Oxfam Novib Academy

This is a reflective blog curated by the Oxfam Novib Academy. All views are personal and are not intended to represent Oxfam. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-74196446-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');

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Follow us at our new page!

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Check out the new blogs, our current vacancies, the profiles of the current Academy interns and our latest resources!

 You can find the Oxfam Novib Academy at: https://oxfamnovibacademy.wordpress.com/  

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My experiences at Oxfam

At this point in time, I am an intern at Oxfam Novib for already 2 months. As part of the Food, Land, and Water unit, I am currently researching the nexus between resource governance and agribusiness in fragile and conflict-affected areas and states. The goal of my research is to understand how an NGO like Oxfam could collaborate with agribusiness in fragile areas to stimulate sustainable economic growth and stability. In addition to this, I support the Global Land Advisor to gather information and data on all the different land-related programs within the Oxfam confederation.

Because of my tasks, I get an excellent insight into diverse work Oxfam is doing related to land governance and agribusiness. This diversity, however, is not always helpful for my research project. As the focus area of my research is on fostering agribusiness investments in fragile areas, the strong campaigning and influencing character of Oxfam can be challenging for me. However, though, while Oxfam traditionally presents itself as a critical outsider pointing out what business is occasionally doing wrong, I witness that there is currently a shift towards becoming a critical ‘friend’ of business.

Situations of fragility, https://www.newclimateforpeace.org/G7-report/infographics

As I strongly believe that in the fast-changing world of today, we need different approaches to development, I am happy to see that Oxfam is open and investing in new approaches to dealing with the private sector. Therefore, I would consider myself extremely lucky that Oxfam gave me the opportunity to do research on a topic that not only matches with all my personal interests and beliefs but also a topic that could potentially be extremely relevant in the near future.

So, despite my challenges in finding the right examples within Oxfam that are not necessarily about campaigning against certain business practices but rather take a more positive, practical and friendly approach, the fact that I got this chance shows to me that Oxfam Novib is much more than a critical outsider of business.

This blog post was written by Joris Baars,  Intern Conflict, Resource Governance and Private Sector

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The case for simplicity and not saying everything

There have been a plethora of books and blogs about simplifying recently. Simplify your life, your routine; your kitchen and every other area of your life.

There is something to be said about our attraction to these types of blog posts which promises “20 hacks” to make mornings faster. Our lives are packed with meetings and activities and we are striving to be the busiest person, the one with the most things to do. However, in all of this we are longing for moments of peace in which we can simply breathe and enjoy the benefits of our business.

This trend to simplification has not only affected interior design and lifestyle magazines. It is also all over the design community, from graphic design to advertising. In a world where everything and nothing is competing for our attention, the simplest will win. We do not have time to read lengthy ads or to take long to listen to a packed video. This lead to the rise of the infographic. Now every company, every start-up, blogger will want to have their infographic that captures their “essence” in a simple and memorable way.

’TL;DR’ or ‘Too Long; Didn’t Read’, might be another emblem of our online generations”

Everyone wants to have their say but no one wants to say less. As a designer and communicator, your job is to somehow bring the 3-page company mission and vision paper into a visual one pager. You are also expected not to cut down any information. Not a coma can be missing. This might be an extreme example and exaggeration though honestly looking at what most see as the bare minimum to be kept, is far from easily possible.

In the spirit of this article let me finally and simply get to the point: “It is sometimes better to have one powerful point then 20 weak ones.”

There is no need to be afraid you can’t present all the data. No need to try scramble weeks of research into one single page. Today the need for elevator pitches and simplicity is bigger than ever.

"This visual is a representation of the American strategy in Afghanistan in 2010. It helps in only explaining that the situation is complex, more than explaining the situation itself. Some things are not meant to be visually explained; and that's ok." 

This blog was written by Marjorie Burkhalter. She is currently doing her internship in Communications at Oxfam Novib for the Even It Up campaign. Her responsibilities mostly include the creation of visuals to support the policy advisors in the sector of taxation.

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Economic equality for all

As a young girl, I never understood why people were so concerned with gender equality. Born and raised in the save haven of the Netherlands, it seemed as if I had the same chances as bys. I never saw my gender as a burden, never had the feeling that it was hindering me from reaching my goals. Growing up, I learned that just because I did not see inequality at that particular time, it did not mean that it did not and does not exist. On the contrary: equality is definitely not for all.

The recently launched Oxfam Report ‘An economy that works for women’ revealed that one in five men in developing countries disagreed that women should have work outside the home even if they are qualified (Oxfam, 2017). Gender equality is not something that is self-evident. Women do more unpaid care work than men: the burden of domestic work often still falls on the women. The stereotype of the women as caregiver persists, even today. The current economic system facilitates this inequality as economic policies impact women differently than men, especially in developing countries (Oxfam, 2017).

Fiscal policy and gender inequality

‘The heaviest burden should rest on the strongest shoulders’, is a phrase that is often when discussing equality and tax systems.  Progressive tax policies ensure that those who can afford it spend more on public services so that that everyone can reap the benefits of this social security system. From education to health care; a progressive tax systems facilitates equality by enabling all citizens to have access to these basic public services. Fiscal policy can thus be a tool used to battle gender and economic inequality (Oxfam. 2017). However, in our current economic system, governments often fail to do so. Tax incentives, such as free trade zones and tax exemptions only benefit the rich of our society. And the majority of the rich are men.

