Oxfam Briefing Paper

A New International
Agenda for Peace and
Security:
Oxfams 10-point Plan

There are many people in the world for whom [September 11]
might have no particular meaning, because 2001 was not
different from 2000 or 1999. It was just another year of living
with HIV/AIDS, or in a refugee camp, or under repressive rule, or
with crushing poverty, or of watching crops dwindle and
children go hungry, as the global environment comes under
greater threat.

Kofi Annan, 19 December 2001

Words to Deeds 1
Summary
The abhorrent acts of September 11, and the subsequent international
response has significantly challenged the Western worlds most commonly
held views on peace, security, and justice. But as Kofi Annan said,
September 11 did not change the world. In most respects, and for the vast
majority of people, the world today looks very similar to how it did on
September 10.
What has changed since September 11 is the political imperative for
international action, and the prospects for addressing some of the underlying
and chronic imbalances that continue to undermine the security of states and
peoples. World leaders have drawn connections between the acts of
terrorism on September 11, the rise in violent extremism, and the global
crisis of poverty, inequality, failed diplomacy, and persistent humanitarian
need. While there clearly is not always a direct link between poverty and
terrorism, Afghanistan has shown the world that widespread suffering and
failed states can breed terrorism and instability. It is becoming yet more
apparent that achieving human security focused on the protection of the
lives and livelihoods of people - is a key to achieving global security.
Politicians are turning their attention to the links between the crisis in global
security and the crisis of globalisation, whereby the exclusionary effects of
current trade rules have caused extreme polarisation and frustration around
the world.
September 11 has forced Western leaders to confront the deep structural
imbalances and historical animosities that fuel violence and extremism, and
to recognise that there can be no global security without global social justice.
World leaders are now among those that are making proposals to transform
international action, to shift radically the patterns of globalisation in favour of
the poor, and to create a more just and inclusive approach to development.
At the Financing for Development conference in Monterrey, the first signs
emerged that world leaders are prepared to do more to tackle global poverty.
The US, EU, Canada, and others all announced increases in aid in support of
efforts to achieve the Millenium Development Goals. The United States, the
UN, the EU and key Arab governments have all shown signs of seeking a
renewed peace intiative for the Middle East. The British government is
among those leading efforts to build a new engagement with Africa. Such
proposals from politicians go some way to meet the demands of citizens
everywhere pressing for action, exemplified by the growing US public support
for increased foreign aid, the significant international clamour for
humanitarian protection in Afghanistan, and the rising involvement by people,
particularly young people, in citizens movements pushing for greater
economic justice.Such commitments could become a basis for a new
international agenda. However, political action to match these good
intentions must be much more significant and sustained.
For most of the world, the face of the new international engagement from
Western leaders since September 11 has been primarily one of war. The war
in Afghanistan, and threats of extending military action to other countries, has
dominated the international agenda. International humanitarian law and

2 Words to Deeds
respect for the rights of civilians in conflict has been routinely ignored by all
warring parties. Major anti-terrorism laws restricting civil liberties have been
passed in most countries. Increases in aid have been almost exclusively
directed towards military allies. Meanwhile, the chronic conflicts causing
suffering around the world have continued or intensified. The significant
increase in violence between Israel and the Palestinians, the explosive
tensions between India and Pakistan, and the many other less visible
conflicts across Asia and Africa have only worsened since September. One
of the greatest opportunities for change was missed in November 2001 a
time when the world was eager to see concrete measures in international
political relations when the wealthy nations of the world closed the doors to
greater trade equity at the World Trade Summit in Doha. The world has seen
little of the promised international engagement to build the foundations for
lasting peace and security that so many of its leaders have promised.
Afghanistan highlighted the need to deal with the root causes of conflict and
insecurity if the effort to stop acts of terrorism and achieve global peace and
prosperity is ultimately to be successful. It is not sustainable to have billions
of people excluded from basic opportunities, to ignore the plight of dozens of
states and millions of people affected by violent conflict, and for part of the
world to get richer while the rest gets poorer.
Taking action to address these fundamental injustices is not only a moral
imperative; it is also in the security interests of the world community. It
requires new international partnerships and collaboration.There has been
significant rhetoric pointing in this direction. Now what is needed are the
policies and strategies that will turn these words into deeds. It is time to
make globalisation work for the poor, and to reform a range of
interconnected policies that lie at the heart of achieving human and global
security.
Oxfam is committed to seeing these reforms through. It will be working with
its partners and constituencies around the world to make a real difference to
the underlying causes of the current global crisis, and pressuring world
leaders to take tangible steps to turn their political commitments into action.

Todays real borders are not between nations, but between powerful and
powerless, free and fettered, privileged and humiliated. Today, no walls can
separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from
national security crises in another.
Kofi Annan
December 2001

Oxfams 10-point plan for international action

Words to Deeds 3
1 Fulfil the commitment to rebuild Afghanistan.
2 Establish a new basis of engagement with the Arab world and the Middle
East.
3 Renew efforts to resolve chronic emergencies and conflicts.
4 Restrict profiteering from war.
5 Curb the flow of arms that fuel conflict.
6 Reaffirm the rule of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
7 Support an international system of justice.
8 Fight against discrimination and the exclusion of women.
9 Increase aid and debt relief to meet the 2015 targets for poverty
reduction.
10 Make globalisation work for poverty reduction.

