Annual Report and Accounts 2007/08: Contents
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Annual Report & Accounts 07/08 Oxfam Annual Report And Accounts 2007/08: Contents Oxfam Corporate Directory 2 Oxfam Mission 3 Trustees’ Report 4 Chair’s Introduction 4 Objectives and Activities 6 Programme Overview 6 Programme by Aim 6 Developing Oxfam 12 Securing Resources 13 The Year Ahead 15 Where the money comes from and where it goes 17 Finance Summary 18 Structure, Governance and Management 22 Auditors’ Report 26 Accounts 27 Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities 27 Summary Income and Expenditure Account 28 Balance Sheets 29 Consolidated Cash Flow Statement 30 Notes to the Financial Statements 31 Acknowledgements 57 Annex: Accountability Report Update 58 Oxfam Registered Office Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford OX4 2JY Telephone: (+44) (0)1865 473727 www.oxfam.org.uk A company registered in England, number 612172, and limited by guarantee. Registered Charity No. 202918. Oxfam (also known as Oxfam GB) is a member of Oxfam International. 1 Oxfam: Corporate Directory Oxfam Council of Trustees as at 30 April 2008 and 26 September 2008 John Gaventa (Chair) 2, 3 Maureen Connelly Jackie Gunn1 Angela Sealey (Vice-Chair) 2, 3 Sandra Dawson Adebayo Olukoshi Gareth Davies (Treasurer) 1, 2 Andy Friend Richard Taylor1 Susannah Cox Vanessa Godfrey3 Stan Thekaekara Norman Sanson retired from Council at the Annual General Meeting on 23 November 2007. Susannah Cox and Vanessa Godfrey were appointed as Trustees at the same meeting. Amartya Sen (Adviser to Oxfam International), who is not a Trustee, holds an honorary position. Oxfam Association as at 30 April 2008 (Refer to Trustees’ Report: Organisation and Corporate Governance) The following, who are not Trustees, are members of the Association of Oxfam: Miqdad Asaria, Kate Cook1, Edward Davey, Mark Dawson, Sally Denham, Geoff Foster3, David Gait, Shirlene Goldsbrough, Alex Jacobs, Rizwana Khan, Anne Lloyd, Isobel McConnan3, Jabulani Ncube, John Richards, Tim Robinson1, Catherine Royce, Robin Stafford, Martin Whiteside, Bryan Zhang, Tricia Zipfel3. Principal Professional Advisers Oxfam’s principal professional advisers include the following: Principal Clearing Bankers: The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, 9th Floor, 280 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4RB. Auditors: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0AF. Principal Solicitors: Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons, Seacourt Tower, West Way, Oxford OX2 0FB; Weil, Gotshal & Manges, One South Place, London EC2M 2WG; Wragge & Co., 55 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2AS. Corporate Management Team Oxfam’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) comprises: Chief Executive: Dame Barbara Stocking, DBE Campaigns and Policy: Phil Bloomer Finance and IS: John Shaw Fundraising: Cathy Ferrier Human Resources: Jane Cotton International: Penny Lawrence Trading: David McCullough Company Secretary: Joss Saunders 1 Member of Trustee Audit and Finance Group; 2 Member of Remuneration Committee; 3 Member of Recruitment and Development Group 2 Oxfam: Mission Our purpose: Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering1 Who we are Our approach Oxfam is an independent organisation, registered as a All our work comes from a rights-based approach. To charity, affiliated to Oxfam International, with partners, overcome poverty and suffering we work to ensure volunteers, supporters and staff of many nationalities. We that the rights of women and men are fulfilled and are all part of a global movement to build a just and safer protected. Our programme is focused within five aims: world. • Right to a sustainable livelihood What we do • Right to basic social services We are a catalyst for overcoming poverty. To achieve the • Right to life and security greatest impact, we work on three interlinking fronts: • Right to be heard • Right to equity: gender and diversity. • saving lives by responding swiftly to provide support and protection during emergencies; We may focus on a specific aim, but we know that • developing programmes and solutions that empower poverty is experienced through a range of issues and people to work their way out of poverty; will not be eliminated by addressing just one of them. • campaigning to achieve lasting change. The causes of poverty are often national or global, Our beliefs so we work at all levels from global to local, with international governments and global institutions We have five fundamental beliefs that underpin our work: and with local communities and individuals. • All human lives are of equal value. Everyone has fundamental rights, which must be We are committed to the principle that whenever recognised and upheld at all times. possible we should work with or through partners to • Poverty makes people more vulnerable to support self-reliance, not dependency. This is true in conflict and natural disasters. Much of this all areas of our work. However, in our work during suffering is unnecessary and must be relieved. emergencies, because of the extreme and urgent nature We must