Recently the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights released their highly anticipated General Comment No.24 on State Obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Context of Business Activities. General Comments offer an authoritative interpretation of international human rights law. This document contains two key paragraphs on the privatisation of social services, offering insight into the relationship between privatisation and human rights.

In a two-part blog on the Oxford Human Rights Hub, the GI-ESCR's research and legal adviser Sylvain Aubry, reflects on what the new General Comment adds to the debate on privatisation of social services. Part 1 considers what regulatory conditions must be met where private actors deliver social services, while part 2 explores the question of whether States are permitted to privatise essential services at all.

The blogs can be accessed below:

The New UN General Comment on Business and Human Rights, Part 1: What Regulations Must States Put in Place when Private Actors are Involved in the Delivery of Essential Services?

The New UN General Comment And Privatisation, Part 2: Can States Entirely Privatise The Delivery Of Essential Services?