“Poverty is sexist and so is the distribution of extreme wealth” (Global Alliance for Tax Justice, 2017)

Who pays the price

Governments turning a blind eye to tax avoidance and evasion indirectly facilitate gender inequality. Tax avoidance by multinational organizations hit developing countries the hardest: they cost them over hundred billion US dollars every year (Oxfam. 2017).  This lack of tax revenues leaves governments with no choice but to cut on public services. Women take over the duties of the state, for instance taking over the burden of care, which leaves them with little or no time for education or paid work. Moreover, the state does not have the funds to invest in the protection of women and their rights, healthcare and education while these investments are desperately needed in order to create a more equal society (Oxfam. 2017).  

The role of our government

This explanation about gender inequality in developing countries might have left you wondering what role we play in this story.  Why should we care about tax policies and gender equality in developing countries? The Netherlands is amongst the world’s worst tax havens. The Dutch government has fostered an environment that allows multinationals to avoid paying taxes; depriving developing countries of the billions that they need to tackle inequality.

So, during the upcoming Women’s Day on March 8, but also beyond: raise your voice and demand your government to put an end to tax avoidance and evasion. Call for equality: equality for all.

References

Global Alliance for Tax Justice. Factsheet : 7 Reasons Why We Need  #TaxJustice for Women’s Rights. Retrieved from http://www.globaltaxjustice.org/sites/default/files/TaxJustice%20for%20Women%27s%20Rights%20FACTSHEET.pdf

Oxfam (2017). An economy that works for women. Oxfam briefing paper.  Retrieved from https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/file_attachments/bp-an-economy-that-works-for-women-020317-en.pdf

This blog is written by Yvette Hogenelst, intern Campaigning and Communications, Governance and Financial Flows unit

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Workshop: Impact Measurement

As a follow-up on our workshop on Theories of Change, today we had a workshop on Impact Evaluation. 

Most of us did have an idea of what this entails, ranging from “the work MEL (Monitoring Evaluation Learning) staff do” to “surveys and interviews” and “baseline studies and control groups”. Ruben De Winne from the Impact Evaluation team kindly prepared this workshop and asked us to prepare some questions in advance. Two weeks ago we made our own theories of change on where we’d want to be in five years. Ruben asked us to subtract one concept (such as education, experience, and network) and phrase research questions and either interview or survey questions to answer this.

In the workshop, we worked on the concept of education, and how this could help you get where you’d like to be. We first interviewed each other and took a survey. Afterward, we discussed issues you can come across while doing research and measuring impact. We learned that it is very important to phrase questions in such a way that it is easily understandable for your audience, which in itself does not seem incredibly enlightened, but in practice is harder than you might think. 

Furthermore, the possibility of biases because of your choice of interviewer and exhaustiveness of the research are important issues to take into account. It is therefore very helpful to combine quantitative and qualitative research in order to be able to statistically underpin findings, but also learn about underlying assumptions and reasons for outcomes.

As Ruben told us, the impact evaluation process usually takes about 5 years, as a baseline study is needed before implementation of the program and these programs themselves take some time too. He now tried to squeeze the process into an hour and  a half, which inevitably meant that we could not elaborate on important issues too much.

For our own 5-year theories of change, we cannot really measure the impact of our internships afterward. I do think, however, that workshops and activities like these contribute to our personal development and help us get where we want to be.  

This post was written by Marion Ebbes, Intern Inequalities in Value Chains

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Theory of Change Workshop

On Tuesday the 14th of February, we, as interns from the Oxfam Novib Academy, had our first workshop within the organisation. During this Valentine’s Day we got a lovely introduction to the Theory of Change (TOC) by Irene de Goede (Global MEL advisor). Though many of us already read about Theories of Change during our first week of the internship (which mainly consisted of reading) nobody really had an understanding what it actually means.

In her introductory presentation, Irene explained us that a TOC is basically a tool that helps to structure and strategize a desired (social) change. It is commonly used for project planning to map out what activities are prioritized to reach the change you want.

After the theoretical explanation of Irene, we were put to work. Our assignment: ‘make a TOC based on where you want to be in 5 years’. Of course a very easy job for all of us, fresh university students in our beginning and mid 20’s, and for many having their first work experience. However, with the help and structure of the TOC it appeared to be easier than expected.

Despite the fact that all our future pathways are now written out on a flipchart, we do know now that your initiated objectives are almost never reached through your planned pathways. So what we got out of the TOC workshop by Irene: your desired change never happens linear and as you planned for, so be open for the unexpected events and stay fully flexible.

This blog is written by Joris Baars, Intern Conflict, Resource Governance and Private Sector 

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Turning the tide: The Make Tax Fair Again debate

Can we call the Netherlands a tax haven? What measures can we take to battle tax avoidance? Should we shift the tax burden from labor to capital? These were some of the topics addressed by Dutch politicians during the Make tax Fair Again Election debate, organized by Tax justice Netherlands and De Balie.