Taking concrete steps that show real progress on each of these issues would
build confidence that the international coalition united to combat terrorism is
also serious about addressing the injustices that fan the flames of violent
extremism. To do otherwise would risk exacerbating the tensions that
continue to undermine global security and prosperity.

4 Words to Deeds
Oxfams 10-Point Plan

1: Fulfill the commitment to rebuild Afghanistan

More than two decades of conflict, combined with three years of
recent drought, earthquakes and floods have caused widespread
human suffering and massive displacement of the Afghan
population, both within the country and into neighbouring countries.
After years of civil war, and the devastation brought by four months
of bombing, Afghanistans infrastructure has been destroyed or
degraded, its human-resource base severely depleted, and its social
institutions ruined. Afghanistans indicators of maternal and infant
mortality, health, education, and access to water and sanitation rank
among the worst in the world. Women and children have been the
hardest hit by the long years of deprivation and war and after
decades of war, and seven years of a fundamentalist regime, the
difference in life chances for men and women have further widened.
The end of the Taliban tyranny, the prospects of a transitional
government, and engagement by the international community have
offered previously unimagined hope to the people of Afghanistan.
The World Bank has estimated that it will cost $15bn to establish the
institutional, human, and material foundations necessary for a stable
society. The most optimistic forecasts are that a 10-year timeframe
will be needed to achieve these goals. Given the social, psychological,
and cultural impacts of the war, it will take several decades of
investment in social development for Afghanistan to rebuild its lost
human capital.
At the January conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, donors pledged
more than $4bn over the next two years. This is a far cry form the
neglectful policies of donors prior to September 11. Yet only a
fraction of the money pledged in Tokyo - $671m has been
disbursed. Much of this money is funding much needed immediate
emergency assistance but neglecting urgent reconstruction needs.
The interim administration needs strengthening and support, yet
donor funds to pay salaries have been slow to arrive. The
humanitarian situation especially for those displaced inside the
country is still worsening. Mines and unexploded ordinance pose a
daily threat to lives and limbs. Many parts of the country remain
very insecure, inhibiting the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the
political process and Afghanistans longer-term reconstruction and
development.

Words to Deeds 5
Afghanistan continues to serve as a test of international commitment
to tackle the causes and consequences of conflict and terrorism. The
international community has both political and moral obligations to
rebuild Afghanistan, both to avert further conflict in the region, and
to reverse the decades of suffering endured by millions of people
across the region.

Recommendations
1. The reconstruction of Afghanistan will only be possible if security
is restored and maintained. The international community must
make security their highest priority. Innovative partnerships
between the UN, the International Security Assistance Force, the
new Afghan Administration, and local governors are critical to
this. Donors should invest in training programmes for local police
and in DDR programmes (demobilisation, disarmament and
reintegration of ex-combatants). There should also be long-term
funding to re-establish a civilian police force and judicial system,
in order to provide security throughout the country. Civil society
will have an important role to play in pressing for these
structures to be accountable to the Afghan people.
2. Donors must deliver and disburse their pledges of $3bn for the
next two years of transition, to ensure adequate funding and
institutional support for reconstruction and development in both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is essential that donors coordinate
effectively with one another to minimise conflicting demands on
the Transitional Administration. The Implementation Group
should link closely with existing donor co-ordination and
consultation mechanisms, including the Afghan Support Group
and the Afghan Reconstruction Steering Group.
3. Donors, the UN and the interim administration need to ensure
that the voice and views of civil society are heard in the planning
and decision making governing the use of aid, in recovery and
reconstruction management, and in fund management. Particular
attention is needed to include women and other marginalised
groups in this.
4. Commitments to womens organisations in Afghanistan should
be upheld, including the incorporation of women in public office,
hiring gender advisors to key institutions, and establishing
specific budgets for womens development. Similar specific
commitments should be made to marginalised groups who are
not currently represented in the transition government.
5. The impact of large influxes of international aid and
organisations should be monitored. Donor registration, co-

6 Words to Deeds
 ordination, and adherence to existing Codes of Conduct (such as
the SPHERE Standards) should be upheld. Donor investments
should seek primarily to build the capacity of local organisations
to take forward the long-term task of rebuilding Afghanistan.
International organisations should respect the Code of Conduct,
drafted by ACBAR, the Afghan NGO network, and supported by
donors at the Bonn conference, which sets out appropriate
standards for employing Afghans in international organisations.
6. Respect for human rights should be the foundation for
reconstruction. This requires investment in systems of human
rights protection and justice, including specific measures taken to
address women's rights. All peacekeeping and security forces
should have mandatory training of security personnel in human
rights and in the specific issues relating to womens security and
gender violence. A human rights mission should be established,
as proposed by Mary Robinson.
7. Debt relief will be an important form of funds for Afghanistan.
The Afghan administration should be able to use all its resources
for reconstruction. Afghan governments in the 1970s built up
approximately US$45m in multilateral debt. As a first step, the
international community should cancel this sum. The elaboration
of a PRSP, with the involvement of Afghan civil society, should
be a condition for the provision of debt cancellation.

