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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SIGNED BY
207 Organisations
As of 12 August 2022
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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.
“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:
583,356
teachers
387,614
nurses
2,082,004
other public sector workers
Gender and public services
Childcare – hours per week
Housework – hours per week
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.
In 2022, the Our Future is Public Conference will gather social movements and civil society organisations from all over the world in Santiago, Chile for a 4-day Conference aiming at developing 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 will be devoted to sectoral meetings on health, education, agriculture, economic justice and social protection, energy, food systems, housing, transportation, waste and water; while the final two days will bring together all movements and organisations participating in the conference for a collective discussion on cross-cutting themes including the climate emergency, gender equality, economic and tax justice, and democratic public ownership. Pre-registration for this event is open! Click here to pre-register.
- The manifesto has been signed by the following organisations:
- A 11 – Initiative for Economic and Social Rights, Serbia
- All for Education! National Civil Society Coalition, Mongolia
- All U. P. Workers Union
- ActionAid International
- Aeopas – Spanish Association of Public Supply Operators
- African Palliative Care Association
- AGEDE NIGER
- Agora Association, Turkey
- AHTELAB-C Asociación Hondureña de Técnicos en Laboratorio Clínico, Honduras
- Akina Mama wa Afrika
- Albanian Coalition for Education
- All Pakistan Labour Federation
- All U.P. Workers Union – Philippines
- Amis des Étrangers au Togo (ADET)
- Aqua Publica Europea
- Arab Campaign for Education for all
- Asamblea Social del Agua Solidaridad, México
- Asamblea Social del Agua, Mexico
- ASPBAE – Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education
- Asociación Generaciones de Paz (ASDEPAZ), El Salvador
- Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores/as de Agua Potable y Saneamiento del Ecuador (ANTAPS)
- Association Marocaine des Droits Humains ( AMDH )
- Associação Nacional de Pesquisa em Financiamento da Educação, Brazil
- Association pour le Développement Économique Social Culturel Quartier Las Palmas, Mauritania
- Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
- Association pour la défense des droits à l’eau et à l’assainissement, Senegal
- Athens Solidarity Social Clinic/Pharmacy
- Azerbaijan Trade Union of Cultural Workers
- Banka BioLoo Limited, India
- Beacon Teachers Africa
- Blue Planet Project
- Both ENDS
- Brazilian Campaign for The Right to Education
- Bring Back British Rail, the UK
- CADTM France
- Campaign of Campaigns
- Canadians for Tax Fairness
- CEDAW People’s Tribunal, the UK
- CEE Coalition
- Centar za mirovne studije I Centre for Peace Studies
- Center for Economic and Social Rights
- CeVI – Centro di Volontariato Internazionale, Italy
- Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ), Argentina
- Civil Society Network for Education Reforms, Philippines
- CIVISOL : The Civicness and Solidarity foundation for Systemic Change
- Coalition Education
- Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE), Liberia
- Coalition pour l’Education Pour Tous Bafashebige, Burundi
- Comité Cerezo México
- Comitê Nacional em Defesa das empresas Públicas, Brazil
- Comité pour l’abolition des dettes illégitimes – Afrique (CADTM Afrique)
- Comité pour l’Annulation des Dettes Illégitimes (CADTM) France
- Commons Network
- Community Medicine Practitioners and Advocates Association
- Confederación Nacional de Servidores Públicos del Ecuador (CONASEP)
- CONSTRUISONS ENSEMBLE LE MONDE, France
- Cooperativa RÍOS
- Coordination Nationale des Enseignants d’Education aux Droits de l’Homme et à la Citoyenneté
- Corporate Accountability
- Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa
- Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
- Counter Balance
- CROSOL – Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity
- Debt Observatory in Globalization
- Diálogo Institucional Assessoria e Análise de Políticas Públicas, Brazil
- E-Net Philippines(Education Network)
- Earth Thrive
- East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights)
- Eau Secours 62
- EnaBanda
- Enginyeria sense Fronteres
- Equidad de Género: Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia
- Estudio Jurídico Freiler, Argentina
- European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
- European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)
- European Water Movement
- Fagforbundet, Norway
- Federación de sindicatos de la hidrológica de Venezuela
- Federación Nacional de Asociaciones Judiciales del Ecuador (FENAJE)
