A current challenge confronting humanitarian work throughout the world is the increasing realization that global solutions are needed for global problems, Oxfam America’s Paul Valentin said yesterday at Boston University’s Center for International Relations.
“As we have seen with the events around us, instability cannot be solved within national boundaries,” Valentin said.
A Dutch national trained as a tropical agriculturist, Valentin had worked in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and East Timor before becoming Oxfam America’s global program director in Boston last year.
Speaking to a group of about 15, Valentin discussed the role of Oxfam America as part of a global humanitarian organization needing to deal with a changing world.
Apart from its traditional role as a provider of relief and development aid, Oxfam also sees itself as an advocate for policy changes by helping people around the world escape poverty and ensuring basic human rights in controversial issues, Valentin said.
“We realized that relief during war or crisis would not be lasting enough, with poverty being entrenched before the occurrence of tragedy,” Valentin said.
Valentin pointed out the necessity of different approaches in achieving Oxfam’s goals.
In the case of Oxfam’s work in Afghanistan, it took on the management of irrigation systems after the fall of the Taliban, he said.
“We used the operational approach in this case,” said Valentin. “There was a huge problem with the issue of heroin production: Many people would have gone into poppy-planting because it was the only thing that brought in the money, given the kind of irrigation system they had there.
“What we did was work on the rehabilitation of these systems to allow the Afghani farmers to grow their own food,” he said.
Lori Cannon, a graduate student in international relations, asked if maintaining neutrality in areas of conflict was a problem for Oxfam.
“Oxfam is not neutral, but impartial,” Valentin said. “The question we need to ask ourselves is, ‘What is our witnessing role?’ At times this will mean bringing information and suggestions to people or authorities who can make a difference.”
Tammy Lynch, a doctoral candidate in the University Professors program, wanted to know how Oxfam addresses the problem of being in unfriendly situations.
“It’s a dilemma,” Valentin said. “I can’t recruit people to send them into a dangerous situation. East Timor was very difficult for us because the Indonesians themselves didn’t want us there.”
Such situations might require working through the locals themselves, Valentin said. According to Valentin, communication between local authorities would also have to be mediated.
Pablo Suarez, a doctoral candidate in geography, asked whom Oxfam was looking for to help in their missions.
“What we typically have are activists applying,” Valentin said. “But we really need people with some professional or management skills, some hard skills.
“Our biggest challenge is consciousness-raising of the work that organizations such as us do within the United States itself,” he said.
Oxfam America is part of a consortium of 12 Oxfams around the world seeking to address the root causes of hunger and poverty.
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