Point 2: A new engagement with the Arab world

and the Middle East
The current crisis has in many ways
Violence is frequently born out of
awakened the world to the frustration. Those who have
bankruptcy of Western policy nothing, risk nothing by taking
towards the Middle East, and the up arms. This is not a
deeply undemocratic nature of justification for conflict, even less
many Middle Eastern states that are for the terrible terrorist attacks of
considered close allies of the West. last month. But it is a recognition
Oil and strategic interests have led that poverty and deprivation
provide the breeding ground for
to a tacit acceptance of human rights
discontent and anger, where
abuse, repressive states, and ethnic and religious issues are
undemocratic regimes throughout easily exploited and magnified.
the region. Economic and military
Javier Solana, EU High
aid, combined with preferential Representative for the Common
trade agreements, have Foreign and Security Policy
strengthened these regimes and
21 October 2001
closed the avenues for political
debate, constructive opposition, and

Words to Deeds 7
the pursuit by civil society of reforms that would benefit the growing
numbers of poor people in the region. Repression and violence are
fuelled by massive influxes of military aid to the region.
The costs of this policy are now painfully clear. Many regimes that
were once the triumphant result of anti-colonial struggles are now
among the most repressive in the world. The stability of these
regimes is only maintained by restrictions on individual freedoms
and the promotion of extreme forms of nationalism and religious
fundamentalism. The disappointment within the Middle East over
the failure of the post-colonial regimes, combined with growing
levels of poverty, unemployment, and lack of education among large
sections of the population, has contributed to the rise in support for
religious militancy as a political alternative.
Western states must begin engaging in a long-term process of social
and political development in the Middle East. This must be based not
on winning an ideological war, but on achieving tangible
improvements in peoples civil and political rights, reversing the rise
in poverty across the region, and building the accountability of states
to their people. The foundation for engagement with the Middle East
must be the consistent and universal application of internationally
accepted laws and standards governing human rights. This will
require a fundamental shift in Middle East policy in the US and
Europe, with concrete steps taken to reduce the influence of the
politics of oil in sustaining undemocratic regimes.
As noted by most political leaders, resolution of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and an end to peoples suffering in Iraq must be
priorities. These conflicts have a deeply destabilising and polarising
effect throughout the region, and undermine any efforts to build a
new engagement with the Middle East. In the case of Israel and the
Palestinian Territories, immediate steps must be taken to stop the
bloodshed, protect civilians, and ensure that international law is
respected.
In case of Iraq, the Iraqi government continues to commit widespread
and gross violations of human rights, including the arrest of political
opponents, extra-judicial executions, restrictions on the freedom of
expression, and direct persecution of Kurds and Turkmen. The
sanctions on the regime continue to dig deeper, yet the impact on the
regime is negligible, and the costs are borne by the weakest sections
of the population.
The combination of government policies, an internal economic crisis,
a devastating drought, and sanctions have led to massive
humanitarian suffering that has caused outrage across the Arab
world and in many other countries. A 1999 study by UNICEF

8 Words to Deeds
reported that the death rate for children under five had doubled in
the ten years of sanctions. An estimated 800,000 children are
chronically malnourished. Over 700,000 people are internally
displaced and living without access to food and basic services. New
approaches to sanctions and the oil-for-food programme must be
explored to avert further loss of life.
There are real concerns regarding the threat of Iraq in its production
and potential use of chemical and biological weapons. However, for
the past decade, the international community has failed to engage
with Iraq in a way that assists the ordinary people of the country.
There must now be an international policy that tackles the poverty of
Iraqs people at the same time as tackling the weapons of the regime.
Military action against Iraq could have significant humanitarian
implications for the Iraqi people, and a destabilising effect in the
region.

Recommendations
1 To review relations with Middle Eastern states against the
framework of human rights, establishing a basis by which respect
for human rights and humanitarian law becomes a condition of
trade agreements and of economic and military aid.
2 To increase support to civil-society efforts across the region,
particularly human rights, womens, and social policy
organisations, as well as independent media and information
networks.

In relation to Israel and the Palestinian Territories

3 The international community must explore immediate measures
to protect Palestinian and Israeli civilians and to prevent further
loss of life. An international body to monitor human rights and
protection mechanisms should be established to diminish the
direct loss of civilian life and the most flagrant abuses of human
rights.
4 The international community must press the Israeli government
and the Palestinian Authority to abide by UN and other
international conventions governing wartime and occupation, as
stated in the 4th Geneva Convention and in UN Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338, and to uphold international human
rights law in the prosecution of justice. This is a duty of the
signatories of the Geneva Conventions.
5 The Israeli government must be pressed to lift generalised
closures, restrictions on civilian movements, and security

Words to Deeds 9
 measures with a view to allowing normal economic activity and
the provision of services to resume.
6 The Israeli government must be held to account for the direct
destruction of water systems and basic infrastructure in the West
Bank and Gaza, with immediate measures taken to repair
damages, resume normal services, and compensate civilians and
local government authorities for economic losses.

In relation to Iraq
7 The UN Security Council should mandate and support a
comprehensive assessment of the humanitarian situation in Iraq,
with a view to lifting those sanctions that have a clear impact on
civilian lives and health and reviewing the most appropriate
forms of humanitarian assistance given the grave deterioration in
basic services.
8 The review of sanctions by Western governments and within the
UN Security Council should evaluate the appropriateness of
sanctions in Iraq as a means of achieving political change.
9 Any military action against Iraq should consider the potential
humanitarian consequences as well as the destabilising influence
such an action could have in the region.

