Global Manifesto for
Public Services

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Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation

Climate-saving, gender-transformative, democratic public services are possible 

 

Public services are crucial in responding to the world’s multiple crises. The COVID-19 pandemic has cast into stark relief the consequences of decades of privatisation and commercialisation of public services that form the bedrock of our socities. 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. Join the growing movement, sign the Manifesto.

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The Manifesto

The Future is Public: Global Manifesto for Public Services was developed collectively by dozens of organisations and actors to serve as a rallying cry for public services for civil society, providing a concrete alternative to the dominant neoliberal narrative that has failed to ensure a dignified life for all. The manifesto positions public services as the foundation of a fair and just society and of the social pact that implements the core values of solidarity, equality and human dignity. It advances a series of ten principles for universal quality public services in the 21st century, and outlines how funding universal quality public services is possible.

Click here to read the manifesto

“The manifesto is very timely and, I will say, necessary, so it’s very welcome. In this time, it’s very relevant to highlight the importance of the public sector in the era of neoliberalism where many people are advocating for the replacement of the State by the market.”

– Léo Heller, former UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

“The manifesto is really a great initiative which captures the current consciousness, the current consensus and indeed expectations of a wide segment of society in terms of the kind of world, the kind of societies that we would like to live in.”

– Solomon Ayele Dersso, Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Numbers at a glance

PPP schemes

Public health services

The Audit Chamber of the Autonomous Community of Madrid has found that health services delivered in PPP schemes are six times more expensive than health services delivered by the public sector.

This represents an excessive cost to the local Government, and as a consequence public authorities have demanded the revision of the PPP agreements with private entities.

IMF austerity cuts in 15 countries have blocked the recruitment of over 3 million nurses, teachers and other essential public sector workers.

In just those 15 countries, the recommended IMF cuts add up to nearly US$ 10 billion – the equivalent of cutting:

(The Public Versus Austerity report, October 2021)

583,356
teachers

387,614
nurses

2,082,004
other public sector workers

Gender and public services

Childcare – hours per week

women 62
men 36

Housework – hours per week

women 23
men 15

Women within the European Union spend on average 62 hours caring for children and 23 hours doing housework per week, compared to 36 hours and 15 hours for men.

Since the pandemic has put further pressure on public health systems that were already strained due to privatisation and austerity measures, women had to fill in the gaps for the lack of these services (to which dependent family members no longer have access). Even before COVID-19, women have traditionally been in charge of care responsibilities concerning sick family members. This was the case of the Zika crisis in the Dominican Republic, where women were solely responsible for caring for ill in in 79 per cent of the cases. UN Women’s rapid assessment surveys suggest that these trends have persisted during COVID-19 crisis.

(From the brief ‘Women and Public Services’, March 2021)

Children out of school due to COVID-19

Only 10% of children defined by the Government as vulnerable attended school or early years education during the first lockdown.

(From the brief ‘Women and Public Services’, March 2021)

Background

Nine organisations began collaborating in 2020 with the aim of establishing a collective vision that could 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.

Two key events were held in 2020:

  • A public roundtable discussion bringing together the UN special rapporteurs 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.

A key outcome of the civil society workshop was the idea of developing a collective narrative to unite and mobilise a broad-based movement to challenge privatisation and demand public alternatives for the provision of services that ensure the realisation of human rights. A working group was formed, bringing together representatives from 25 organisations from various sectors and regions.

This group met regularly from January to June 2021 to develop a draft manifesto. Input was then sought through a series of regional workshops and online consultations held from June to September, with the feedback being integrated into a revised draft by the working group.

The final version of the manifesto incorporates the comments and inputs received from hundreds of civil society organisations and actors throughout the world. It aims to establish a clear, unifying vision on public services that can be used as a basis for advocacy and campaigning in different contexts, at the local, national, regional and global levels.

Events

‘Enough is Enough: The Future is Public’ is an annual event that was organised for the first time in October 2020, and again in October 2021, that gathers current and former UN human rights special rapporteurs to discuss the importance of public services, and the alternatives to failing commercialisation models.