- Federación Nacional de Trabajadores del Agua Potable y Alcantarillado del Peru (FENTAP)
- Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV)
- Federatie Nederlandse Vakvereniging sector Overheid (FNV Overheid)
- Feminist Hiking Collective
- FIAN International
- Firelight Foundation
- FNV
- Food & Water Watch, USA
- FOA, Denmark
- Free Trade Union Development Center (FTUDC)
- Free Trade Union Development Center Sri Lanka
- Freelance
- Friend of the Earth International
- Friends of the Disabled Association (FDA), Lebanon
- Friends of the Earth International
- Gender and Development Network (GADN)
- Genel-İs, Public Services Employees Union of Turkey
- Get Glasgow Moving
- GIRLS’ EDUCATION MOVEMENT UGANDA(GEM -UGANDA)
- Global Campaign for Education
- Global Campaign for Education, USA
- Global Colaition for Social Protection Floors
- The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Global Policy Forum
- Global Social Justice
- Hope of Africa (HOFA), Cameroon
- Human Rights Research Documentation Center (HURIC)
- Human Rights Research Documentation Center (HURIC), Uganda
- Hydroconseil
- In the Public Interest, USA
- Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Uganda
- Institut za političku ekologiju
- Institute for Economic Justice
- Institute for Economic Research on Innovation
- Instituto de los Gobiernos Locales, Universidad Abierta de Recoleta, Chile
- Inter Pares
- International Alliance of Inhabitants
- International Network of Scholar Activists
- International Transport Workers’ Federation
- Iraqi journalists rights defense association
- Josoi Care Association, Uganda
- Kamwenge secondary School, Uganda
- Kisumu Social Rights Association
- KnowPolicy
- Koalisi Rakyat untuk Hak atas Air (KRuHA – people’s coalition for the right to water), Indonesia
- Land Sea Maldives
- Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE)
- Lithuanian Non-Governmental Development Cooperation Organisations’ Platform
- Madhira Institute
- Medicus Mundi Mediterrània
- Mesopotamia Ecology Movement, North Kurdistan, Turkey
- Microgeographies
- Miroir Vagabond
- Mkaazi
- Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos (MNDH) Brasil
- Municipal Services Project
- National Campaign for Education Nepal
- National Campaign for Sustainable Development Nepal
- National Education Union, UK
- Naturefriends Greece
- Nawi – Afrifem Macroeconomics Collective
- Network of Public Interest Lawyers, Uganda
- New Hope New Winners Foundation, Tanzania
- Nigerian Women Agro Allied Farmers Association
- NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark
- OIKO.POLI.S
- Organisation pour la Démocratie le Développement Economique et Social (ODDES), Côté d’Ivoire
- Oxfam India
- OMEP- World Organisation for Early Childhood Education
- Pamoja Trust
- People’s Health Movement (PHM), East Africa
- People’s Health Movement (PHM), Europe
- People’s Health Movement (PHM), North America
- Personal, Educador
- Phenix Center, Jordan
- Plataforma contra la privatización del Canal de Isabel II, Spain
- Plataforma de Acuerdos Público Comunitarios de las Américas (PAPC)
- Platform, the UK
- Power For The People, the UK
- Pressenza International Press Agency
- Public Services International (PSI)
- Quepo, Sccl, Catalonia
- Red Agua Pública, Spain
- Red de Información y Acción Ambiental de Veracruz (RIAAVER), México
- Red del Agua Pública de Aragón
- Rede Latino Americana e Africana de Pesquisadores em Privatização da Educação
- Regroupement Education Pour Toutes et pour Tous (REPT), Haiti
- Right to Education Initiative
- Salut Drets Acció / Health Rights Action
- SANIDAD
- SANIPLAN, USA
- Share The World’s Resources
- Sindicato de las Empresas Municipales de Cali (SINTRAEMCALI)
- Sindicato de trabajadores del Hospital Universitario San Ignacio
- Sisters of Charity Federation
- Society for International Development
- Solidarité Laïque
- Solidarité Laïque Antenne Régionale Afrique de l’Ouest
- Sosyal Haklar Dernegi
- State Employees Federation, Mauritius
- Synafen
- Syndicat des Professeurs du Sénégal (SYPROS)
- Syndicat National Autonome de l’Enseignement Secondaire
- Syndicat solidarité
- TEACH Côte d’Ivoire
- Teso Anticorruption Coalition, Uganda
- The Center of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
- The Democracy Collaborative, USA
- Transnational Institute
- Tripla Difesa Onlus Guardie Sicurezza Sociale e Eco Zoofile odv
- Tunisian Observatory of Economy
- Uganda Peace Foundation
- Uganda Society for Disabled Children
- UGT-SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS, Spain
- UILPA
- Union of Kenya Civil Servants
- VHS Berlin-Mitte
- Vigência, Brazil
- Viva Salud
- We Own It, UK
- Wemos
- Widener University Commonwealth
- Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)
- Xúquer Viu, Spain
- Young Men Action for Education
- Young Professionals for Development, Kenya
- Za Zemiata (Friends of the Earth Bulgaria)
- Zukunftskonvent Germany