GI-ESCR convenes trade unions and civil society to advance public services in Chile's new Constitution

Public services are crucial to ensure that all people can exercise and enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights. The most obvious example of this has been the response of public health services and vaccination campaigns during the covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, GI-ESCR convened various social organisations and trade unions to design an advocacy strategy to bring the discussion on public services into the debate for the drafting of Chile’s new Constitution.

The civil society workshop for public services, which took place in Santiago de Chile, was organised by Public Services International and the platform La Constitución es Nuestra, formed by GI-ESCR, Ciudadanía Inteligente and Consti Tu Yo. Representatives of trade unions, civil society organisations and public service users attended the workshop.

Valentina Contreras, GI-ESCR's representative in Chile, explained the importance of including public services in the constituent debate:

"Public services are at the basis of social rights because they are the gateway that connects people to their rights. In this sense, quality public services generate pure public value insofar as they guarantee, in practice, human rights. This is why it is crucial that the new Constitution explicitly includes the primary obligation of the state to provide universal, quality public services with long-term funding, if social rights are to be taken seriously.”

Nayareth Quevedo, PSI sub-regional secretary for the Southern Cone, highlighted the value of the meeting:

"For us, the activity that took place with the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and “Cultural Rights is fundamental because we not only had the opportunity to listen to those who work in public services but also to the users of public services. It is so important to know their opinion and exchange views with a single common purpose: to be able to influence the new Constitution and strengthen public services in a comprehensive and participatory way.”

Natalia Henriquez, a member of the Constitutional Convention, was one of the participants of this meeting:

“Together with workers and civil society organisations, we reflected on what we want from our public services in this new Constitution. It's precisely regards social rights where public services are much more sensitive and essential.”