Mission impossible: Development without Public Services

The provision of universally accessible quality public services contributes to the reduction of hunger, poverty and inequality, the expansion of decent work and enhances social integration and cohesion. However, privatisation is about to become official UN policy. Despite concerns regarding the human rights and social justice impacts, there is a great push for private financing and private sector participation to fund public services within the FFD3 agenda.

Experience with public-private partnerships (PPPs) shows that privatisation is fundamentally flawed. PPPs in countries both rich and poor show that these are an expensive and inefficient way of financing infrastructure and services, since they conceal public borrowing, while providing long-term state guarantees for profits to private companies. The event aims to raise concerns on PPPs in health, education and water and sanitation and propose alternative policy options that are more compatible with social development.

SPEAKERS:

José Antonio Ocampo, ICRICT, Columbia University

Fernando Aportela, Undersecretary, Mexican Ministry of Finance

Pamela Chisanga, Country Director, ActionAid Zambia

Paul O'Brien, Policy Director, Oxfam America

Mae Buenaventura, Global Alliance for Tax Justice/Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development

Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary, Public Services International

Moderator: Sandra Vermuyten, Public Services International

Followed by Q&A and a reception

ORGANIZING PARTNERS:

Public Services International // ActionAid International // Action contre la Faim // Global Alliance for Tax Justice // ICRICT // Oxfam International // Pax Romana, part of the International Co-ordination Meeting of Youth Organisations (ICMYO) // The Blue Planet Project // TUDCN

For more information please contact sandra.vermuyten@world-psi.org