Point 3: Renew efforts to resolve chronic

emergencies and conflicts
Global security can only be achieved if the personal security of
millions of people living in conflict zones is addressed. Conflict has
created an estimated 14.5 million refugees and 24 million internally
displaced people (IDPs), the majority of them in Africa. Dozens of
countries suffer from failed or corrupt governments that only serve to
sustain war. Afghanistan was once one of these forgotten
emergencies. As the world now turns to the immense task of
rebuilding Afghanistan, it is essential that other countries are not
allowed to slip into the same state of crisis.
One priority is ensuring sufficient and sustained funding to meet
humanitarian need and to build a foundation for development.
Despite increasing wealth in the developed world, the percentage of
gross national product (GNP) given in aid has dropped significantly
in recent years, indicating a serious lack of commitment to share the
responsibility for humanitarian emergencies across the donor
community. This is despite the fact that assisting civilians in conflict
is an international obligation and that public support for aid remains

10 Words to Deeds
consistent; some 70 per cent of OECD citizens are in favour of
international aid.
In addition, support by OECD countries for hosting refugees has
come under threat. The measures taken by the Australian
Government towards asylum seekers are just one example of a rich
country turning its back on its humanitarian obligations. By contrast,
the countries most generous in hosting refugees are often among the
poorest in the world, and receive little aid to shoulder this burden.
Guinea, for example, has the third highest ratio of refugees-to-host
population one refugee for every 19 Guineans. Even so, the 2001
Consolidated Appeal (CAP) for West Africa received only 33 per cent
of the funds it needed.
Although there is debate about how to determine aggregate levels of
humanitarian need, the CAP process is one way to estimate this and
to measure donor response. The past five years have consistently
shown that the distribution of assistance is highly uneven, with some
emergencies receiving the lions share. In 1999, emergencies in the
former Yugoslavia received approximately $207 per person through
the CAP, while in the same year Sierra Leone received $16 and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) $8. In 2001, the CAPs for Africa
were funded to only 42 per cent of their needs.
While the cost of assistance and other factors influence this disparity
in per capita figures, the differences suggest a serious lack of
commitment to assist civilians suffering in some of the most
desperate crises. A global safety net is required, which will ensure
there are minimum levels for survival below which no human being
is allowed to fall.
Yet humanitarian aid cannot tackle the causes of chronic
emergencies. This requires much more sustained political
engagement and diplomatic attention to the worlds forgotten crises.
Sudan, Somalia, and the DRC are just some of the chronic
emergencies that urgently require greater action from world leaders.
Part of the package is to address the weak capacity of some states to
deal with chronic conflict. Many of the worlds worst crises are
perpetuated by government complicity, corruption, or weakness. The
decades-long tragedies in countries such as Sudan, the DRC, and
Liberia will never end unless the international community applies
political pressure to ensure that private interests are not allowed to
distort national investment and public expenditure. Investment is
needed in building strong state institutions, particularly to increase
the professionalism of the justice and security sectors.
Working with relevant regional organisations is also critical,
although often the effectiveness of such organisations is weakened by

Words to Deeds 11
the very conflicts among members that the organisation is asked to
resolve.

Recommendations
1 The international response to humanitarian crises should be
determined by need, not by strategic interest or media coverage.
All donors should significantly increase their aid budgets to
increase funds for humanitarian assistance. All countries should
make explicit their plans for reaching the target of 0.7 per cent of
gross national product (GNP) given in aid, and earmark a portion
of this to humanitarian aid.
2 The UN Security Council has a particular role to play to ensure
that humanitarian assistance and protection are backed by
political and economic action, to uphold international
humanitarian law, secure access, and ensure the protection of
non-combatants.
3 All donors should publicly commit themselves to the collective
provision of a global safety net, which will ensure humanitarian
assistance and protection to all those in need.
4 All actors in humanitarian response should improve the
consistency and quality of aid delivery through the dissemination
of, and adherence to, the Sphere Standards.
5 The international community must demonstrate sufficient
political will to tackle todays forgotten chronic emergencies.
Without concerted political pressure, sustained diplomacy and
tailored aid packages, both the personal security of millions, and
global security continue to be under threat.

Point 4: End profiteering from war

In many chronic conflicts there is a strong link between legal and
illegal commercial interests and the perpetuation of violence. Intense
diplomatic efforts to broker peace in these countries should be
complemented by a much tougher stance in dealing with those who
profit from corruption or from the illegal exploitation of natural
resources such as diamonds or oil, whether they be the ruling elite,
the military, business leaders, or multinational companies.
The part played by the exploitation of natural resources in fuelling
conflict all over the world should be more explicitly recognised and
addressed. In recent years various principles, codes of conduct,
guidelines, and standards have been developed which attempt to
govern the behaviour of global companies. However, these initiatives
have lacked strong government involvement and the necessary

