How we are organized

On this page:

• Oxfam Affiliates
• Oxfam International Secretariat
• Our Governance
• Accountability

We are a confederation 

In 1995, a group of independent non-governmental organizations came together to share knowledge and resources and combine their efforts in the fight against poverty and injustice. They formed a foundation (“Stichting” in Dutch): Stichting Oxfam International knowing that by joining forces as a global confederation they could maximize efficiency, impact, and reach.  

Our affiliate family 

There are currently 21 member organizations, our affiliates, who coordinate and lead this fight via the Oxfam International Secretariat. Each affiliate is an independent organization with its own areas of activity and work contributing its own strengths and expertise to the confederation to achieve our shared goals. The foundation provides a medium to agree on which priorities and aims they hold in common, and how to achieve them. It also supports and makes possible affiliate collaboration on shared projects.

Current Oxfam affiliates: Oxfam America (USA),Oxfam Australia, Oxfam in Belgium, Oxfam Brasil, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Colombia, Oxfam Denmark , Oxfam France, Oxfam Germany, Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam Hong Kong, Oxfam India, Oxfam Intermón (Spain), Oxfam Ireland, Oxfam Italy, Oxfam Mexico, Oxfam Aotearoa (New Zealand), Oxfam Novib (Netherlands), Oxfam Québec, Oxfam South Africa and Kadın Emeğini Değerlendirme Vakfı (KEDV- Foundation for the Support of Women's Work, Turkey).

The Confederation also has two public engagement offices -  in South Korea and Sweden - which concentrate on raising awareness and funds for our work.

Prospective Affiliates (previously referred to as Observer Members)

From time to time Oxfam International also welcomes outside organizations into our network with a view to becoming full affiliate members of the Confederation. By working closely together we can test our cooperation, consider our shared values, and whether we are a good fit for each other. Prospective Affiliates have the right to attend OI Affiliate Business Meetings (ABM) as a non-voting member and to send one participant to the OI Assembly as a voting Delegate. Prospective Affiliates are entitled to participate in any Oxfam communities of practice, platforms, and forums, including the specific right of the Prospective Affiliate’s Executive Director to attend the OI Executive Directors Forum (EDF) as a full member. 

Current Prospective Affiliates:

• Oxfam Pilipinas
• Oxfam in the Pacific
• Penabulu Foundation (Indonesia)

As part of our commitment to global balance and to developing Oxfam as a diversified network, we are working to grow the number of Oxfam affiliates in the Global South over the coming years.

The Oxfam International Secretariat 

Headquarters and offices

The Secretariat is headquartered in Nairobi, where it is registered under a Host Country Agreement with the Government of Kenya. It is also registered as a foundation (stichting) in the Netherlands and as an overseas company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom.

The Secretariat has offices in strategic locations around the world that work to influence decision-makers to ensure their policies have a far-reaching, positive impact on those most in need. The regions are: Asia, MENA (Middle East and Africa ), Africa, SAF (Southern Africa), and LAC (Latin America and the Carribean). 

Our offices are in Addis Ababa,  Brussels, Geneva, New York, and Washington DC.

Our governance

In July 2021, Oxfam International adopted a global governance architecture with three components: an International Board, which meets quarterly; a multi-stakeholder Assembly, meeting every two years; and Affiliate Business Meetings that are convened by the International Board at least once a year.

This architecture has emerged from an extensive reform process initiated in 2017 to reflect our continued commitment to strengthening global balance, and to bring diversity of voice and feminist leadership to our governing bodies. It was driven by the desire to strengthen accountability and transparency and to become a more relevant, resilient and impactful organization into the future.

International Board

The International Board is composed of nine members: four independent members (with no formal association with Oxfam, including the OI Chair and Treasurer) and five members who also serve on the boards of national Oxfam affiliates. Six of the members are women and five are from the Global South. The Board’s role includes: overseeing the implementation of Oxfam’s Global Strategic Framework; overseeing the OI Secretariat and appointing the OI Executive Director; and overseeing global finance and risk.

Global Assembly

The Global Assembly is made up of delegates from Oxfam affiliates and external stakeholder representatives from the countries and regions in which Oxfam works, each with a vote. It approves Oxfam’s global strategy, the profile and competency framework for the Board, and the appointment of new Board members; and establishes general principles and frameworks for policies with global application.

Affiliate Business Meetings

Affiliate Business Meetings will be convened as required and is a space in which Affiliates collectively agree on matters that will directly or indirectly impact on their individual legal and fiduciary obligations. Composed of Affiliate representatives, it decides on matters relating to constitutional amendments, financial contributions from affiliates to the global organization, and the admission of new Oxfam affiliates, amongst others.

Our commitment to accountability

As an organization, we are committed to holding ourselves accountable and being transparent in all areas of our work. Accountability is essential to good governance, and it helps us improve. We have a responsibility to our donors, partners, allies, supporters, staff and volunteers, regulatory bodies and, in particular, the communities with whom we work. Not just in principle but in practice as we constantly evaluate our work learn how to do things better next time. We share our findings and support our partners in building their own robust systems to monitor, evaluate, and learn. 

To find out more about accountability, and safeguarding and transparency at Oxfam you can find our accountability reports in the key documents section below.