The October 2021 event was attended by over 500 people. It brought together for the first time nine global and regional human rights representatives to reflect on the crucial role of public services in building a more sustainable, inclusive, socially-just and resilient economy and society.

This event built on a similar very successful discussion in 2020 with eight current and former UN mandate holders on privatisation and public services. To find about more, click here.

From 29th November to 2nd December 2022 activists and academics from 113 countries and representing 567 different organisations from around the world met in Santiago, Chile, and virtually for the largest in-person event on public services. Our Future is Public: From global inequalities to social, economic and climate justice brought together 410 participants in person, and 540 participants online, including from grassroots movements, advocacy, human rights, and development organisations, feminist movements, trade unions, and other civil society organisations to discuss the critical role of public services for our future.

The Our Future is Public Conference was an opportunity to collectively develop strategies and narratives to strengthen public services for the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights and tackle the effects of climate change. The first two days were devoted to sectoral meetings on health, education, agriculture, economic justice and social protection, energy, food systems, housing, transportation, waste and water; and the final two days brought together all movements and organisations participating in the conference for a collective discussion on cross-cutting themes including the climate emergency, gender justice, economic and tax justice, and democratic public ownership. The main outcome of the meeting is the Santiago Declaration for Public Services which affirms the collective commitment to join forces across sectors, regions and movements to work together towards a truly just, sustainable, public future.  Click here for more information on the global movement for public services.