During the debate, moderated by journalist and economist Esther van Rijkswijk, Henk Nijboer (PvdA), Steven van  Weyenberg (D66), Arnold Merkies (SP), Martin van Rooijen (50Plus) and Tom van der Lee (Groenlinks)  discussed their perspectives on fair taxation and how their parties want to accomplish this.  The VVD and CDA were also invited but decided to turn down the invitation.

© 2017 Jan Boeve

Cooperation as key to success While not everyone felt comfortable with using the term ‘Tax Haven’ to describe the Dutch tax system. All parties agreed that the current system facilitates tax avoidance and fosters inequality. International cooperation is seen as a necessary measure to combat this. Even the more euro-critical parties acknowledged the necessity of cooperation on an EU level in the fight against tax avoidance by multinationals. Surprisingly 50Plus stood by the predominantly left-wing parties and expressed their support for a minimum corporate income tax on a European level.

. “Trying to fight globalization individually (….) in practice this means that you dance to the tunes of big corporations. You will hollow out democracy in your own country” [translation] – Tom van der Lee (Groenlinks)

Who benefits? The participating parties together took critical stance towards the current tax system, agreeing that tax tariffs for larger corporations should be raised. What however remained a point of discussion was who would benefit from the financial gains if this measure was to be taken. D66 proposed reinvesting this money into both businesses and society by lowering the social charges for corporations. The PvdA called this ‘morally perverse’, as it would reward companies that in the past engaged with tax avoidance practices. According to the PvdA, everyone should benefit equally from the financial benefits, suggesting that the money should be reinvested in education and infrastructure.

© 2017 Jan Boeve

The fourth box Poet Sjors Talsma closed off the debate, proposing an original solution to tax evasion.  In his poem he suggested adding a fourth tax box: conscience. “A tax on immorality, a refund for modesty” (Talsma). Perhaps this best summarizes the fight against tax inequality. It is up to all of us to take our responsibility and address tax evasion as immoral behavior. This debate was a step in the right direction, providing fruitful ground for cooperation between the participating parties.

The aftermath The debate proved to be worthwhile in the following days. In the debate, 50Plus not only expressed its support for cooperation on a European level but also publicly gave their approval for a motion, put forward by Arnold Merkies (SP). The motion states that the Second Chamber should not postpone tackling the problem of so-called hybrid mismatches till 2024. Hybrid mismatches can be described as the arrangements that exploit differences in the tax systems of countries to avoid paying any or less taxes (OECD, 2012). Two days after the event in De Balie, the motion was discussed in the Second Chamber and accepted, with the support of 50plus, a party that in the past had not been too concrete on tax evasion.

Tweet by Arnold Merkies (SP): “Chamber does not want the postponement of tackling tax routes hybrid mismatches. Motion has just been acceped. Cabinet wanted postponement till 2024″.

The debate on the 12th of February was not a debate about the very existence of tax evasion nor the gravity of the situation. It was a discussion about how to turn the tide. It was a debate that made politicians step up against the immoral behavior of tax avoidance.

References

OECD (2017). Hybrid Mismatch Arrangements. Tax Policy and Compliance Issues.  

This blog is written by Yvette Hogenelst, intern Campaigning and Communications Governance and Financial Flows unit

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Aboard, (spring) academy of 2017!

Ten, slightly nervous students trickled into the hall little by little. A green visitor card pinned on their chests. Soon, they would no longer just be visitors. They were introduced to each other as the ten new interns of Oxfam Novib! I am very glad I am one of them.

Luckily, we were not thrown into the deep end completely. Before starting our internships, we got to meet each other and the organization during the two-day introduction program of the Oxfam Novib Academy. The Oxfam Novib Academy, set up to bring together theory and practice, offers students the opportunity to develop themselves professionally while working towards a more just world.

Besides working on different tasks in different departments, the Academy offers us bi-weekly sessions in which we will discuss topics related to development and receive additional support where needed. Next to these sessions, several events will be organized by us to share our internship experiences with other Oxfam Novib employees. And last but not least: this blog will be the platform on we will share our stories with anyone interested in Oxfam Novib or development in general.

Getting to know each other

Meet the new interns: Eline, Emil, Joris, Louise, Melissa, Marion, Nina, Saskia, Marjorie and Yvette. After a quick introduction round we played a name game, which was harder than it might seem. After we finally learned each other’s names and got to know about some of our craziest stories, we were ready to learn more about what we were here for: Oxfam Novib!

….and Oxfam Novib 

It was none other than director Farah Karimi who told ours more in-depth about Oxfam Novib as an organization and where the organization stands for. After a brief but inspiring talk about the increasingly interconnected world in which we all have to play our part, we got the opportunity to ask her questions. After learning more about the organization and the beliefs and motives that drive Oxfam Novib, we explored the building and talked to our soon-to-be colleagues.

Empowerment, Inclusiveness and Accountability

Empowerment, inclusiveness and accountability: the three values of Oxfam Novib. This was one of the things we learned during our corporate communication workshop on Wednesday. On Thursday we had another workshop on gender equality in which we played the so-called ‘power line game’ in which not only gender inequality was addressed but also our own prejudices were challenged.

Later that day we got the opportunity to put Oxfam’s three values into practice; we were given the option to join the #HollandagainstHate protest at the Malieveld. It was inspiring to see that even on a rainy day in The Hague, so many people showed up to express their discontent with the policies of Donald Trump. I believe this shows there is hope for a more inclusive and tolerant future.

