From the early 1990s, Oxfam was at work in the region it referred to as East Europe and the Former Soviet Union, with Tony Vaux as Coordinator. One of Oxfam's first initiatives in the region was the 1993 'Cold Front' appeal for warm clothing.

By 1999, a Regional Management Centre for Russia, Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East had been established in Oxford with Adam Leach as Regional Director. From the early 2000s, the region was known as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.