Ahead of our ‘Enough is enough’ joint event, five current and former UN Special Rapporteurs and a UN Independent Expert, including our Executive Director Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Former UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, signed an open editorial that has been circulating widely in major media outlets.

Entitled “Enough is enough, the commodification of public services has failed our rights”, the open editorial underlines the state of emergency we have reached, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed the catastrophic fallout of decades of privatisation and market competition.

We are in a state of emergency. This is probably the first of a series of larger crises awaiting us, driven by the growing climate emergency. The world is about to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, in the context of an unprecedented economic downturn in times of peace since the Great Depression. The Covid-19 crisis is expected to push another 176 million people into poverty. Each of them may see their human rights violated unless there is a drastic change of model and investment in quality public services. This is no normalcy to return to.  

This open editorial was signed by

• Mr Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, Former United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights

• Ms Koumba Boly Barry, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education

• Mr Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; former  United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food

• Ms Leilani Farha, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context

• Mr Léo Heller, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

• Ms Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

See press coverage here below (uPDated regularly):

UK | The Guardian, Covid-19 has exposed the catastrophic impact of privatising vital services, 19 Oct 2020. CEO Report on health care (January 2021, p.22) mentions the op-ed published in October 2020 by The Guardian.

Spain | El País, Ya basta: se debe terminar con la mercantilización de los servicios públicos , 14 Oct 2020.

France | Le Monde, La marchandisation des services publics affaiblit les plus défavorisés et peut entraîner des violations des droits humains, 24 Oct 2020.

Germany | Die Frankfurter Rundschau, Öffentliche Dienste nicht privatisieren - Die Corona-Krise zeigt, wie schädlich es ist, wenn staatliche Aufgaben kommerzialisiert werden, 22 Oct 2020.

Spain | El Diario, El coronavirus revela los efectos catastróficos de la privatización de servicios básicos, 20 Oct 2020.

Portugal | O Jornal Económico, Covid-19: urge pôr fim à mercantilização dos serviços públicos, 26 Oct 2020.

Mexico | La Jornada, La pandemia ha expuesto catastrófico impacto de privatización de servicios públicos, 21 Oct 2020.

Brazil | UOL, Covid-19: devemos pôr um fim à mercantilização dos serviços públicos, 13 Oct 2020.

Argentina | Página 12, Las necesidades básicas están en estado de emergencia, 15 Nov 2020.

Dominican Republic | Acento, La pandemia de Covid-19 ha expuesto el catastrófico impacto de la privatización de los servicios públicos, 20 Oct 2020.

Panama | La Prensa, La pandemia de Covid-19 ha expuesto el catastrófico impacto de la privatización de los servicios públicos, 21 Oct 2020.

Uruguay | La Diaria, La pandemia de coronavirus ha expuesto el catastrófico impacto de la privatización de los servicios públicos, 21 Oct 2020.

Ecuador | El Universo, El catastrófico impacto de la privatización de los servicios públicos, 22 Oct 2020.

US | Hispanic LA, Covid-19: la catastrófica privatización de los servicios públicos, 20 Oct 2020.