co.uk/susanhill/5767413/bullying-is-bullying-whoever-does-it.thtml | title = Bullying is bullying – whoever does it | place = UK | newspaper = The Spectator | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100214093245/http://www.spectator.co.uk/susanhill/5767413/bullying-is-bullying-whoever-does-it.thtml | archive-date = 14 February 2010 | df = dmy-all }}

In February 2018 an investigation by The Times newspaper found that Oxfam allowed three men to resign and sacked four for gross misconduct after an inquiry concerning sexual exploitation, the downloading of pornography, bullying and intimidation. A 2011 confidential report by Oxfam had found "a culture of impunity" among some staff in Haiti and concluded that "it cannot be ruled out that any of the prostitutes were under-aged". Among the staff who were permitted to resign was the charity's Belgian country director, Roland Van Hauwermeiren.{{cite news|title=Oxfam Haiti allegations: How the scandal unfolded|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43112200|access-date=21 March 2018|work=BBC News|date=21 February 2018|quote=Among the male staff accused of sexual misconduct is Oxfam's then-director of operations in Haiti, Roland Van Hauwermeiren. He is alleged to have used prostitutes at a villa rented for him by the charity.|archive-date=27 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227005526/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43112200|url-status=live}} In the internal report, Van Hauwermeiren admitted using prostitutes at a villa whose rent was paid for by Oxfam with charitable funds. Oxfam's chief executive at the time, Dame Barbara Stocking, offered Hauwermeiren "a phased and dignified exit" because sacking him risked "potentially serious implications" for the charity's work and reputation.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/top-oxfam-staff-paid-haiti-quake-survivors-for-sex-mhm6mpmgw|title=Minister orders Oxfam to hand over files on Haiti prostitute scandal|last=Chief Reporter|first=Sean O’Neill|date=9 February 2018|work=The Times|access-date=9 February 2018|language=en|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=8 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908155803/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/top-oxfam-staff-paid-haiti-quake-survivors-for-sex-mhm6mpmgw|url-status=live}} Allegations were also circulated by the Daily Mail at this time regarding sexual harassment in Oxfam shops in Britain.

Oxfam did not report any of the incidents to the Haitian authorities, because "it was extremely unlikely that any action would be taken". Although Oxfam disclosed details of the incident to the Charity Commission, the Commission revealed after The Times investigation that it had never received Oxfam's final investigation report and Oxfam "did not detail the precise allegations, nor did it make any indication of potential sexual crimes involving minors". A spokesperson for the Commission commented that: "We will expect the charity to provide us with the assurance that it has learnt lessons from past incidents".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-43004360|title=Oxfam denies 'Haiti prostitute' cover-up|date=9 February 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=9 February 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035734/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-43004360|url-status=live}} Oxfam later explained it had not given details to the Commission beyond "inappropriate sexual behaviour" because using prostitutes in Haiti was not illegal.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/07/03/oxfam-did-not-tell-regulator-use-prostitutes-haiti-not-illegal/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/07/03/oxfam-did-not-tell-regulator-use-prostitutes-haiti-not-illegal/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Oxfam did not tell regulator about use of prostitutes in Haiti because it was not illegal, says Barbara Stocking |last=Hope |first=Christopher |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=4 July 2018 |access-date=5 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}

In response to the revelations, Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury, described the reports as "shocking, sickening and depressing". Oxfam issued a statement in which it asserted "Oxfam treats any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously. As soon as we became aware of a range of allegations – including of sexual misconduct – in Haiti in 2011 we launched an internal investigation. The investigation was announced publicly and staff members were suspended pending the outcome". The statement also added that the allegations "that under-age girls may have been involved were not proven". Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said Oxfam had failed in its "moral leadership" over the "scandal". Mordaunt also said that Oxfam did "absolutely the wrong thing" by not reporting the detail of the allegations to the government.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43020875|title=Oxfam 'failed in moral leadership'|date=11 February 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=11 February 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020214210/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43020875|url-status=live}} The incident led the International Development Committee of the UK Parliament to issue a report about sexual harassment and abuse in the humanitarian sector on 31 July 2018.{{Cite web|title=Sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector - International Development Committee - House of Commons|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmintdev/840/84002.htm|access-date=2021-03-05|website=publications.parliament.uk|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505142301/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmintdev/840/84002.htm|url-status=live}} Former supporters who withdrew from their association with Oxfam at this time included Minnie Driver.{{Cite web|title=Minnie Driver cuts ties with Oxfam over sex scandal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/13/minnie-driver-cuts-ties-with-oxfam-over-sex-scandal|date=13 February 2018|work=Guardian|access-date=11 February 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=14 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214010229/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/13/minnie-driver-cuts-ties-with-oxfam-over-sex-scandal|url-status=live}}

