Artistic Oxfam Appeal for Syrian Peace Talks

Action Corps NYC members participated in a media stunt outside of the UNGA, on behalf of Oxfam's call Syrian peace negotiations. Read on for more details from the event, as well as more information on Oxfam America's involvement in relief efforts for the Syrian refugee crisis.
Originally posted at http://www.oxfamactioncorpsnyc.org/2013/09/artistic-oxfam-appeal-for-syrian-peace.html
In New York City, the 68th United Nations General Assembly is currently underway. Global heads of states have gathered in an annual meeting which presents an opportunity for leaders from around the world to speak on behalf of their countries on the international world stage. With the United Nations as the host, there will be a particular focus on humanitarian aid and refugee relief efforts.

In Syria, an uprising against four decades of rule by the Assad family culminated into civil war that has lead to over 100,000 deaths and resulted in displacement for nearly one third of Syria’s population. The gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly provided Oxfam America with an opportune moment to undertake ongoing efforts in highlighting the crisis in Syria with the aim of stressing the urgency of Syrian peace talks.

Oxfam America appealed for Syrian Peace negotiations with the assistance of renowned Argentinian/Spanish 3D street artist, Eduardo Relero. Eduardo’s signature artwork enhanced by optical illusion has adorned streets around the globe. On this occasion, a large-scale painting portraying President Obama and President Putin in the midst of discussions was on display for several hours during the morning of Sept 25th at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza.

The colossal painting is a particularly striking presentation depicting President Obama deep in thought while a map of various regions of Syria serves as a table as well as a barrier between the two Presidents in symbolic gesture. Both presidents are surrounded by fenced in refugees, composed primarily of women and children uprooted from their homes anxiously awaiting news of developments that will impact their lives.

Oxfam America staff, volunteers and media were available in full force on the scene in order to coordinate and speak to reporters about the event, provide support, and live tweet to amplify the message of the critical urgency for imminent peace negotiations in Syria.

Oxfam staff attendees included Oxfam America President, Raymond Offenheiser, Sue Rooks, working in Communications, Advocacy, Finance with Oxfam America, Media & Public Relations Director, Matt Herrick, Oxfam International Media Lead (Humanitarian), Louis Belanger as well as Oxfam America Regional Advocacy Lead, Will Fenton.

Volunteers who participated in making the day a success included NYC’s Oxfam Action Corps NYC’s current co-leader Elizabeth Norman, brand new NYC transplant and Oxfam volunteer from Grenada, Jennifer Viechweg as well as Sinead Kennedy who was instrumental in photographing and publicizing the event. Additionally, this event was an ideal opportunity for Oxfam staff from various offices and NYC Action Corps volunteers to be able to work in conjunction in person in joint effort to promote humanitarian relief.

The refugee crisis in Syria is unparallelled in recent times as the UN refugee agency, UNHCR figures state two million Syrians have fled from the escalating conflict, of which one million are children. Additionally, internal displacement figures are estimated to be at approximately 4.25 million. The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, within eight miles from the border of Syria is currently home to over 120,000 refugees and has been declared to be the second largest refugee camp in the world. With 2,000 new residents arriving each day at Zaatari, a second refugee camp, Azraq is undergoing construction, also with a capacity of 130,000.

However, only a small number of refugees are housed in the camps, the majority are scattered across various host nations. The countries in descending order of registered refugees are Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The influx has placed great strain on the recipient countries, several of which themselves suffer from instability and poor economies. A startling statistic that illustrates the scale and plight of the refugee crisis was recently released by Dana Sleiman, Public Information Officer for UNHCR in Beirut, Lebanon which stated that as school starts this week in Lebanon, it is expected that 330,000 Syrian refugee children will need to enroll in school in comparison with 300,000 Lebanese.

For ways you can help and to take action, please visit the following site: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/emergencies/syrian-conflict-and-refugee-crisis

By: Shireen Alam

Photography by: Fernando Olivas/Oxfam 

The Big Land Rush

Many of the Oxfam Action Corps teams will be hosting film screenings for World Food Day 2013. One of the popular selections for this year's theme, We Stand On Common Ground, is highlighted in this blog post from our team in Iowa. 

Originally posted at http://iowansforoxfam.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-big-land-rush.html

In today's world, we have a plethora of sources for obtaining our news - television, newspaper, mobile applications, social media, text messages, et cetera. These sources often condense the relevant information into an article, 2 minute news segment, or-in the case of Twitter-140 characters! It's usually enough to relay the main message with a few details. But, that's about it.

That's why I love documentaries! Sometimes to really get at the heart of a story, you have to delve into the world that's just beyond the article. For an hour or so, documentaries transport you into the world of experts, opinions, facts, etc. Sometimes they make you happy. Many times they make you furious. The very best ones inspire you to change yourself or call for change in others.

As Oxfam supporters all over the globe gear up for awareness activities surrounding World Food Day 2013, it's important that we take a look at the issues that surround hunger. One such and often misunderstood issue is land grabs. I bet you can see where I'm going with this...

Why Poverty? has a great 1 hour documentary on their website (for free) that helps to explain the complicated issue of land grabs through the eyes of an American sugar farmer looking to acquire 200 square km of land for development in a partnership with the Mali government. That is, until a military coup takes place...

So, for World Food Day 2013...please share this film and encourage people to ask tough questions about poverty and why nearly 1 in 8 people is trapped in a cycle of constant hunger.

