Day Three: Confronting the big issues

Stocking: Davos is "overwhelming"

Barbara Stocking, director of Oxfam, writes for BBC News Online a diary of her time at the World Economic Forum.

I attended an enjoyable dinner last night on building trust between Arab and Western women.

I could have been at the session on reinventing foreign aid or on the accountability of NGOs, but talking to other women seemed important.

Iraq is as big an issue in Porto Allegre as it is here

Barbara Stocking

Sadly, there weren't enough Arab women there, though the star was Queen Rania of Jordan.

But there was a good mix of women from around the world and excellent discussions on how we can support each other.

Shared values

Down to some hard work this morning.

I had to prepare my summary on Equality and Development for tomorrow's closing session.

I had discussions with a dozen people about what they had heard at meetings at this Forum.

We cannot see how a war can be waged now without causing terrible suffering to innocent civilians in a country already teetering on the brink of a humanitarian disaster

Barbara Stocking

We talked about the need for shared values and a commitment to social justice.

If people, governments, the corporate sector and institutions are to work together to reduce poverty they have to build trust.

There are too many broken promises.

So we came up with a set of priorities on trade, aid and corporate social responsibility to increase trust and help reduce poverty.

War fears

I've also been in touch with our Oxfam team at the World Social Forum in Porto Allegre.

There are 100,000 people there all over the world.

The issues they are talking about on trade mirror the discussions here.

Iraq is as big an issue in Porto Allegre as it is here.

Colin Powell did a remarkably good job yesterday in defending US policy but despite the standing ovation there was palpable unease about the US and the potential war.

From our experience of previous conflicts and working in the region, Oxfam does not believe the case has been made for a war at this stage.

We cannot see how a war can be waged now without causing terrible suffering to innocent civilians in a country already teetering on the brink of a humanitarian disaster.