Oxfam had been aware that Van Hauwermeiren while director of Oxfam's relief operation in Chad in 2006 and other staff had repeatedly used prostitutes at the Oxfam team house there, and that one of Oxfam's staff members had been fired for his behaviour.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/10/oxfam-faces-allegations-staff-paid-prostitutes-in-chad|work=The Observer|title=Oxfam: fresh claims that staff used prostitutes in Chad|first1=Rebecca|last1=Ratcliffe|first2=Ben|last2=Quinn|date=11 February 2018|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-date=12 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201924/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/10/oxfam-faces-allegations-staff-paid-prostitutes-in-chad|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43027631|publisher=BBC News|title=Oxfam: Deputy resigns over sex claims amid crisis talks|date=12 February 2018|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=22 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822040908/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43027631|url-status=live}} Oxfam's deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence resigned, taking full responsibility and acknowledging that "(c)oncerns were raised about the behaviour of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon". CEO Mark Goldring also resigned a few months later. New allegations were made by a senior staffer, Helen Evans, who had been the lead investigator of organizational sexual misconduct between 2012 and 2015.Smout, Alistair. (13 February 2018). "UK's Oxfam hit by new report of sex abuse by aid workers". [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-oxfam/uks-oxfam-hit-by-new-report-of-sex-abuse-by-aid-workers-idUSKBN1FX10V Reuters website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213215216/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-oxfam/uks-oxfam-hit-by-new-report-of-sex-abuse-by-aid-workers-idUSKBN1FX10V |date=13 February 2018 }} Retrieved 13 February 2018. A commentator in the medical journal The Lancet, Mishal S. Khan, argued the Oxfam sex scandal was "not surprising."{{Cite journal |last=Khan |first=Mishal S. |date=2018-03-17 |title=Oxfam: sex scandal or governance failure? |journal=The Lancet |volume=391 |issue=10125 |pages=1019–1020 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30476-8 |pmid=29483018 |s2cid=3587200 |issn=0140-6736 |doi-access=free }} It was reported that the scandal cost Oxfam £16 million in unrestricted funding, and job losses and closures of some Oxfam shops were admitted to be likely in consequence.

In June 2021, The Telegraph reported that leaked staff training documents claimed that "privileged white women" and "mainstream feminism" were supporting the root causes of sexual violence by wanting "bad men" fired or imprisoned, and adding that reporting sexual assault "legitimises criminal punishment, harming black and other marginalised people."{{Cite news |last1=Newman |first1=Melanie |last2=Bindel |first2=Julie |author-link2=Julie Bindel |last3=Dixon |first3=Hayley |date=2021-06-09 |title=Oxfam training guide blames 'privileged white women' over root causes of sexual violence |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/09/oxfam-training-guide-blames-privileged-white-women-root-causes/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610004406/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/09/oxfam-training-guide-blames-privileged-white-women-root-causes/ |archive-date=2021-06-10 |issn=0307-1235}} In the same month The Times reported that staff at the organisation being angered by an "offensive and divisive" staff survey that took aim at "whiteness" as well as asking them to state if they were anti-racist.{{Cite news |last=O’Neill |first=Sean |date=2024-01-06 |title=Oxfam staff rage at 'whiteness survey' |newspaper=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/oxfam-staff-rage-at-whiteness-survey-fw7h6dl3w |access-date=2024-01-06 |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}

In March 2023 further controversy followed the publication of Oxfam's "Inclusive Language Guide", which included apologising for its use of English given that it was the language of a "colonising nation" and making suggestions to the reader such as using "parent" as opposed to "mother" and "father" or avoid the phrase "stand with" for potentially being regarded as ableist to those who cannot stand.{{Cite web |title=Oxfam's bizarre' language guide says sorry for using English and warns staff not to use words like 'mother and people' |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/oxfam-bizarre-language-guide-sorry-for-using-english/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=LBC |language=en}} Oxfam defended the guide, in part stating that "this guide is not prescriptive, it is intended to help authors communicate with the diverse range of people with which we work."{{cite web |last=Perry |first=Sophie |date=2023-03-17 |title=Oxfam hits back at claims its 'erasing mothers and fathers' |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/03/17/oxfam-mother-father-trans-language-backlash/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=PinkNews }}

An animated video posted by Oxfam International in June 2023 for Pride Month attracted criticism, particularly from anti-trans activists,{{cite news |url=https://www.indy100.com/identities/oxfam-lgbt-pride-month-terf-2661063990 |title=Oxfam Pride advert branded 'hateful' by anti-trans activists for making 'terfs' look like terrible people |first=Liam |last=O'Dell |work=indy100 |date=2023-06-07 |access-date=2023-06-10 }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/oxfam-jk-rowling-video-terf-pride-month/ |title=Oxfam video depicting 'JK Rowling' with Terf badge criticised |first=Rob |last=Moss |work=Personnel Today |date=2023-06-07 |access-date=2023-06-11 }} for its inclusion of a caricatured group of people representing "hate groups" that included one wearing a button badge labelled "TERF" and described by some critics to resemble J. K. Rowling.{{Cite news |first=James |last=Beal |date=2023-06-06 |title=Oxfam criticised over 'JK Rowling hate figure' in LGBT cartoon |language=en-GB |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/f8d03094-0464-11ee-9bf2-8ca4db35d928?shareToken=464def0ed4b9af9ecd143d8e76d26e14 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-06-06 }} The scene was also criticised for using "racial stereotyping"{{cite news |last=Butler |first=Patrick |date=2023-06-07 |title=Watchdog considers action over Oxfam cartoon of anti-trans 'hate groups' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/07/oxfam-pride-month-cartoon-charities-watchdog |access-date=2023-06-10 |work=The Guardian}} for its "depiction of an Asian man".

