Policy papers & campaign reports

Grand Bargain 10 Years on: Protecting quality under scarcity

2026-03-03T01:44:03Z

Grand Bargain 10 Years on: Protecting quality under scarcity Scott, Rachel

The Grand Bargain reaches its 10-year mark in 2026 at a moment of acute funding cuts, hyper-prioritization and rising pressure to prioritize quantity over quality. The Facilitation Group are now leading consultations to inform negotiations on how the Grand Bargain evolves beyond 2026. This paper argues that progress since 2016 is real but fragile, and that the next phase must learn from what has enabled and hindered delivery. Oxfam calls for a focused forum that protects hard-won gains, proves progress credibly, accelerates practical change on the ground, and keeps quality and legitimacy non-negotiable under scarcity.

No Representation, No Peace: The African demand for a reformed Security Council

2026-02-12T01:51:05Z

No Representation, No Peace: The African demand for a reformed Security Council Nalbandian, Elise; Mofya, Brenda; Kacheche, Lusungu; Ataya, Rosalie; Mura, Virginia

No Representation, No Peace exposes how Africa’s exclusion from permanent membership on the UN Security Council continues to undermine global peace and security. Drawing on case studies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Western Sahara, the report shows how decisions taken without African representation have fuelled implementation failures, sidelined local voices, and entrenched injustice. It presents Africa’s unified Common Position—rooted in the Ezulwini Consensus and championed by the African Union’s Committee of Ten—which calls for at least two permanent seats for Africa with full veto rights, five non‑permanent seats, and sweeping reforms to make the Council more democratic, transparent, and accountable. Aligning with Oxfam’s Vetoing Humanity findings, the briefing outlines a six‑point agenda to secure Africa’s permanent voice, abolish the veto, strengthen AU–UN cooperation, and centre women and affected communities in peace processes. It is a call to correct historical injustice and build a fairer multilateral system.

Rights at the Core: Towards a rights-respecting digital ecosystem in ASEAN

2026-01-28T01:50:23Z

Rights at the Core: Towards a rights-respecting digital ecosystem in ASEAN Dancoisne, Camille; Damar Hanung, Cornelius; Bamrungchok, Darika; Naw, Laura; Urbinati, Lorenzo; Suttisome, Prapasiri; Sayo, Phet; Judhistari, Rachel Arinii; Desyana, Siti R.A.

ASEAN is setting ambitious goals to advance and lead in the digital age. The forthcoming ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2030, expected in early 2026, will steer regional digital development for the next five years. As ASEAN enters this new phase, it is crucial that its strategies align with a rights‑based approach.

In 2025, Access Now, EngageMedia, FORUM‑ASIA, Oxfam, and the Wikimedia Foundation developed a briefing paper assessing digital rights across more than 16 ASEAN frameworks and documents. Through consultations with diverse civil society groups, the briefing developed recommendations on key issues such as the digital economy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

This paper offers the first comprehensive mapping of ASEAN’s digital rights landscape. It reveals a gap between ASEAN’s ambitions and its commitments to equity and inclusion, as well as limited civil society participation in major processes. It concludes with practical recommendations for building a rights‑respecting, inclusive digital ecosystem.

Resisting the Rule of the Rich

2026-01-19T11:10:04Z

Resisting the Rule of the Rich Maitland, Alex; Taneja, Anjela; Kamande, Anthony; Brown Solá, Carlos; Bignell, Harry; Lawson, Max; Møller Stahl, Rune

Extreme inequality is reaching new heights. In 2025, billionaire wealth increased three times faster than the average annual rate over the previous five years. Meanwhile, one in four people don’t regularly have enough to eat and nearly half the world’s population live in poverty. The super-rich are becoming a new oligarchy, using their extreme wealth to buy politics, the media and justice to defend their fortunes, dismantle and destroy progressive policies and strip away our basic civil and political rights. Siding with the super-rich, increasingly authoritarian governments are supressing dissent, curtailing rights and fuelling division to protect and preserve this extreme inequality. We must resist by building a worldwide people’s movement to defend our rights, and fight for a clear alternative to inequality and oligarchy.