12 Words to Deeds
institutional structures to ensure that they are effectively
implemented and contribute to an improvement in corporate and
state behaviour.
The disastrous war in the DRC is just One way in which we have to
one painful example. An estimated 2.5 ensure that nothing is the same
million people have died since it began again, is by making absolutely
in 1998. A UN panel investigating the certain that an international
conflict has repeatedly shown a direct campaign has not just to deal
connection between the presence of with some of these specific issues
of terrorism ... but also to deal
foreign troops (from countries including
with the connections between
Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, and poverty and environmental
Zimbabwe), the extraction of mineral degradation, and the dark side of
wealth, and the perpetuation of conflict globalisation, and trade, and
and related human suffering. The same development.
story is repeated in many countries Chris Patten, EU Commissioner
across Africa, Central Asia, and East
18 October 2001
Asia, as opportunistic individuals and
private companies, in collusion with
national governments and militaries, plunder local resources while
sustaining conflict. Some efforts have been made to control this
illegal activity. More than 35 countries involved in the production
and trade of diamonds have agreed to implement an international
scheme for the certification of rough diamonds known as the
Kimberley Process scheme - in order to single out conflict diamonds
that are mined or traded by those that are using the proceeds to fund
war. The challenge now is to ensure that all national governments
put in place legislation to implement the scheme in their countries,
and to strengthen the monitoring and compliance provisions in the
scheme to enable consumers to be sure that the diamonds they buy
are funding development not fuelling war.

Recommendations
1 To stop the trade in illegal and unethical exploitation of natural
resources, the international community should agree a UN
protocol or convention on the conduct of business, based on the
Human Rights Principles and Responsibilities for Transnational
Corporations and Other Business Enterprises drawn up by the
UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human
Rights. These principles should be the basis of an international
regulatory framework that is binding on states and business
enterprises.
2 Governments should implement the OECD Guidelines for
Multinational Enterprises, and ensure that the designated
National Contact Points are given greater prominence, with

Words to Deeds 13
 powers for monitoring and enforcement. A companys
willingness to implement the OECD guidelines should be a
condition of eligibility for all Northern government guarantees
and export credits.
3 All countries should publicly and actively support the
implementation of the Kimberley Process rough diamonds
certification system and press for stronger, independent
monitoring of participants compliance with the scheme.

Point 5: Curb the flow of arms that fuel conflict

The proliferation of small arms has changed the nature of conflict in
many parts of the developing world. It has increased the power of
warring parties and the devastation caused by conflict. In even the
poorest countries, the degree of sophistication in weaponry is
unprecedented, with automatic and semi-automatic weapons readily
available to anyone willing to fight. Some estimates put the figure of
small arms circulating in the world today at around 500 million,
which would mean one weapon for every 12 people on this planet.
The human cost of this proliferation is abhorrent. In the 1990s,
around five million people died as a direct result of conflict.
Colombia provides just one grim example, where it is estimated that
there are 22,000 violent deaths each year involving firearms.
In July 2001, the United Nations held the first UN Conference on the
Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. Significant progress
had been made in the lead up to this conference, with specific
conventions agreed at a regional level in Africa, including the
Organisation of African States (OAS) Convention against the Illicit
Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and
Explosives and other Related Materials. The European Union also
introduced a Code of Conduct on Arms, linking arms sales to human
rights, regional stability, and development criteria. At the UN
Conference, it was hoped that an international programme of action
could be mapped out to introduce more effective controls.
Unfortunately, progress on these initiatives was blocked, primarily
by the US government. It is a tragic irony that in the face of a global
campaign against terrorism, the most immediate tool of terror small
arms continues to proliferate at a terrible human cost.

Recommendations
1 The international community should agree an international
convention on arms exports and transfers based on human rights,
international humanitarian law, and development criteria.

14 Words to Deeds
2 The UN embargo system should be strengthened with improved
monitoring and implementation procedures. Substantially
increased resources should be made available to monitor the
observance of UN Security Council sanctions, both in conflict-
affected countries and in the countries of origin.

Point 6: Reaffirm the rule of international

humanitarian law and human rights law
The international effort to combat terrorism has prompted important
debates on the protection of human rights in relation to achieving
national and global security. There are real security considerations
that must be taken into account, and governments must have the
scope to close the loopholes that allow terrorists to operate. But this
cannot be at the expense of international law. The dangers are clear:
sacrificing human rights in the interests of security opens the way to
justifying a range of abuses by all actors. To undermine human rights
and international humanitarian law in the pursuit of security would
undermine the very rule of law that terrorism seeks to attack.
The conduct of the international coalition against terrorism has
highlighted a number of key areas of international law that must be
reaffirmed and consistently applied. One concern is the tolerance by
Western governments of human rights abuses
by those who undertake to co-operate with There can be no
global stability
the military effort. The lifting of sanctions on
without global social
Pakistan, and the silence over Russian justice.
activities in Chechnya, are just two examples.
Rt. Hon. Clare Short
Reinforcing the norms of human rights
MP, UK Secretary of
should be part of the anti-terrorist strategy, State for
not an area that is sacrificed in the short term International
in order to secure political allegiance. Development

The war in Afghanistan has seen the rights of 20 October 2001

refugees and asylum seekers seriously
undermined. Afghanistans neighbours closed their borders,
prohibiting civilians from seeking asylum as protected under
international refugee law. While host governments have genuine
concerns about security and capacity, the protection of people fleeing
persecution must be upheld as a fundamental human right. If the
burden falls too heavily on a single state, then the international
community should devise a plan to share the cost and responsibility.
Refugee rights have been further restricted in Europe, with blanket
powers to detain suspected terrorists indefinitely and without due
legal process. The Australian governments treatment of asylum
seekers also falls foul of the 1951 Refugee Convention. It is essential