  1. The manifesto has been signed by the following organisations:

  1. A 11 – Initiative for Economic and Social Rights, Serbia
  2. Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man, Palestine
  3. All for Education! National Civil Society Coalition, Mongolia
  4. All U. P. Workers Union
  5. ActionAid International
  6. Aeopas – Spanish Association of Public Supply Operators
  7. African Palliative Care Association
  8. AGEDE NIGER
  9. Agora Association, Turkey
  10. AHTELAB-C Asociación Hondureña de Técnicos en Laboratorio Clínico, Honduras
  11. Akina Mama wa Afrika
  12. Albanian Coalition for Education
  13. All Pakistan Labour Federation
  14. All U.P. Workers Union – Philippines
  15. Amis des Étrangers au Togo (ADET)
  16. APOC – Frente Sindical de Acción Climatica
  17. Aqua Publica Europea
  18. Arab Campaign for Education for all
  19. Art and Global Health Center Africa
  20. Arodhum International
  21. Asamblea Social del Agua Solidaridad, México
  22. Asamblea Social del Agua, Mexico
  23. Asemuch
  24. ASPBAE – Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education
  25. Asociación Generaciones de Paz (ASDEPAZ), El Salvador
  26. Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores/as de Agua Potable y Saneamiento del Ecuador (ANTAPS)
  27. Association Marocaine des Droits Humains ( AMDH )
  28. Associação Nacional de Pesquisa em Financiamento da Educação, Brazil
  29. Association pour le Développement Économique Social Culturel Quartier Las Palmas, Mauritania
  30. Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
  31. Association pour la défense des droits à l’eau et à l’assainissement, Senegal
  32. Athens Solidarity Social Clinic/Pharmacy
  33. Azerbaijan Trade Union of Cultural Workers
  34. Bangladesh Women Workers Welfare Union
  35. Banka BioLoo Limited, India
  36. Beacon Teachers Africa
  37. Blue Planet Project
  38. Both ENDS
  39. Brazilian Campaign for The Right to Education
  40. Bring Back British Rail, the UK
  41. CADTM France
  42. Campaign of Campaigns
  43. Canadians for Tax Fairness
  44. CATP
  45. CEDAW People’s Tribunal, the UK
  46. CEE Coalition
  47. Centar za mirovne studije I Centre for Peace Studies
  48. Center for Economic and Social Rights
  49. CeVI – Centro di Volontariato Internazionale, Italy
  50. Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ), Argentina
  51. Civil Society Network for Education Reforms, Philippines
  52. CIVISOL : The Civicness and Solidarity foundation for Systemic Change
  53. Coalition Education
  54. Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE), Liberia
  55. Coalition pour l’Education Pour Tous Bafashebige, Burundi
  56. Collective Leadership Institute gGmbH
  57. Comité Cerezo México
  58. Comitê Nacional em Defesa das empresas Públicas, Brazil
  59. Comité pour l’abolition des dettes illégitimes – Afrique (CADTM Afrique)
  60. Comité pour l’Annulation des Dettes Illégitimes (CADTM) France
  61. Commons Network
  62. Community Medicine Practitioners and Advocates Association
  63. Confederación Nacional de Servidores Públicos del Ecuador (CONASEP)
  64. CONSTRUISONS ENSEMBLE LE MONDE, France
  65. Cooperativa RÍOS
  66. Coordination Nationale des Enseignants d’Education aux Droits de l’Homme et à la Citoyenneté
  67. Corporación Ecológica y Cultural Penca de Sábila
  68. Corporate Accountability
  69. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
  70. Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
  71. Counter Balance
  72. CROSOL – Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity
  73. Debt Observatory in Globalization
  74. Diálogo Institucional Assessoria e Análise de Políticas Públicas, Brazil
  75. Doughnut Economics Action Lab
  76. Dublin City University / Early Childhood Research Centre
  77. E-Net Philippines(Education Network)
  78. Earth Thrive
  79. East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights)
  80. Eau Secours 62
  81. EnaBanda
  82. Enginyeria sense Fronteres
  83. Equidad de Género: Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia
  84. Estudio Jurídico Freiler, Argentina
  85. European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
  86. European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)
  87. European Water Movement
  88. Fagforbundet, Norway
  89. Federación de sindicatos de la hidrológica de Venezuela
  90. Federación Nacional de Asociaciones Judiciales del Ecuador (FENAJE)
  91. Federación Nacional de Trabajadores del Agua Potable y Alcantarillado del Peru (FENTAP)
  92. Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV)
  93. Federatie Nederlandse Vakvereniging sector Overheid (FNV Overheid)
  94. Feminist Hiking Collective
  95. FIAN International
  96. Firelight Foundation
  97. FNV
  98. Food & Water Watch, USA
  99. FOA, Denmark
  100. Free Trade Union Development Center (FTUDC)
  101. Free Trade Union Development Center Sri Lanka
  102. Freelance
  103. Friend of the Earth International
  104. Friends of the Disabled Association (FDA), Lebanon
  105. Friends of the Earth International
  106. Gender and Development Network (GADN)
  107. GenderCC SA
  108. Genel-İs, Public Services Employees Union of Turkey
  109. Get Glasgow Moving
  110. GIRLS’ EDUCATION MOVEMENT UGANDA(GEM -UGANDA)
  111. Global Campaign for Education
  112. Global Campaign for Education, USA
  113. Global Colaition for Social Protection Floors