“We can change the system not only by helping people. It is also about us. Our way of life. How the economic order and global relationships are organized” -Farah Karimi

Work hard, play hard

Next to all the fun activities, we quickly found out that something else was expected from us during the introduction days. While having lunch in the canteen on Wednesday, some of us spotted a poster, promoting the pitches that we were supposed to deliver on Thursday. While nervous at first, we all delivered powerful pitches, informing our new colleagues about ourselves, our motivations and our internship expectations.

We ended the two introduction days with a quest around The Hague during which we had to complete several (slightly embarrassing task) tasks. I shall not dwell on over the exact tasks, but feel free to stop by one of us and ask for a video or photo from the quest!

I can say that, and I think speak for all us of, that we had two great introduction days. Thanks to Gwendolyn and Esther form the Oxfam Novib Academy for making this all possible. We are very excited to start our time at Oxfam Novib!

Welcome aboard spring academy of 2017!

This blog is written by Yvette Hogenelst, intern Campaigning and Communications Governance and Financial Flows unit

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Welcome In Tax Haven NL #Fightinequality

Recently, Oxfam launched a report that stated that The Netherlands is the #3 of world’s worst corporate tax havens. And with this in mind a debate was held on Thursday, January 12 which discussed this issue. The debate offered experts and stakeholders a platform to discuss their point of views.

Is the Netherlands a tax haven? According to the majority of the panelists The Netherlands is indeed a tax haven. One of the arguments given was that the Netherlands is not transparent in informing the public. All tax dealings happen behind closed doors. However, The Netherlands is transparent about their tax policies which are facilitating corporate tax avoidance.

 The gloom and doom

The gloom and doom of Globalisation, America, Neoliberalism, etc. During the debate one of the panelists mentioned these keywords to describe their effect on the Netherlands as a tax haven. He said that they are the reason why The Netherlands is considered a tax haven. However this argumentation is weak and was quickly overruled by other panelist saying that it is the Dutch policies that facilitate these practices and that by changing the policies and being transparent The Netherlands can reduce its role in facilitating corporate tax avoidance.

“The time is always right to do what is right.” -Martin Luther King

Human vs. Tax consultant

One of the panelists was asked whether he always supports his actions as a tax consultant. What might be beneficial for a corporation, might be disastrous for society. Do we need whistleblowers to figure out what practices are conducted by our government? No, we need tax consultant to practice with their conscience. And as Martin Luther King said; “The time is always right to do what is right”.

The economy of the 99%

 Tax avoidance has affected individuals, societies and governments in many developing countries. Take Jane Muthoni, a Kenyan lady, who worked as a maid in homes of the rich in the capital Nairobi. Jane and others in the Kenyan society are having difficulties breaking the cycle of their environment. Occasionally they do not have access to basic human needs, e.g. to water. Giving the fact that many corporations avoid paying taxes in developing countries, these governments cannot invest in education, health care and infrastructure as much as they need to. Overall this leads to increase of the global inequality.

 This blog is written by Habon, Intern communications and campaigning EVENITUP! 

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Evaluating the impact made on people`s life

My internship experience as Oxfam Novib intern has enabled me to impact the lives of thousands people. One of the reasons that motivate me to work in Oxfam is the moto of ‘making a difference’. Above all my research output can actually change in the life of thousands.  While working as part of the impact evaluation team as quantitative researcher, we evaluate project progress and possible outcomes. I believe impact evaluation is vital to identify evidences of what works in international development by assessing the true impact of an intervention, programme, policy, or project. During my internship experience, I conducted research from a baseline survey collected under ‘Right to food’ project in Uganda and Indonesia. ‘Right to food’ project is one of the projects on progress in 15 countries under strategic partnership program in collaboration with partner Oxfam affiliate. The research aims to look at; Who are vulnerable groups? Does the extent of households’ vulnerability determine their knowledge about farming practices? How likely is that vulnerable groups participate in activities to ensure their land right and access to water?

For this research purpose vulnerable groups are classified on the basis of the household head’s gender and on the condition of being affected by food insecurity and climate change.  Gender equality and women’s’ right to own land are crucial components to realize food security.  Due to traditional patriarchal norms in rural part of Uganda, women have been deprived from possession of property inheritance and divorce settlement, regardless of the fact that they are the main actors of production. Additionally, current climate variability and future climate change impact women more in comparison to men because of their social position. Famer’s knowledge about seed management knowledge and practice is also considered as one of the main factors which increase productivity to ensure food security. This is because the extent of vulnerability could be decreased by adapting seeds which are highly productive and resistant to climate change conditions. In the ‘Right to Food’ project, land and seed rights are taken as fundamental enablers to realizing citizens’ right to food.  

One of the research outcomes indicates applying seed selection and weed and pest control knowledge will increase the probability of food security by more than two times while applying planting and spacing knowledge triples the probability of food security. Another positive finding is that as the households’ level of knowledge about seed selection, plant and spacing and; weed and pest control increase their ability to tackle climate change also increases. Furthermore, as female households’ education level increases it doubles the probability of practicing farming activities and participate in activities to secure their right to land and access to water.