work with others to respond with the of these situations, we tend to work more directly, most appropriate and effective solutions. providing humanitarian assistance through our own • People’s vulnerability to poverty and suffering is staff (e.g. to provide water and sanitation to refugees). increased by unequal power relations based on, for example, gender, race, class, caste, and disability. Oxfam works in more than 70 countries in eight Women, who make up the majority of the world’s poor regions (see page 6), which we believe gives us a greater people, are especially disadvantaged. Unequal power understanding of the main causes of poverty and relations must be addressed wherever they occur. suffering, and enables us to have a greater impact. • In a world rich in resources, poverty is a morally indefensible injustice, which must and can be overcome. Oxfam (also known as Oxfam GB) is a member Poverty, vulnerability and suffering are not pre-ordained of Oxfam International (OI) – a global events. All too often, poverty is the result of decisions confederation of 13 independent Oxfams. made, intentionally or unintentionally, by those in power. It is vital to challenge and remove unjust policies and practices nationally and internationally. • With the right resources, support, and training, people living in poverty can solve their own problems. We all have a personal responsibility to work together to overcome poverty and suffering. 1 The full statement of the charity’s objects can be found as a PDF at www.oxfam.org.uk/about_us 3 Chair’s Introduction This annual report highlights, once again, the important quickly and constantly to these ongoing, multiple conflicts contributions Oxfam has made throughout the world and crises. It is indeed gratifying to know that behind so in working with others to overcome poverty and many headlines, from so many places and on such diverse suffering. Looking back over the year, while we have issues, Oxfam is there and is making a difference. Our not experienced a large-scale crisis such as the South reach is immense, whether through ongoing dialogue Asian tsunami, which shaped Oxfam’s work over the and advocacy with top national and international policy previous two years, or a single campaign such as Make makers, or on the ground, with partners, grassroots Poverty History in 2005, the problems facing poor people movements, and community-based organisations. I hope are even more chronic, and our role of keeping poverty this annual report will help to give you a better insight into on everyone’s agenda is even more important. the many ways that these achievements have come about. Demanding that all governments keep the promises In addition to a focus on what we do, much of the made in 2005 on aid and debt relief has been an ongoing attention of the organisation and of the Trustees this focus for Oxfam and for all those campaigning to end year has been on how we do it. International non- poverty. The need for the day-to-day work of promoting government organisations (INGOs) like Oxfam operate in core rights for poor people continues, and, in fact, is more a rapidly changing environment. As we demand greater significant than ever. These include the right to sustainable accountability of governments and those in the private livelihoods, basic social services, life and security, to sector to respond to issues of poverty, so we ourselves have their voices heard, and to be treated with equity. must be increasingly transparent and accountable. As more funds go to international aid, there is growing Increasing climate change, for instance, is resulting in more pressure to be able to demonstrate results. As new players, frequent natural disasters – demanding more rapid and such as large new foundations, social philanthropists, or constant humanitarian responses. Oxfam has expanded corporations begin to pay attention to poverty issues, so its work – both through the provision of immediate relief, Oxfam must show what it can deliver through partnership such as in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, or alone. And as the centres of power in the world change, and also through global campaigning to highlight the with the growing influence of places such as China and links between climate change and poverty, and to work India, Oxfam must think about how it repositions itself in towards a new UN global agreement on climate change. alliance with others to continue to be agile and effective. As a consequence of political instability and war, whether We have responded this year to changing terrain in at least in Afghanistan, Chad, the Darfur region of Sudan, the three important ways: Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the Occupied • First is our work on Oxfam’s own accountability and Palestinian Territories, the links between conflict and poverty transparency. For Oxfam, accountability is important are increasingly more apparent. Oxfam has helped those in itself: it is one of our values. It also strengthens our affected to have basic water supplies, food, and sanitation, legitimacy and impact, and is vital to fulfilling our while also campaigning to bring attention to how such mission.