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Begin New Search Topic Sustainability Content Type Research Paper Publishing Institution Oxfam Publishing

1. TOSSD Data for 2020: An overview of key trends in the data in support of sustainable development

Author:
Brian Tomlinson
Publication Date:
06-2022
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Data on total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) take a recipient perspective, in contrast to official development assistance (ODA) data, which take a donor perspective. The TOSSD metric captures development resource flows that are not included in donors’ reports to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee, and are intended to link resource flows to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For 2020, 98 donors reported TOSSD data, an increase of six donors from 2019. Reported net disbursements totaled $291 billion, including $62 billion reported only to TOSSD. The top five sectors in TOSSD reporting, accounting for 65% of net disbursements, were energy, donor administrative costs, in-donor refugee costs, health, and government and civil society. For those disbursements linked to one or more of the SDGs, 61% went to the Health, Poverty Eradication, Climate Change, support for Decent Work and Sustainable Economic Growth, Ending Hunger, and Partnerships SDGs. The gender equality SDG was allocated just 4.5% of total net disbursements. TOSSD data provided a foundation of activity level detail to enable further research on allocations to SDGs. The picture that TOSSD data provide could be more complete if additional donors submitted reports to TOSSD, and if all donors reported on links to SDGs.
Topic:
Development, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainability, and Gender
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2. Designing Sustainable Water Supply Systems in Tajikistan: A step-by-step guide to design, construction and ownership

Author:
Orkhan Ali
Publication Date:
05-2022
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Tajikistan is often described as the poorest country in Central Asia, with GDP per capita consistently lower than any of its regional neighbours. Its water and sanitation infrastructure is severely dilapidated, suffering from decades of underinvestment and the failure to address widespread damage suffered during the country’s civil war (1992–1997). Efforts to ensure everyone has improved access to adequate water and sanitation services are characterised by contradictory legislation and blurred responsibilities between state agencies. Reform of the sector and roll-out of improved infrastructure have been slow, requiring strong accountability mechanisms to ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable people are adequately protected. Oxfam’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme s therefore based on a theory of change that aims to improve the health status of Tajikistan’s population through the delivery of long-lasting WASH services, while addressing market systems and strengthening institutions.
Topic:
Development, Water, Infrastructure, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Central Asia, Asia, and Tajikistan

3. Sanitation Marketing in Tajikistan: Business model for sustainable WASH market development

Author:
Orkhan Ali
Publication Date:
05-2022
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) remains a critical problem in Tajikistan, particularly for its rural areas. In terms of sanitation and the market within which it operates locally, there have been no sectoral tools on market-based WASH programming in Tajikistan, and therefore little available guidance around the facilitation of better interactions between the demand and supply of sanitation products. And while specified state departments are responsible for applying and upholding sanitation standards, in practice they continue to rely on guidelines from Soviet times, and rarely carry out household-level inspections – hence the legal frameworks governing sanitation should be revised accordingly. To fill this gap, Oxfam launched its first sanitation marketing programme in 2018 (as part of its wider Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) Project funded by the Swiss Government) and played a market broker role that transformed the relationship between buyers and sellers of sanitation products. The project approached the process by influencing both supply and demand sides, and by designing affordable and desirable trading processes for rural households to meet their sanitation needs.
Topic:
Development, Infrastructure, Sanitation, Public Health, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Central Asia, Asia, and Tajikistan

4. Analyzing European Union Institutions’ Flows for Total Official Support for Sustainable Development

Author:
Brian Tomlinson
Publication Date:
02-2022
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
This report analyses the first round of Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) data from European Union (EU) Institutions. The EU is a key stakeholder in the development of TOSSD, as Co-Chair of the International TOSSD Task Force, and in the promotion of this as an essential metric in the implementation of Agenda 2030. It is our hope that this paper’s detailed examination of the scope of what has been reported by the EU Institutions identifies trends and issues arising from the first reporting round for TOSSD, which can be addressed going forward. It is timely to acknowledge the level of transparency in the proceedings of the TOSSD Task Force, which has been open to comments and suggestions since its inception, and has recently seated CSO representatives as observers. This transparency has put into practical effect the notion that data validation can, to some extent, be entrusted to third parties provided that the relevant information is available to all interested stakeholders on a timely basis. Good norms, such as good reporting instructions, can help steer the development agenda in the right direction for the benefit of the communities of the Global South.
Topic:
Development, Regional Cooperation, European Union, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Europe