Findings like this will help to develop innovative decision making towards policies and strategies targeting food security. I believe there needs to be more plat forms where development professionals in the NGO sectors share their research findings. It creates better awareness about the ongoing programs and projects as well as impacts obtained as a result of the intervention.

Meron did her internship on Quantitative data analysis for our Impact measurement unit. 

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Working on Women, Peace and Security: Understanding UNSCR1325

The Oxfam Novib experience, as many of my experiences in The Netherlands, has helped me think critically of my previous work in Chile and Ireland. In this case, working on Women, Peace and Security has helped me to question my understanding of how different legal frameworks done at an international level are implemented in different programs, or the many ways we can mainstream women issues.  After almost two decades of the United Nation Security Council Resolution number 1325, and a cluster of other related resolutions made on the way, there is need to discuss what has been done so far and what works.

First, the resolution managed to make gendered inequalities and gendered violence relevant when talking about conflict and peacebuilding. I think UNSCR 1325 is a starting point, it made relevant the gendered aspects of a conflict, and it took into consideration the extreme inequalities that a violent context can do to people depending on their social positions/locations. The question is HOW? How are these resolutions, and in specific UNSCR1325, talking about women and how would you implement a discourse on the importance of gender in a conflict situation?

Although the resolution can be considered a breakthrough toward a gendered perspective to conflict, the first discursive approach of the Security Council is of “women as subjects of security”[1], women as victims in war; therefore, a more protective role is needed from the international community and states toward women. More recent resolutions have placed emphasis on women participation as a key starting point, recognizing an important transformative role in the security framework and decision-making processes, and adopting the idea of women as agents.

We can see that while the discourse has become more inclusive, the question still remains how we make the good intentions of the resolutions into active changes through National Action Plans (NAP). I think the discussion around the topic includes millions of examples and different references, and analysis from all sort of perspectives. The bottom line is that there is no recipe for a National Action Plan. Nonetheless, there are ways to include the experiences and lessons learned through years of National Action Plans. I believe that the grounded experiences of women and men in conflict should be key to move forward, and also that a gender analysis of a conflict situation brings the structural characteristics and the different dynamics in the specific context, letting us in that way construct a better intervention with the people involved.

After spending the last weeks reading about programs implemented by The Netherlands NAP II, I believe that the most interesting synergies were those that involved women from different contexts sharing their experiences, and making sure that the efforts done, when possible, were done at every level –local, national and international.

What we should expect from the Security Council is a real gendered perspective of conflict. It should acknowledge the differentiated repercussions and causes for both men and women, and to produce the changes necessary for a perspective and actions that involve both. The diverse perspectives around conflict should seek programming that is flexible because of the dynamic context, with a bottom-up character, and an international discourse that speaks of women as agents, not victims, but not super women.

Isidora came from Chili to study in the Netherlands and joined us for an internship. She brings valuable background knowledge but she also brings a lot of cheer and a calm presence in the group. 

[1] Shepherd, L. (2011) Sex, Security and Superhero(in)es: From 1325 to 1820 and Beyond, International Feminist Journal of Politics, 13(4):504-521

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Partnering for land rights

I have been an intern with the Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights (more commonly called the Land Rights Now campaign) since early September 2016. Land Rights Now is not just an Oxfam project, but involves more than 550 partner organizations and thousands of individual participants from across the globe. Our aim is to work together to ensure that, by 2020, the global area of land legally recognized as owned or controlled by Indigenous Peoples and local communities is doubled.

 This element of partnership is crucial. The campaign includes Indigenous Peoples’ groups, national and regional NGOs, and international organizations. Each of the organizations bring its own focus and expertise to the cause. Oxfam, for instance, has a wide global presence and rich experience in advocacy around development issues. As a result, our involvement in this campaign has focused on helping to increase the visibility of the work that local communities and organizations are doing to strengthen indigenous and community land rights, and on building a global coalition of actors working on these issues.

Oxfam’s role in Land Rights Now is very well illustrated in a recent mobilization and advocacy exercise that I was closely involved in. From 1-4 November, Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia or Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), who are both partner organizations in the campaign, were organizing a regional conference on Agribusiness and Human Rights in Southeast Asia. The conference brought together a network of concerned actors to address the increasing human rights violations resulting from the rapid growth of agribusiness in the region in recent years. Since large scale land acquisitions for such agribusiness concessions often cause violations against indigenous communities that depend on this land for their sustenance and livelihoods, these issues are highly relevant to the work of the Land Rights Now campaign.

Therefore, in the run up to the conference, our team at Oxfam interacted closely with the event organizers to come up with ways in which we could contribute. In order to spread the word about the conference and the importance of looking at agribusiness human rights violations in relation to indigenous and community land rights, we decided to send out a newsletter to the global network of Land Rights Now participants. This newsletter included information about the conference and an article discussing the topic in more detail. During the conference, we also published a series of social media posts on specific cases of violations of Indigenous Peoples’ land rights due to agribusiness. The cases were provided by campaign participants in Asia who work closely on these issues. Our aim was to shine a spotlight on these individual cases, as well as to highlight the widespread nature of land rights violations due to the rise of agribusiness across Southeast Asia. We will also be circulating the conference resolution within the broader Land Rights Now network, along with an appeal for action in a case of land rights violations of an indigenous community in Sabah state of Malaysia due to an aquaculture project.