Words to Deeds 15
that domestic security measures do not curtail the rights of many
thousands of refugees who have no reason to be suspected of
criminal or terrorist activity.
Protection of civilians in situations of conflict as set out in
international humanitarian law must be an international priority and
be observed by all warring parties. Across Africa and South Asia,
and in other chronic conflicts such as those in Colombia and
Indonesia, millions of civilians die each year at the hands of state,
insurgent, and paramilitary forces. International protection and
peacekeeping forces often fail to materialise until situations have
broken down entirely. Moreover, some of the most delicate
peacekeeping operations, such as in Sierra Leone, have suffered from
under-funding and a lack of commitment. In a context of heightened
global insecurity, the protection of civilians must lie at the heart of
international action.
Given the tensions in South Asia, the increasing restrictions on
domestic civil liberties, and the possible extension of the military
campaign to other parts of the world, it is essential that all
governments respect and uphold international law. The costs of
doing otherwise are immense, both for peoples lives and for the
legitimacy of governments actions.

Recommendations
1 The US, UK, and other coalition governments should publicly
reaffirm their commitment to uphold the Geneva Conventions,
particularly in relation to the protection of civilians. All parties
should contribute to an independent review of the application of
humanitarian law in the context of the Afghan conflict with the
goal of ensuring that any future military action is firmly
grounded in these international instruments.
2 Any future military action should be vetted by the UN Security
Council as a key body for ensuring international accountability
and respect for international humanitarian law.
3 In the face of any new refugee crises, the international
community should work together to devise a burden-sharing
agreement that puts refugee rights at the forefront. Genuine
protection should be guaranteed for asylum-seekers in fulfilment
of the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

16 Words to Deeds
Point 7: Support an international system of
justice
Two events in the middle of 1998 should in hindsight have had a
remarkable connection. In Rome, 120 governments signed the statute
of a new International Criminal Court (ICC). In Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam, terrorists attacked the US embassies. The Al Qaeda suspects
were based in a country whose de facto government was not
internationally recognised. This was just the type of case in which the
ICC could have been the most useful.
Sadly, these acts of terrorism did not galvanise governments to ratify
the ICC as soon as possible. The 1990s had seen a host of cases, from
the Balkans to West Africa, in which the impunity of war criminals
had allowed brutal conflicts to drag on without resolution. Yet
governments were slow to ratify the ICC statute and the Court lacks
full international support.
The events of September 11 threw a harsh light on th deesperately
slow diplomatic progress to ratify the courts statute. But the Afghan
crisis also illustrated the challenge of how to apply to every
particular crisis the principle that war criminals should be brought to
justice. At least so far, the arrangements which have brought a partial
peace to Afghanistan since the Taliban fled Kabul in November have
been based not on prosecution, but on the accommodation of
different factions, many of them with records of gross violations of
human rights and humanitarian law.
The world must develop the norm that war criminals will be
prosecuted either by legitimate national judiciaries or where absent
(as in Afghanistan under the Taliban) by the International Criminal
Court. The ICCs responsibility for considering gender-based
violence must also be maintained. With these considerations at the
fore, there should be an urgent push to establish the Court with the
political will behind it to make it work.
But the implementation of justice (international as well as domestic)
needs always to take account of the specific case. There is no one-
size-fits-all solution to uphold international humanitarian and
human rights law. As in South Africa in the 1990s, there will be cases
when prosecuting the guilty will provoke more conflict than it will
resolve. The only absolute should be that those who have suffered,
the women and men and civil-society organisations, should be
consulted whether any post-conflict settlement simply brings war
criminals to justice or finds some kind of accommodation with them.
Past experiences suggest that the international community should

Words to Deeds 17
only support post-conflict deals that have this genuine popular
support.

Recommendations
1 Governments should support, not undermine, the Courts
establishment, protecting its remit to pursue cases of gender
violence.
2 Governments should support popular and civil-society
participation in all post-conflict settlements, to ensure that the
women and men who have been affected are involved in the
decision whether or not to bring all war criminals to justice.

Point 8: Fight against discrimination, intolerance

and the exclusion of women and minorities
The events of September 11 exposed some of the divisions among the
worlds peoples. Different attitudes towards religion, politics, and
gender rights came suddenly into view. The international response to
September 11 threatened to deepen some of these divisions, for
example provoking anti-Western and anti-Islamic sentiment among
different groups. Such sentiments have also
manifested themselves in horrifying acts of There can be no true
violence against Muslims and Christians dialogue without
addressing the sources of
apparently as a result of their faith. This
hatred and xenophobia.
manifestation of fears and frustration We may be one human
highlighted once again the implications of family, but we remain
extremism and intolerance of different divided by language,
political and religious beliefs or ethnicity. religion, and culture. We
are still separated by
Some government leaders have sought to poverty and affluence,
counter these polarising tendencies, preaching and millions experience
the importance of greater understanding racism, xenophobia, and
between different faiths, and denouncing the other forms of
racist attacks that have increased in some intolerance on a daily
places. Such efforts will look like window basis.
dressing without more systematic steps to Mary Robinson, UN
counter xenophobia, discrimination and High Commissioner for
intolerance of diversity and difference, Human Rights
whether due to differences in religion, 15 October 2001
ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
International attention on the plight of women in Afghanistan has
brought the question of the different opportunities and experiences
of men and women once again onto the international political
agenda. The brutality of the Taliban regime offered an extreme

