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Here at Oxfam we do our best to speak plain English and to avoid using unnecessary jargon. However, sometimes we have to use words and phrases whose meaning might not be immediately clear.
This is where our 'Jargon Buster' might help (you 'll see it at the bottom of many pages on our site). To make things even clearer we've put together the following A-Z of common terms, abbreviations and jargon used in the 'charity' world. It's growing all the time and if you spot something on the site that you think should be included here please email generationwhy@oxfam.org.uk
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Accountability
In the context of development, this is the responsibility of institutions to ensure that funds are put to the use for which they are intended.
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Advocacy
Oxfam defines this as making strong policy proposals to overcome poverty and suffering. It is then deciding who are the key global decision-makers who can make a difference and providing the lobby, complemented often by media and popular mobilisation, to gain the most effective pressure for the right, pro-poor decisions to be made.
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Bilateral aid
Aid given from one country to another – for example, the UK sending money and experts for an engineering project in Honduras. Likewise, bilateral trade agreements are those made between two countries.
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Campaigning (campaigner)
Raising public awareness and action over a specific issue. For example, Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign challenges governments and multinational companies to change the global trade rules that are crippling the livelihoods of poor farmers.
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Civil Society
Independent organisations - often NGOs (link to NGO explanation) - that represent the interests and will of the people.
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Climate change (global warming)
The heating of the average temperature of the surface of the Earth over time as the result of human activity.
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Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
A system which attempts to bring together the individual agricultural programmes of the European Union members. CAP seeks to promote regional agricultural development and stable agricultural markets with increased productivity. One of the principal elements of the CAP is the use of export subsidies, which results in farm products that cannot be sold at EU target prices being dumped on vulnerable markets in the developing world.
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Conditional aid
Also known as ‘tied aid’ - this refers to loans that are given by donors on the condition that the recipient supports particular activities. The IMF in particular has often insisted that recipient countries privatise state-run industries and make cuts to health and education services, devalue their currencies, open their import markets and raise interest rates.
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Corporations
Companies that operate for profit.
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Debt relief
Many developing countries owe vast sums to rich nations, and the continued need to make debt repayments makes it impossible for them to kick-start their own development. Debt relief basically means the cancellation or rescheduling of this debt. An important example of this type of scheme is the HIPC (link).
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Department for International Development (DfID)
The UK government department responsible for managing the UK’s response to world poverty. For more information, visit www.dfid.gov.uk.
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Developed countries
Nations with strong stable economies.
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Developing countries
Less industrialised nations with weak economies.
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Donor
Someone - which could be an individual, an institution or a trust - who gives aid; in development terms, this usually refers to government agencies such as DfID or multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, but also includes NGOs such as Oxfam who fund partner organisations on their projects.
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Dumping
The practice (especially by the EU and US) of exporting massive quantities of subsidised agricultural produce onto developing markets, forcing poor farmers to sell their crops at prices below that needed to manage a sustainable living.
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Fair trade
An international movement that ensures producers in poor countries are paid a fair price for their goods. This means paying them enough to cover the cost of production and sufficient extra to enable a secure income, providing long-term contracts, and supporting the development of business knowledge and skills the producers need to generate further sales.
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Free trade
Basically, when international business is not regulated by government interference or regulation, such as duties or tariffs.
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G7/G8
The G7 is a group of major industrialised democracies, comprising the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The G8 also includes Russia. The heads of government of each of the G8 countries meet annually at the G8 Summit to discuss issues of global importance. For more information about the G8, visit www.g8.gov.uk
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Geneva Convention
One of a series of agreements formulated at an international convention held in Geneva in 1864, establishing rules for the treatment of prisoners of war, the sick, and the wounded.
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Globalisation
A term used to refer to increasing international ‘inter-connectedness’ within the world today - in other words, people are now much more aware of what is happening on the other side of the world. Mainly it refers to the widespread access to information made possible by new technology (such as the internet), and increased foreign trade and investment.
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Grassroots organisation
A local organisation that works with communities on the ground.
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Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The total amount of all goods and services produced within a country.
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Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC)
A co-ordinated debt relief scheme established by creditor institutions such as the IMF and World Bank in 1996. 41 of the most indebted countries are eligible to be considered for debt relief, the aim of which is to make sufficient cancellations to reduce the debt to a sustainable level.
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Humanitarian aid
Disaster or refugee relief that typically involves the provision of material aid (including food, water, sanitation facilities and aid personnel) in crisis situations as well as financial support and longer-term rehabilitation and resettlement.
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International Arms Trade Treaty (IATT)
A legally binding agreement between nations that would help prevent weapons being sold to those who openly flaunt international human rights laws. There are currently almost no legally binding arms export controls in existence.
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International Monetary Fund (IMF)
A financial institution established in 1944 to lower trade barriers between countries and stabilize currencies. The IMF aims to promote monetary co-operation and foster economic growth and higher levels of employment. It provides borrowing facilities to countries, although these loans are frequently in the form of conditional aid.
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Lobbying
Influencing legislators or other public officials to take action for a specific cause, such as fairer international trade.
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Mainstreaming
The process of making a specific issue an integral part of all development programmes. For example, ‘gender mainstreaming’ in Oxfam means ensuring that gender awareness forms a component of all its development projects.
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Microcredit
A kind of small loan to poor communities for projects that enable them to generate a regular income, allowing them to pay the loan back in time and establish a sustainable livelihood.
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Multilateral aid
Aid channelled from a group of countries to an institution that then distributes it in recipient countries.
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Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)
Private, non-profit making body that promotes development, helps protect the environment, or provides social services. Many NGOs depend on donations from the public or development institutions.
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Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)
National development plans which governments in developing countries are required to produce in order to receive debt relief under the HIPC initiative, or loans from the IMF and World Bank. These plans must outline the country’s economic and social policies, as well as programmes to promote growth and reduce poverty.
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Protectionist policy
The practice of protecting domestic industries from foreign competition through the imposition of tariffs and import restrictions.
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Smallholder
The owner of a smallholding (an agricultural plot smaller than a farm).
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Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs)
Policies introduced by the World Bank during the 1980s to ensure that loans would be repaid by recipient states. They have since been replaced by PSRPs.
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Subsidy / subsidies
Government grants to suppliers of goods and services.
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Subsistence
A method of agriculture whereby almost all the produce goes to feeding and supporting the household.
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Sustainable livelihood
The capacity to make a living that adequately provides a safe environment, housing, clean water and sufficient food. Sustainable livelihoods are those that can recover from disaster or shock, maintain quality of life over time and provide lasting opportunities for the future.
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Sweatshop
A term for a workplace - normally a factory - where workers suffer from poor wages and working conditions.
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Tariffs
A system of duties (eg, taxes or charges) imposed by a government on imported or exported goods.
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Trade Justice
A movement in favour of protecting Third World farmers from the unfair economic conditions imposed by Euro-American trade policies, such as dumping subsidised export commodities or imposing high import tariffs on processed goods.
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Trade barrier
Any regulation that restricts the flow of international trade.
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Transparency
Accurate and sufficient disclosure of information relating to an institution’s policies, decisions and investments.
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Trickle-down effect
A theory that the benefits of economic growth will ‘trickle down’ to the poorest elements of society.
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Unilateral
Involving one party only. So if the US decides to act unilaterally on something, it means it is doing so independently.
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United Nations (The UN)
An inter-governmental organisation established in 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations. Its aim is to promote worldwide peace, security and economic development. There are currently 191 member nations.
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