Working on this mobilization has been a very engaging and informative experience for me. Though my interaction with organizations working closely on these issues on the ground, I have learnt a lot about the topic. Perhaps most importantly, I feel that this emphasis of the Land Rights Now campaign – on creating partnerships between organizations with different strengths and expertise, in order to achieve the common goal of better recognition for indigenous and community land rights – is a great example of how the practice of development can be an equal, open and egalitarian process.

Amod is interning at our Land Rights Now campaign producing great content on land rights issues. We can always count on his dry humor to brighten our meetings.

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The lost village of Gansé

Blog by Gwendolyn Parami

What do you see in this picture? It looks like a peaceful lake surrounded by lush greenery, doesn’t it?

I took this picture last year when I was visiting the place my grandparents used to live. It is actually the Brokopondo water reservoir in the jungle of Suriname. About 60 years ago, around 5000 people used to live in this area. One of those villages was called Gansé, and according to the stories of my grandmother, it was beautiful. However, the villages including Gansé, disappeared under water with the construction of a dam and the creation of the water reservoir. The communities did not have secured land rights and with promises of a better life somewhere else, they were forced to abandon their homes.

Unfortunately the promises were not realized. The only visible proof of the communities living there, many years ago, are thousands of dead tree tops rising above the water’s surface. In an effort to save money, the trees were not cut down before flooding the area.  The reservoir is now one of the largest reservoirs in the world and the dam provides electricity to industries involved in the processing of bauxite into alumina.

Not only in Suriname, but also in the rest of the world, indigenous and local communities are vulnerable to pressures from more powerful actors as they don’t have formally recognized land rights. Land is an essential part of their cultural identity and a way to survive and develop. That is why I am supporting the Land Rights Now Campaign at Oxfam Novib. This is a Global Call to Action and we aim to engage and mobilize communities, organizations, governments, and individuals worldwide to promote and secure Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ land rights.

How the rotten smell of the earth can save your life

Working on the campaign with an amazing team of passionate people has made me realize how fundamental land rights are for indigenous peoples and local communities, but also for all of us. Last week, I conducted an interview with an indigenous woman living in the mountains of Taiwan. She explained that many indigenous peoples in the country have suffered from the typhoons that are frequently occurring because of climate change.

Her community started a project that includes the creation of early disaster warning systems based on the documentation of traditional knowledge from the indigenous peoples living in the high risk areas.  She explained: “Just before a landslide, you can feel the ground changing, you can smell a distinct rotten smell and you can see the color of the river changing. You can hear the rocks running from the mountains and the different sizes of the rocks tell you what stage the landslide is”. This knowledge is now used to build an early disaster warning system in many areas of the country. Read more here.

Indigenous peoples are “living encyclopedias” with in-depth knowledge of every aspect of the environment. They are finding innovative and practical solutions for fighting climate change by drawing on their traditional knowledge. They protect the forests and biodiversity, manage lands, sequester carbon, and preserve our ecosystem. Recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities is therefore not only key to fighting climate change, but also to ensure that communities, such as the one in Gansé, are not forced to move from their ancestral lands.

Gwendolyn is interning at our land rights now campaign, writing down the stories of displaced people and fighting to make land rights a right! 

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‘I sometimes hate the system, and then I want to fight it even more’

Blog by Jytte Elfferich, Intern at Oxfam Novib

‘With great power comes great responsibility’- a saying emerged in the late 18th century, an adage later used by politicians such as Winston Churchill and Franklink D. Roosevelt and in the 19th century popularized by comedy writers. If only all power-holders would take responsibility naturally...

From the moment I started a minor in international development studies I framed the private sector as the enemy of the good. Right before I started this minor, I finalized my bachelor in law in which I had not been thought to critically analyze the international development agenda. How come our world, filled with 7.5 billion human beings, is this de-humanized? After 3 months of reading and discussing the world system, I felt pretty helpless. How could I fight this complex system? And what is there to fight for when you don’t even know where to start? I decided to look for opportunities, rather than to get stuck in the ‘me against the un-fightable capitalism’ thinking. I didn’t know where to search. Not until my laptop screen showed ‘We Defeat Poverty’ by Oxfam Novib. If Oxfam claims to defeat poverty, save lives, makes the world a more equal place and creates opportunities for all, I figured ‘They must know how to do so’. This is how I became part of the GROW private sector team, where I am working as an Intern on inequality in food value chains.

For two months I have been working at Oxfam Novib. As we know by now, ‘Responsibility doesn’t come with great power automatically’. In order to influence companies’ practices to decrease inequalities within their supply chains, my team advocates, campaigns, and engages with powerful brands and retailers. It is motivating to see that Oxfam Novib not just claims to defeat poverty but to witness them actually get concrete things done. For example, the Behind the Brands scorecard shows that companies’ policies have been improved between 2013 and 2016. I don’t believe that a relatively simple policy-fix immediately leads to positive impact at local level. Nevertheless, commitments are essential to hold ‘great powers’ accountable for policy compliance, which is visible at local level. And as we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day either.

