The right to education guarantees that everyone should enjoy a quality education, free from discrimination and exclusion. However, the global education landscape is rapidly changing. One of the most notable changes is the growing trend of privatization in education in many countries. Privatization poses many challenges from the standpoint of human rights. Wealth inequalities between those who can afford to pay for private education and those who cannot, as well as exclusion across gender and ethnic lines, are often exacerbated by privatization. These consequences are pushing already vulnerable groups deeper into poverty and deepening social divisions, calling into question the State’s core obligation to provide quality public education for all. States must abide by their core obligation to provide quality public education for all, and safeguard education as a public good.

Please join us at a Side Event of the UN Human Rights Council for a discussion of these urgent issues, in which we will debate different experiences of privatization in education from across the globe, with a view to examining what the international human rights community can do to take action.

12:00 noon on 12 June 2014 (Thursday) Room IX, Palais des Nations

PLEASE SEE AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE FLYER HERE

Welcome Comments:

Ambassador Pedro Nuno Bártolo Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations in Geneva

Chairperson: Mr Hugh McLean Open Society Foundations

Speakers: Mr Kishore Singh Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education

Mr Toni Verger Centre for Globalisation, Education, Societies and Policy, Autonomous University of Barcelona

Ms Anjela Taneja Global Campaign for Education

Ms Mireille Dekoning Education International

Ms Iracema Nascimento dos Santos Brazilian Campaign for the Right to Education

Mr Sylvain Aubry Human Rights Consultant conducting a research project on Morocco

PLEASE RSVP to: bret@globalinitiative-escr.org