EDITORIAL: Oxfam International is on the right track

Oxfam International (right) in dialogue with other NGOs

By ANAÏS VOSKI, THE GUARDIAN

Oxfam International is calling for a coalition between NGOs in order to strengthen their acting capabilities at the sixty-first session of the Harvard National Model United Nations conference.

As Oxfam’s representative told The Guardian, an NGO coalition would mean all sorts of needs and campaigns addressed under one powerful umbrella, enhancing organizations’ capabilities in making a difference for the better.

Non-governmental work and participation in the democratic process of a country is inarguably more important than ever. Just last month, Oxfam published a study in which they concluded that the global inequality gap is growing to the point where the top 1% is controlling half of the global wealth.

In such an increasingly polarized world, we at The Guardian believe that if a coalition is necessary in order to step up non-governmental organizations’ roles in international negotiations and diplomacy, then Oxfam International is on the right track.

Oxfam itself is an international confederation that brings together 17 different organizations, therefore its leadership in an even greater coalition between HNMUN’s NGOs seems like a natural fit that we strongly encourage.

“We discussed statelessness in the United Nations Human Rights Council, something that is incredibly relevant to our organization, as our primary focus is combatting poverty,” says Oxfam’s HNMUN representative Abilasha Trivedi.

“However, currently, we do not have a direct voice in the United Nations. We need one in order to make sure that the people who need our help the most are having their needs addressed.”

Trivedi highlighted past campaigns in South Sudan and Somalia, as well as current ones in Western Africa with the Ebola crisis, and others in Palestine and Syria, and encouraged both the UK and international citizens to donate some money to help Oxfam combat poverty and displacement.