18 Words to Deeds
example of what is true beyond the boundaries of Afghanistan: that
gender continues to be one source of inequality between human
beings. In Afghanistan, international leaders and institutions have
committed themselves to engage with womens groups and to
support womens development and rights as a priority in the
rebuilding of Afghanistan. Numerous gender advisers and liaison
posts have been created, and commitments have been made to
specific aid programmes for women. These commitments must be
turned into concrete benefits that tackle discrimination against
Afghan women and support women to achieve their human rights.
Yet perhaps the greater challenge is to ensure that this concern for
the discrimination against Afghan women is truly a new global
commitment to address womens rights and inequalities based on
gender. Such awareness should permeate domestic as well as foreign
policy. One aspect of this is the ratification and implementation of
the provision of the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW). This is the only document on womens rights that
is legally binding, but although 167 states have ratified the
Convention with the USA one of the notable exceptions levels of
implementation are extremely varied. This needs concerted
international action.
There is currently greater international awareness of the dangers of
exclusion and inequity based on gender, ethnic, or religious identity.
At its most extreme, such exclusion and discrimination leads to death
and suffering. At the core of such measures are injustice and the
denial of fundamental human rights. There are signs that some
leaders are prepared to tackle such discrimination, ignorance and
intolerance. It is important that this is sustained. Stability and long-
term security clearly depend on more inclusive and equitable
political systems nationally, and internationally, and a respect for the
equal rights of all human beings.

Recommendations
1. Governments and political leaders should ensure that their
policies and actions do not exacerbate intolerance and exclusion
of different groups for example on the basis of religion, ethnicity
or gender. Political leaders have a vital role to preach tolerance
and respect. Asylum and immigration policies are one concrete
expression of this. The active recruitment of minority groups to
public office and private institutions is another.
2. The international efforts to address gender inequity in
Afghanistan should be extended to all bilateral relations, with a
specific initiative to work with governments to ratify CEDAW

Words to Deeds 19
 and the Beijing Platform of Action, and to develop national action
plans for their implementation.

Point 9: Increase aid and debt relief to meet the

2015 targets for poverty reduction
A world with more than one billion people living with less than $1 a
day and 900 million illiterate people cannot be a safe place for all. At
the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, representatives of
191 nations committed themselves once again, among other things, to
halve the proportion of the worlds people living in poverty and to
achieve universal primary education by 2015. But it is highly likely
that these targets will be missed, unless there is a significant and
concerted effort to increase investment in social and economic
development in the worlds poorest countries.
Oxfam estimates that $150bn is required each year to reach the 2015
targets. Yet international development assistance from OECD
countries amounted to only $53.7bn in 2000. If all OECD countries
fulfilled their commitment to dedicate 0.7 per cent of their gross
national product (GNP) to development aid, there would be
US$114bn available for development. At the Financing for
Development conference in Monterrey, the first signs emerged that
world leaders are prepared to do more to tackle global poverty. The
US, EU, Canada, and others all announced increases in aid in support
of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. These
announcements are significant and set a positive momentum. But
the total requirement must be fulfilled if there is to be hope for
significant poverty reduction. The commitments represent a small
fraction of the additional $100bn needed annually, and most of the
aid increases will be phased in over a number of years, whereas the
money is needed now.
The new global context should be seen as an opportunity to achieve a
renewed aid effort to address the structural factors that are feeding
global insecurity, such as poverty and inequity.

Recommendations
1 OECD countries should substantially increase their support to
poverty reduction and social development, and deliver on their
commitments to reach the Millennium Development Goals by
2015.
2 Northern governments must honour their commitment to
increase real ODA flows to 0.7 per cent of GNP within ten years,

20 Words to Deeds
 and focus this on achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals.
3 Donors should significantly increase aid to developing countries
that are committed to poverty reduction. Donors must make
every effort to coordinate aid in support of development
priorities that are identified within developing countries own
national planning processes, for example the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper process.
4 A review of debt sustainability criteria should be conducted by
the IMF and the World Bank, linked to the financing
requirements of the 2015 goals in indebted countries, and
including other non-HIPC low-income countries.
5 Education should be given top priority, with full support given to
the Education for All action plan to address the massive
education deficit in developing countries.

Point 10: Make globalisation work for poverty

reduction
Most major international gatherings, such as the World Trade
Organisation meetings and the World Bank/IMF annual meetings,
are now characterised by massive public
protests and widespread public debate about People who feel the world
is tilted against them will
the accountability of the multilateral system
spawn the kind of hatred
that governs trade, aid, and development that is very dangerous for
policy. There is little public confidence that all of usI think its a
these institutions are responsive to the public healthy sign that there are
interest. Rather, they are seen as functioning to demonstrations in the
protect the advantages of the most powerful streets. They are raising
states and private corporations. This deep sense the question of is the rich
of injustice in the international system further world giving back
enough?
fosters the polarisation between North and
South, East and West. Bill Gates, Chairman,
Microsoft Corporation,
The rapid expansion of world trade through speaking at the World
globalisation has been accompanied by Economic Forum, New
painfully slow progress on poverty reduction. York
Poverty has in fact deepened in many parts of 3 February 2002
the world. Over one billion people live in
extreme poverty, while income disparities
between rich and poor, men and women, and urban and rural have
grown. And because exports account for a growing share of global
wealth, and rich countries account for most of this, trade is fuelling
these inequalities.