The latest campaign news from Behind the Brands!

Oxfam Action Corps members have been spreading the word about Behind the Brands, and the Big 10 companies are listening! 

Originally posted at http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/campaign-news/moving-on-up

The results are in

Over 120,000 people taking action.  The world’s ten biggest food and beverage companies.  And one groundbreaking campaign. Combine these ingredients and what do you get? The beginnings of a significant shift towards a fairer food system for all.

Today we are excited to announce the biggest set of changes to the scorecard yet: 5 of the Big 10 food and beverage companies are moving up the rankings. Because of action taken by you, Coca-Cola, Danone, General Mills, Nestle and Unilever have all taken steps to improve their policies and practise on key issues. 

These changes prove that the companies are paying attention to you. Here are just some examples of how your campaigning has made a difference:

• Before the campaign started, only 2 of the Big 10 companies were signatories to the UN principles on empowering women – now 6 are signatories
• Coca-Cola has now publicly announced that they will ask their suppliers to safeguard water quality and prevent water pollution – essential steps to ensuring that there is clean, safe water available to everyone
• Nestle has listened to the need to recognise land rights more comprehensively and has become the first of the Big 10 to fully support guidelines that ensure their suppliers get the consent of communities prior to any land deals agreed for the sourcing of sugar, palm oil, soy and other commodities

Congratulations to you!

Although there's still a lot to do, these companies should be acknowledged for making positive changes in the way they do business. But the congratulations are due to you, the people who made it happen! When more than 120,000 people from around the world join together to speak with one voice, the brands you love have to listen.

Every petition signature, every tweet and every Facebook post creates a clamour for change that they can’t ignore. By asking your favourite brands to make their products more lovable, you are helping to make a real change on crucial policies that impact people and the planet - like access to water, women’s rights and land rights.

And your campaigning is supported by some big players in the financial sector: more than 30 investors representing $1.4 trillion in assets have signed a statement urging the Big 10 food and drink industry giants to improve their business practises.

This is just the start

The improvements brought about by your action are an important step towards a future where everyone always has enough to eat. But these food and drink giants need to do much more to ensure a fair food system for all.

Company scores are creeping up slowly – but they need to work faster at improving conditions for workers, being transparent about their sourcing, and supporting small-scale farmers. And the companies at the bottom of the scorecard have even more work to do – they’re getting left behind in the race to the top.

Watch this space

In the coming weeks we will launch the next phase of the Behind the Brands campaign to secure real progress from the Big 10. Now more than ever, we need your voice: to make the campaign bigger than before, so we can see even better improvements in the way these companies do business.

Why not share the news and ask two friends to join us for the next phase of Behind the Brands? Together, we can make even bigger progress towards a fairer food system for all.

Festival Diaries Part 1 - Outside Lands

The Oxfam Action Corps have had a busy summer of outreach at festivals, concerts, and farmers' markets. Check out this great blog post from our San Francisco action corps team on their time at Outside Lands

via http://sfbay-oxfamactioncorps.blogspot.com/2013/08/festival-diaries-part-i-outside-lands.html

Festival Diaries Part I - Outside Lands

It's always a special feeling to be a part of the small group that gets to see what's behind the curtain. At our first day at Outside Lands, we got to do just that. Arriving before the gates officially opened, we wandered across Golden Gate Park's lush fields passing the eager vendors and awing at the eerie void left by the lack of people crowded around porta potties. We slowly made our way to the Oxfam booth conveniently located next to one of the festival's most dance worthy stages. It began to feel a lot like the calm before a storm.
From the swelling crowds, we were lucky enough to meet amazing people from across the globe some of whom were familiar with Oxfam's work and others who were eager to learn more by participating in one of our many booth games including our latest Bay Area Action Corps invention,World Hunger Pong, inspired by the collegiate, Olympian level sport that we're all familiar with Beer Pong. Except instead of beer, we provided striking facts about the hunger epidemic including the fact that hunger kills more people than AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. We also spoke to countless people about the Behind the Brands campaign and how the top ten food and beverage companies in the world are performing when it comes to transparency and the treatment of farmers, workers, women, land, water and climate. Adding strength to the 115,000 people who have already joined the movement to change the way these companies do business, concert goers helped Oxfam move closer to its 125,000 signature goal. If you haven't yet joined the movement, its not too late: www.behindthebrands.org

This year at Outside Lands, the Oxfam Bay Area Action Corps reached hundreds of people all while having a great time and listening to some of today's most influential artists, including Sir Paul McCartney himself and long-time Oxfam activist Thao Nguyen of San Francisco's very own Thao and The Get Down Stay Down.
It's no secret that the Bay Area is home to some amazing festivals and members of the Oxfam Bay Area Action Corps are lucky enough to take part in some of the best of the best.

Members of the Oxfam Action Corps have the unique opportunity to join forces with people passionate about making world hunger obsolete. Together we work to inform concert goers about the devastating conditions of extreme poverty, hunger and injustice around the world. Stories are shared, friends are made and minds are enlightened.

If you're feeling like you missed out? Never feel that way again. Be a part of our next concert event by emailing us at sanfrancisco@oxfamactioncorps.org.

We'd love for you to join the Oxfam Bay Area Action Corps family for the Treasure Island Music Festival, Ra Ra Riot's upcoming show at the Fillmore or Ben Sollee's intimate performance in Oakland.