The video was soon taken down and replaced with a revised version, replacing the three figures with a montage of social media images and the term "TERF", and an apology stating that "Oxfam believes that all people should be able to make decisions which affect their lives, enjoy their rights and live a life free of discrimination and violence, including people from LGBTQIA+ communities. In efforts to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake. ... There was no intention by Oxfam or the film-makers for this slide to have portrayed any particular person or people."{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/jk-rowling-oxfam-video-terf-badge-b2352820.html |title=Oxfam denies depicting JK Rowling as red-eyed 'Terf' in its new Pride video |first=Tom |last=Murray |work=The Independent |date=2023-06-07 |access-date=2023-06-10 }}{{Cite tweet |author=Oxfam International |user=Oxfam |number=1666090474174816256 |date=2023-06-06 |title=Official statement: [image] |access-date=2023-06-10 }}

In December 2023, the trade union Unite announced that hundreds of UK-based employees in Oxfam's shops and offices would undertake 17 days of strikes over low pay. This was the first strike in the organisation's 81-year history, and was arranged in response to double-digit real-term declines in wages for UK-based staff that, it claimed, left some of the lowest paid employees unable to cover the cost of basic necessities.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/08/oxfam-shop-and-office-workers-strike-for-first-time | website=The Guardian |date=8 December 2023 |title=Oxfam shop and office workers strike for first time | last=Sweney |first=Mark|access-date=8 December 2023}} The strike was later suspended following a revised pay offer.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/10/oxfams-first-ever-strike-suspended-after-charity-offers-improved-pay-deal | website=The Guardian |date=10 December 2023 |title=Oxfam's first ever strike suspended after charity offers 'improved pay deal' | last=Wearden |first=Graeme|access-date=10 December 2023}}

In January 2013, Oxfam was nominated for the Charity of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.{{cite news|url=http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10197507.Winners_honoured_at_British_Muslim_Awards/|title=Winners honoured at British Muslim Awards|publisher=Asian Image|date=31 January 2013|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121173521/http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10197507.Winners_honoured_at_British_Muslim_Awards/|url-status=live}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• 2007–08 world food price crisis
• Global Hunger Index
• Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
• Millennium Development Goals (Goal 1)
• Make Trade Fair
• Ox-Tales
• Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition (1974)

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist|26em}}

• Berry, Craig, and Clive Gabay. "Transnational political action and 'global civil society' in practice: the case of Oxfam." Global Networks 9.3 (2009): 339–358. [ online]
• {{Cite book | last = Black | first = Maggie | title = A Cause for Our Times: Oxfam the First 50 Years| publisher = Oxford UP | year = 1992 | isbn=0-85598-173-3}}.
• {{Cite book | last = Blackburn | first = Susan | title = Practical Visionaries: A Study of Community Aid Abroad | publisher = Melbourne University Press | year = 1993 | isbn=0-522-84562-2}}.
• Crewe, Emma. "Flagships and tumbleweed: A history of the politics of gender justice work in Oxfam GB 1986–2015." Progress in Development Studies 18.2 (2018): 110–125.
• Eadie, Deborah and Suzanne Williams, ed. The Oxfam Handbook of Development and Relief (2 vol. 1995).
• Gill, Peter. Drops in the ocean: the work of Oxfam 1960–1970 (1970).
• Hajnal, Peter I. "Oxfam International". in Peter I. Hajnal, ed. Civil society in the information age (Routledge, 2018). 57–66.
• Hilton, Matthew. "Oxfam and the Problem of NGO Aid Appraisal in the 1960s". Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development 9.1 (2018): 1–18. [https://muse.jhu.edu/article/688175/summary abstract]

• Oxfam Canada fonds at Library and Archives Canada. Archival reference number, R2972. Former archival reference number, MG28-I270. Date range: 1958–1985. Extent: 17.855 meters of textual records; 873 photographs; 1 audio disc; 14 blueprints & maps.
• {{Cite web|title=Finding aid to the Oxfam Canada fonds at Library and Archives Canada|url=http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000832.pdf|access-date=June 18, 2020}}
• {{Cite web|title=Oxfam Canada fond description at Library and Archives Canada|url=https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=105492&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=105492,206034,105579,192155,189943,186939,97669,101637|access-date=June 18, 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806021343/https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=105492&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=105492,206034,105579,192155,189943,186939,97669,101637|url-status=dead}}

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• {{official website|https://www.oxfam.org/ }}

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