I’m proud to be part of an amazing team within GROW in which everyone works hard but stay energetic and interested in the work of others at the same time. In the two months I have been working at Oxfam, I have been learning how to monitor outcomes and how to take notes in international conference calls. I conduct research to assist the development of campaign strategies, I learn how to write quarterly reports, how to work together with allies and take part in stakeholder meetings. Most importantly – something my team might not realize – I witness them being incredibly motivated to fight for human rights, although they are not certain nor empowered to make systematical changes. It demonstrates exactly what I admire the people who work at Oxfam for. The ambition and energy people at Oxfam Novib have is extremely inspiring and motivating. I’m looking forward for the coming months of my internship at Oxfam Novib.  

Jytte is interning at our Behind the brands Campaign for Grow. She is very eager to learn and hard working. 

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My part in the battle against inequality

I am just half way through my internship here at Oxfam Novib but I can already say this has been and will be for the remaining half of the time a very valuable experience. For me the purpose of this internship was to experience how working in an organization was like and how I could put the skills I learned in University to the test. The opportunity Oxfam Novib provided allowed me to combine this goal with my urge to tackle inequality and injustice in the world. You can imagine I was already really excited to start this internship.

Tax Havens

I dove into the world of tax havens, because that is the main subject I would be handling here at Oxfam Novib. Other than my introduction course to political economy I was not really an expert in and economy and taxation. Not implying that I am an expert now, but in the last couple of weeks I became familiar with a lot of knowledge regarding these subjects. The problem of tax havens be a bigger problem that I already thought. Because I experienced that a lot of people are not aware of the problem or not aware of the scale of the problem, I will devote this blog to give you a little impression on tax havens.

Tax havens are countries with an extremely low tax rate on corporate income or have a tax regime that enables companies to have a very low effective tax rate(for example tax holidays granted by the cantons of Switzerland). In combination most of these tax havens have a high level of financial secrecy. This creates a perfect environment for companies that want to minimize their tax bill.

Tax Avoidance

All sorts of financial and corporate structures are used to shift profits from where the profits are made to these tax havens. In this way companies avoid paying taxes in the country where the profits are made and are only paying the low or zero tax rate in the tax havens. All this is not illegal and is used by a lot of large multinational companies. However the effect of this profit shifting is very damaging to countries and developing countries in particular. Countries lose a lot of revenue due to profit shifting that could be used for other purposes.

Although it is impossible to calculate the amount of money that is lost due to profit shifting it is estimated that Developing countries lose around US$100bn annually in tax revenues as a result of corporate tax avoidance schemes that route investments through tax havens - equivalent to the amount required to provide safe drinking water and sanitary facilities for 2.2 billion people each year.

In real life…

To illustrate how companies manage to shift their profits to tax havens and how this affects developing countries I will present a case. This case is about MTN. You might have never heard of MTN before but it is one of the largest telecom providers in Africa. A report by Finance Uncovered revealed how it shifted profits from various African countries to a subsidiary in Mauritius. What stood out was that  MTN companies in Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria made substantial payments to an offshore entity of MTN located in Mauritius. Which is odd because the office in Mauritius has no employees and is practically just a mailbox. In the books these payments are reported to be for management and technical services provided to the companies. MTN itself claims the entity in Mauritius collects the money these companies are owed for management and technical services conducted by MTN in South Africa. The company will not say why the money is sent to Mauritius instead of to South Africa. But we can imagine why the company routes the money through Mauritius. Mauritius has a corporate income tax rate of 3% rate for companies qualified as global business companies. In this way MTN avoids paying taxes in multiple African countries. Countries like Mauritius enable companies to do so. That is why tax haven are a international problem.

What to be done?

This is how the existence of tax havens creates poverty and inequality and why this has to be stopped. A lot of effort from Oxfam and other organizations has gone to stopping these tax havens. Also on the international level there is a lot going on to stop profit shifting. The Panama papers and Luxleaks gave a boost to the discussion but it is far from over. A lot more has to happen before developing countries will receive all the tax revenues they deserve.  

If this blog sparked your interest into the world of tax havens and tax avoidance you can read further on the blog of my mentor and policy advisor on tax justice here at Oxfam, Francis Weyzig. Another source that can be used to keep up to date on tax justice news is the tax justice network.  

Thomas is interning at our tax department. He is a quiet force in the group but is always enthausiastic to join in and learn new things. 

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Coming Home

It has been a month since I joined Oxfam Novib as an Intern with the tasks of looking at the intersection of Private Sector role on land and water governance in conflict and fragile areas. Studying in the International Institute of Social Studies and living in the its student dormitory which is located across Oxfam Novib’s office in Mauritskade are more than enough reasons for me to apply for an internship in an organization last summer. 

My first month in Oxfam consisted of reading tons of internal and external papers on various thematic issues on land and water governance, private sector work and conflict and fragility; attending meetings with my colleagues and mentors, participating in visioning exercises, Skype calls with colleagues from Pakistan, and working with fellow interns and joining the various activities which  

Oxfam Novib Academy has organised for us. 

Listening to Farah Karimi, Oxfam Novib’s Executive Director during our orientation week as Oxfam Novib Academy Interns was an inspiring experience. Farah talked about the beginnings of then Novib in the Netherlands and how it underwent changes throughout the years and became known as Oxfam Novib. She answered our questions ranging from aids, working in conflict areas, and measuring impacts on work in different places. One of the striking lines that she said was about how we must be conscious of our choices and decisions because these definitely have an impact on other people.