Words to Deeds 21
Globalisation and trade do not necessarily have to work against the
poor. Participation in global trade offers access to markets for
producers and opens the flow of technologies and ideas, many of
which are essential to securing public health and development. As a
force for human development, trade is far more important than aid.
A mere two per cent increase in the exports of developing countries
would generate $150bn, or three times annual aid flows. A shift of
this nature could allow for the kind of investments required within
these countries if they are to meet the 2015 international development
targets.
Yet under current trade rules, developing countries are slipping
further into the most volatile, low-revenue sectors within the global
market place, such as commodities and low value-added technology.
This is in large part due to the rules governing world trade, which
put poor countries at a distinct disadvantage. Not only are these
countries starting with a significantly lower resource base, but they
also face double standards: forced to liberalise their own markets
while being denied access to potentially more profitable Northern
markets. National enterprises are further disadvantaged by powerful
transnational companies, which not only hold significant financial
advantage but are subject to very few controls in terms of both labour
standards and investment back into the communities where they
operate.
Trade is potentially a tremendous force for good. But for this to be
realised, the world trade system requires stronger systems of
governance that put poverty reduction and equity at their centre. An
effective system of global governance, operating in the broadest
possible public interest, requires a combination of formal
representative governance structures, compensatory mechanisms to
create a level playing field in negotiations, and consultative
mechanisms that bring debates and decisions into the public domain.
Most multilateral institutions lack all three.
A new economic system must also be able to ensure global financial
stability, in order to avoid repeating the financial crises that have hit
the poorest people in particular in several middle-income countries
during the last decades. A review of the Capital Account
Liberalisation policies imposed in Southern countries, and more
effective policies governing tax havens, offshore financial centres,
and the movement of capital, are essential measures for a safer
financial system.
Greater equity in world trade will require deep reform of decision-
making structures within existing multilateral structures to tackle the
dominance of the worlds most powerful economies and give greater

22 Words to Deeds
voice to developing countries. It will require clear rules that
recognise the disadvantages that developing countries bear in
entering global markets and negotiations. Above all, it will require a
consensus among world leaders that globalisation, if it is to continue
with any level of public support, must be harnessed in such a way
that it meets the great challenges facing the poorest and most
marginalised groups in the world.

Recommendations
1 WTO decision-making processes should be reviewed in order to
increase effective participation by developing countries. WTO
documents should be automatically de-restricted, in order to
increase public scrutiny of trade policy making at the WTO
through more active involvement of national parliaments and
regular consultations with civil society.
2 As a new trade round is initiated in the follow-up to the World
Trade Summit in Doha, world leaders should take the
opportunity to build an explicit poverty reduction and
democratising agenda into trade negotiations. This must include
concrete steps to open Northern markets to developing countries,
develop standards that regulate the behaviour of transnational
companies, and address the devastating impact of volatility in
commodity prices on the world market.
3 A new international framework should be developed by the
World Bank and the IMF for dealing with financial havens and
their effects, and for curbing the damage of capital flight on weak
economies.

Putting this 10-point plan into action

As important as agreeing an ambitious agenda for change is the need
for action plans which will move from words to deeds, putting policy
into practice. Oxfam believes that governments should identify
opportunities to agree specific policy changes from the series of
meetings taking place over the coming months. The coming months
offer important opportunities to reach concrete agreements.
June 2002, G8 Leaders Meeting, Canada
The G8s agenda includes discussions of international efforts to reach
the 2015 education goals, and to further African development. The
meeting should agree a clear timetable for reaching the 0.7 per cent
aid target, provide sustainable debt relief, and commit to trade
reform in support of international efforts to reach the development

Words to Deeds 23
goals. Commitments for aid to basic education, and to tackle African
conflicts are also key.
June 2002, the World Food Summit
This will address the right to food. Governments should make a
renewed commitment to sustainable agriculture as the basis of
development and food security, and make more generous
contributions in the renegotiation of the Food Aid Convention.
September 2002, World Summit on Sustainable Development,
Johannesburg
The Summit is an opportunity for world leaders and civil society to
review progress towards the international development goals.
October 2002, World Bank/IMF annual meetings
These should review progress on education plans and on debt relief.
October 2002, ACP/EU
Negotiations start between the ACP and the EU on post-Lom
arrangements. These should agree new aid and trade arrangements
to benefit the poorest countries.
December 2002, European Council, Denmark
The Danish government will prioritise sustainable development and
the issues arising at the EU. The World Summit on Sustainable
Development will take place during its Presidency. This gives the EU
the opportunity to lead international efforts in support of poverty
reduction.

Oxfam International 2002 May 2002

This paper was written by Becky Buell. It is part of a series of papers
written to inform public debate on development and humanitarian policy
issues. The text may be freely used for the purposes of campaigning,
education, and research, provided that the source is acknowledged in full.
For further information please email [email protected]

24 Words to Deeds
Oxfam International is a confederation of twelve development agencies which work in 120
countries throughout the developing world: Oxfam America, Oxfam-in-Belgium, Oxfam
Canada, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Australia), Oxfam Germany, Oxfam Great Britain,
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Published by Oxfam International May 2002

Published by Oxfam GB for Oxfam International under ISBN 978-1-84814-731-7

Words to Deeds 25