About Oxfam
Oxfam Australia supports people to live safe from war, violence and emergency. We believe the international community has the responsibility to do the same.
Emergency assistance
When disaster strikes around the world, Oxfam and our partners move quickly to provide life-saving assistance to people in need. Once the immediate danger has passed, we work to rebuild lives and reduce the risk of future disasters. Right now Oxfam is responding to humanitarian emergencies in more than 30 countries. Our work includes:
- Providing clean water, sanitation facilities, food, health and nutrition advice, either directly or through national or international organisations
- Influencing the international community's response to the devastation caused by conflict and natural disasters – for example pushing for changes in policy to end or prevent further conflict or helping to make people less vulnerable to conflict or natural disasters in the future
Humanitarian advocacy
Oxfam seeks to ensure that the systems and laws designed to protect and assist people in times of crisis are upheld and functioning properly. Often this means putting pressure on governments to respect and act according to their obligations.
Oxfam advocates that people in crisis situations have rights to asylum, obtain assistance and be protected from abuse.
Oxfam supports and continues to advocate for the principle of the responsibility to protect. This principle makes it an the responsibility of individual governments and the international community to protect civilians from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
