Research

Fish Trade, Food, and Income Security

An overview of the constraints and barriers faced by small-scale fishers, farmers, and traders in the Lower Mekong Basin

Congressional Testimony: The Implementation of DR-CAFTA

The rules set forth in the DR-CAFTA on agriculture, intellectual property, and investment add up to a bad deal for farmers, workers, and consumers in Central America and the Dominican Republic.  Rather than setting out provisions that will foster broad-based economic growth and sustainable development, DR-CAFTA will put millions of poor people at risk of losing their livelihood.  The US should do better if it wants to promote peace, political stability, and economic security in this region that has struggled with poverty and inequality, and the resulting instability, for so long.  Unfortunately, the DR-CAFTA is wrong way to achieve these goals, which is why Oxfam urges Congress to vote no.

The Coffee Crisis Continues

The new Oxfam report assesses the current state of the coffee crisis and calls on the US government to help coffee farmers take full advantage of improved market conditions.

Cuba: Weathering the Storm

Lessons in risk reduction

Afghanistan Education Report Card

As the new school year begins in Afghanistan, The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) released Report Card: Progress on Compulsory Education. The new report urges policymakers to work harder to address urgent and long term education needs in the country. Oxfam International is one of the Consortium members.

The report card (for grades 1-9) recognizes that Afghanistan has made progress in enrollment, but finds key gaps in school completion rates, policy management, quality of education and available resources.

• Despite the increase in school enrollment, more than half of Afghanistan's children don't attend primary school. Less than 34% of those enrolled are girls.

• Drop-out rates are high, particularly among girls. Of those attending primary school, only 9% go on to secondary school.

• Female teachers are scarce. In one province there is one female teacher for every 152 male teachers. Increasing the number of female teachers is essential to increase the enrollment of girls.

HRRAC recommends that international donors honor their commitments to provide sufficient and long-term funding for Afghanistan and ensure adequate steps are taken to increase the enrollment of girls and improve the quality of education.

The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium is a group of Afghan and international organizations working in the fields of humanitarian relief, reconstruction, human and women's rights, peace promotion, research, and advocacy. It was established in early 2003 to engage in proactive research and advocacy on human rights issues over a sustained period.

Consortium Members
Afghan organizations
Afghan Development Association
Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (advisory organization)
Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy-conservation in Afghanistan
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (advisory organization)
Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance
Cooperation for Peace and Unity

International organizations
Oxfam International
Mercy Corps
Ockenden International
CARE International
Rights and Democracy
Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Like Machines in the Fields

Workers without rights in American agriculture