5. How Decent is Decent Work? Using SenseMaker to Understand Workers’ Experiences

Author:
Irene Guitj, Franziska Mager, and Becca Smith
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Decent work for all is a shared global concern. It is enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 8, ‘to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030’. Countless initiatives by companies, governments, CSOs and global aid agencies are dedicated to making this happen. These efforts are labelled as ‘decent work’, ‘inclusive businesses’, ‘responsible sourcing’ or ‘economic empowerment’. They share a concern for raising the standards of working conditions – globally, nationally, and across sectors. SenseMaker is a research method that analyses the experiences of large numbers of people to help understand their perspectives on a specific issue or question. This paper shows what is possible when using SenseMaker to capture and understand workers’ perspectives. It aims to inspire anyone working in the private sector, within civil society organizations and government agencies responsible for strengthening decent work, inclusive business and responsible sourcing.
Topic:
Development, Labor Issues, Sustainable Development Goals, Private Sector, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Global Focus

6. Rapid Care Analysis in a Rapid-Onset Emergency: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Author:
Iulia Toma
Publication Date:
06-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
This analysis looks at unpaid care work patterns in both Rohingya and host communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The aim is to recognize the care work done by women and find ways of reducing or redistributing this work. The analysis examines the level of acceptance for sharing care responsibilities, as well as the differences in care work between host and Rohingya communities. Overall, findings from the RCA show that the vast majority of care work is conducted by women across both groups. On average, women perform 70 hours of care work a week and men do 11 hours, with firewood and water collection being the most difficult tasks. Recommendations from the analysis include provision of water containers for water storage; opportunities for home-based income-generating activities for the Rohingya community; advocacy for improved water networks in the host community; and environmentally friendly firewood replacements, among others. This will ensure reduction and redistribution of care work and lead to improved programmes, with potential for women’s empowerment.
Topic:
Refugee Crisis, Gender Based Violence, Displacement, Sustainability, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and Asia

7. Funding Mechanisms to Incentivize Sustainable and Inclusive Water Provision in Kenya’s Arid Lands

Author:
Rob Mills and Ashni Shah
Publication Date:
08-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid regions, communities face extended periods of drought and climate volatility. In this context, NGOs, donors and private sector actors are exploring how they can help vulnerable populations to prepare and build resilience. The use of solar-powered water pumps is one approach through which partners are building this resilience. This report is a concept-stage exploration of optimal funding mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of solar-powered water pumps in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. It also looks at accompanying management systems to ensure financial viability, inclusion and accountability.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Water, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Kenya and Africa

8. Building Resilience through Iterative Processes: Mainstreaming Ancestral Knowledge, Social Movements, and the Making of Sustainable Programming in Bolivia

Author:
Riccardo Vitale
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
This case study takes a retrospective look at the 2010-11 Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO) Small-Scale Disaster Project in La Paz and the context within which it took place. Our research found that absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities can be fostered by iterative development processes. It also demonstrated that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are strongly tied to resilient, sustainable, long-term development. Resilience, however, is not an a priori conceptual framework of development programming; rather it is a life process engendered within specific communities. Consequently, development practitioners must construct programs based on rigorous, ethical, and sound research integrating scientific with local and ancestral knowledge. This is the only approach that can generate environmentally healthy and productive, sustainable, and equitable life systems. This report is part of a series that seeks to draw lessons from resilience projects in Latin America and the Pacific.
Topic:
Climate Change, Disaster Relief, Gender Issues, Social Movement, Urban, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Latin America, North America, and Asia-Pacific

9. Addressing Water Shortages: A Catalyst for more Resilient Development in Fiji

Author:
Tara R. Gingerich
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
his case study draws on fieldwork in two communities in Fiji that participated in the 2002-05 Capacity Building to Enable the Development of Adaptation Measures in Pacific Island Countries (CBDAMPIC) project, one of the first adaptation projects in the Pacific that attempted to work at this community scale to build resilience to the longer-term impacts of climate change. In both communities, the project served as a catalyst for more resilient development, improving both absorptive and adaptive capacity with respect to water shortages. It provided an example of how addressing a locally defined problem can energize a community to take action to improve resilience. A key factor in these communities’ resilience is their existing social capital. The project also points to the significance of building on previous and ongoing processes and initiatives.
Topic:
Development, Water, Infrastructure, Sustainability, and Resilience
Political Geography:
Fiji and Oceania

10. ‘Disaster is Nature Telling Us how to Live Resiliently’: Indigenous Disaster Risk Reduction, Organizing, and Spirituality in Tierradentro, Colombia

Author:
Riccardo Vitale
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Seeking to gain knowledge about resilience, this case study considered a 2007-09 Red Cross preparedness project funded by the Disaster Preparedness European Community Humanitarian Office (DIPECHO). The project was implemented around the Nevado del Huila volcano in Colombia, in a largely rural area with a predominantly indigenous population. The findings and analysis point to the importance of listening to and learning from the community, including its traditional and indigenous resilience practices, as well as the iterative nature of resilient development. The field research also yielded interesting material about perceptions and practices of resilience in Nasa indigenous communities.
Topic:
Climate Change, Disaster Relief, Sustainability, Humanitarian Crisis, Community, and Empowerment
Political Geography:
Colombia and South America