Volunteering in the Oxfam Novib’s 60th Anniversary last October 3 was also a one-of-a-kind experience for me. Listening to inspiring speeches and open forum done ala Ted Talks, talking to the who’s who in the development sector here in The Netherlands while getting inspired by the rich history of transformation that Oxfam Novib has done for the past 60 years reminded me also of my experience in Oxfam in the Philippines where I was also lucky to have been part of it especially when it celebrated its 25th anniversary in my country in 2013. 

Having worked in Oxfam in the Philippines for almost three years, I will always treasure my experience as a media and communications officer working on various issues - humanitarian response, food and climate justice campaigns, women empowerment, sustainable livelihoods, peace and conflict issues, etc. It is in Oxfam in the Philippines where I have immersed myself in the development field and also pushed me to apply for a Masters in Development Studies in the ISS last year. 

Thus, working in Oxfam Novib for three days per week is like a “coming home” experience for me. For years, I have been on working on the other side of the fence - country programme office in the Global South coordinating with colleagues from Oxfam affiliates like GB, Australia, Novib and in the UK. Now, I am the one looking for possible case studies in country programmes in Asia and Africa with the tasks of engaging and bringing in colleagues from Myanmar and Pakistan to the research work that I need to deliver for my team. 

So what are my takeaways for the first month of “coming home”? 

1.  Do or do not, try. This is the famous line of Yoda, the loveable character in Star Wars. As they say, in order to be great you need grit. The difficulties that you have been encountering in your assignments or the tasks that your mentors have given you will always reshape your outlook in life and the way you look at things both professionally and personally. Whether or not you you fail or succeed, the more important thing is you have tried and you have given your best in the tasks that was assigned to you. This was my realisation when I got overwhelmed first with the tons of readings that I need to scan and read while I was developing my research plan. 

2.  Small or big, your contributions matter. 

Whether it’s answering emails, setting up calls with colleagues from country programme teams who are based in different time zones, or participating in meeting - your thoughts and your actions matter not only to your team, to your organization but also to the people whom you are providing interventions with which leads me to my last point.

3.  It is important to always reflect on your position vis-a-vis the people whom you are providing your interventions with. It is important that we are always conscious of our own position versus power structures or institutions we are working with and for. In our development projects, were we able to let the voices of the poor and the marginalized, those who are at the bottom and at the fringes, be heard?

In two months, I will graduate in the ISS and will finish my internship in Oxfam Novib. For now, I am glad to have found a “home” in The Hague, one which reminds me of my life in the Philippines before, and one which gives me practical learnings on how to do and make development happen - bridging theory and praxis from the things that I have learned in the ISS and to the life in the field. 

Jed started at the Oxfam Novib Academy at the beginning of September. He works on the crosscutting issues between private sector engagement and land and water issues. A challenging field but he has taken to it with lots of enthusiasm. Besides his work we can always count on him to join in on different activities, having lunch and dinner or organizing a get together with the other interns.

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The impact of Interns - A coordinators perspective.

As the Spring 2016 interns are leaving Oxfam Novib and we are in full swing hiring interns to start in September,  I am also halfway through my year as the Oxfam Novib Academy coordinator. As the coordinator I am responsible for helping the interns to get the most out of their internships and to support the mentors in the guidance and mentoring of their interns. 

This year Marjolein and Emily two of the  spring interns did our first every impact analysis of interns and made this into two brilliant Info graphics! (Being an intern at Oxfam Novib and Contributing to a just world without poverty) We learned the amazing fact that the interns had drunk 1820 cups of coffee at the time of the survey! But better yet, the interns indicated that the Oxfam Novib Academy was an added value to their internship. I am happy to list that as a success  :-D  But we also learned from the survey that we can still improve in creating a conducive learning environment for both the intern and mentor. So that is what I will try to realize in the coming months.

As the Oxfam Novib Academy coordinator I have witnessed the special position of interns in an organization. They are part of the team and at the same time observers; learning and seeing how things are done. I have seen how this position gives them the opportunity to share valuable insights into the working culture and the organization in general. And thankfully, I have also seen that at Oxfam Novib, being a fairly flat organization, interns can share these insights. They end up having lunch with one of the directors and discuss campaigns with them or sit down with an entire international team for a rare face to face meeting that they helped to organize.

Intern are also part of many meetings, get to know a lot of people and are included in all team activities. Being part of the Academy interns obtain more exposure to other teams then some off the Oxfam Novib staff. A mentor once said that the interns were more up-to-date and aware of what was happening in the organization than they were. Interns don’t just bring their own knowledge, background and skills, but they also contribute to the cohesion in the organization as a whole. 

For an intern an internship it is the ideal time to try out different things, to fail and try again better the next time. An internship is designed to learn; the intern learns, the mentor learns and the Oxfam Novib academy is still learning as well. As an organization as a whole, Oxfam Novib is constantly learning and developing. Having groups of students join us every half year is a breath of fresh air, a source new inspiration and a boost for our motivation. Having to teach someone means reevaluating what you know and what knowledge to transfer in what manner. 

 Anouk van Schaik started as the coordinator of the Oxfam Novib academy in January 2016 after being an intern herself in the Behind the Brands team of Oxfam Novib.