Thank you for participating in this online consultation!

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the existing inequalities and injustices related to privatisation, highlighting the unsustainability of market-driven systems to deliver on human rights and ensure access for all. This crisis is likely to be the first of a series of global shocks related to the ecological breakdown. This is a crucial moment to build public services as part of a just recovery and transition to a more sustainable and resilient economy and society.   

 Increasing privatisation, commercialisation and financialisation have raised many social justice and human rights concerns. The negative impacts of these trends have been compounded in the context of the climate and inequalities crises, disproportionately affecting people and groups who have historically been oppressed across intersecting racial, gendered, class, caste, religious, disability, and ethnic hierarchies. 

In 2020 several organisations initiated a collaboration to establish a collective vision that can mobilise a strong broad-based movement to demand public services: ActionAid, the East African Centre for Human Rights, Eurodad, the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights, Oxfam, Public Services International, the Society for International Development, and the Transnational Institute. 

The group organized two key events in 2020:

public roundtable discussion bringing together seven current and former UN Special Rapporteurs and one former UN Independent Expert, across six different mandates, to reflect on the impacts of privatisation and on building renewed momentum and strategies for the public provision of ESCR-related services.

A two-day civil society workshop bringing together over 80 participants from all around the world to start building a global civil society strategy against privatisation and for reclaiming public services.

Organizers

People’s Health Movement – North America
Public Services International North America Subregional Office

 

Collective narrative & regional workshops

 

Since those activities in 2020, a group of around 25 volunteers (from civil society and academia) have worked together to draft a collective narrative/manifesto on public services. The draft text is intended to reflect a shared vision and serve as a basis for joint advocacy and campaigning on public services, as well as acting as a tool to strengthen connections across movements and regions.

This consultation will be an opportunity to provide feedback on the current draft of the text (in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese) and to feed into the development of the text by responding to some questions regarding public services.

This online consultation is available until 13 August.

Goals of the consultation

Connect a range of actors, organisations and movements within regions

Gather regional inputs on the collective narrative on public services, building a sense of collective ownership

Explore regional strategies, advocacy opportunities and campaigning ideas

Build political momentum and contribute to developing a strong cross-sectoral and cross-regional movement for public services

 

Submit your feedback

 

Access the draft collective narrative/manifesto in your preferred language.

 

Submit your feedback by August 13

 

 

We invite your comments and feedback on the global collective narrative as well as themes related a collective vision for public services.

In addition to answering the consultation questions, you are welcome to leave comments directly on the document.

If you have questions, contact Sarah Jameson.