  114. Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  115. Global Policy Forum
  116. Global Social Justice
  117. Groupe de travail pour la démocratie énergétique / Platforme Tunisienne des Alternatives
  118. Guyana Public Service Union
  119. Hope of Africa (HOFA), Cameroon
  120. Human Rights Research Documentation Center (HURIC)
  121. Human Rights Research Documentation Center (HURIC), Uganda
  122. Hydroconseil
  123. In the Public Interest, USA
  124. Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Uganda
  125. Institut za političku ekologiju
  126. Institute for Economic Justice
  127. Institute for Economic Research on Innovation
  128. Instituto de los Gobiernos Locales, Universidad Abierta de Recoleta, Chile
  129. Inter Pares
  130. International Alliance of Inhabitants
  131. International Network of Scholar Activists
  132. International Transport Workers’ Federation
  133. Iraqi journalists rights defense association
  134. Jamaa Resource Initiatives
  135. Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers
  136. Josoi Care Association, Uganda
  137. Junta Civica Paraje El Pinar (Fuente Clara-Robledo)
  138. Kamwenge Secondary School, Uganda
  139. Kisumu Social Rights Association
  140. KnowPolicy
  141. Koalisi Rakyat untuk Hak atas Air (KRuHA – people’s coalition for the right to water), Indonesia
  142. Land Sea Maldives
  143. Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE)
  144. Lithuanian Non-Governmental Development Cooperation Organisations’ Platform
  145. Lumanti Support Group for Shelter
  146. Madhira Institute
  147. Medicus Mundi Mediterrània
  148. Mesopotamia Ecology Movement, North Kurdistan, Turkey
  149. Microgeographies
  150. Miroir Vagabond
  151. Mkaazi
  152. Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos (MNDH) Brasil
  153. Municipal Services Project
  154. National Campaign for Education Nepal
  155. National Campaign for Sustainable Development Nepal
  156. National Education Union, UK
  157. National Health Workers’ Union of Liberia (NAHWUL)
  158. Naturefriends Greece
  159. Nawi – Afrifem Macroeconomics Collective
  160. Network of Public Interest Lawyers, Uganda
  161. New Hope New Winners Foundation, Tanzania
  162. New World Alliances
  163. Nigerian Women Agro Allied Farmers Association
  164. NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark
  165. OIKO.POLI.S
  166. Organisation pour la Démocratie le Développement Economique et Social (ODDES), Côté d’Ivoire
  167. Oxfam India
  168. OMEP- World Organisation for Early Childhood Education
  169. Pamoja Trust
  170. PanX Project
  171. PAPC
  172. People’s Health Movement (PHM), East Africa
  173. People’s Health Movement (PHM), Europe
  174. Peoples Health Movement, Ghana
  175. People’s Health Movement (PHM), North America
  176. Personal, Educador
  177. Phenix Center, Jordan
  178. Plataforma contra la privatización del Canal de Isabel II, Spain
  179. Plataforma de Acuerdos Público Comunitarios de las Américas (PAPC)
  180. Plataforma por la Remunicipalización de los Servicios Públicos de Madrid
  181. Platform, the UK
  182. Power For The People, the UK
  183. Pressenza International Press Agency
  184. Public Services International (PSI)
  185. Quepo, Sccl, Catalonia
  186. Red Agua Pública, Spain
  187. Red de Información y Acción Ambiental de Veracruz (RIAAVER), México
  188. Red del Agua Pública de Aragón
  189. Rede Latino Americana e Africana de Pesquisadores em Privatização da Educação
  190. Regroupement Education Pour Toutes et pour Tous (REPT), Haiti
  191. Right to Education Initiative
  192. Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia)
  193. Salut Drets Acció / Health Rights Action
  194. SANIDAD
  195. SANIPLAN, USA
  196. Share The World’s Resources
  197. Sindicato de las Empresas Municipales de Cali (SINTRAEMCALI)
  198. Sindicato de trabajadores del Hospital Universitario San Ignacio
  199. Sisters of Charity Federation
  200. Snapap/CGATA
  201. Society for International Development
  202. Solidarité Laïque
  203. Solidarité Laïque Antenne Régionale Afrique de l’Ouest
  204. Sosyal Haklar Dernegi
  205. State Employees Federation, Mauritius
  206. Synafen
  207. Syndicat des Professeurs du Sénégal (SYPROS)
  208. Syndicat National Autonome de l’Enseignement Secondaire
  209. Syndicat solidarité
  210. TEACH Côte d’Ivoire
  211. Teso Anticorruption Coalition, Uganda
  212. The Center of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
  213. The Democracy Collaborative, USA
  214. The Human Exploring Society
  215. Transnational Institute
  216. Tripla Difesa Onlus Guardie Sicurezza Sociale e Eco Zoofile odv
  217. Tunisian Observatory of Economy
  218. Uganda Peace Foundation
  219. Uganda Society for Disabled Children
  220. UGT-SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS, Spain
  221. UILPA
  222. Union of Kenya Civil Servants
  223. VHS Berlin-Mitte
  224. Vigência, Brazil
  225. Viva Salud
  226. We Own It, UK
  227. Wemos
  228. Widener University Commonwealth
  229. Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)
  230. World Economy, Ecology and Development – WEED
  231. Xúquer Viu, Spain
  232. Young Men Action for Education
  233. Young Professionals for Development, Kenya
  234. Youth Concern on environment and development (YCED-Ntungamo)
  235. Za Zemiata (Friends of the Earth Bulgaria)
  236. Zukunftskonvent Germany