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Africa & Arab countries

Africa and Arab countries form one of the four regions in the PSI structure. Our 153 affiliated organisations in some 43 countries represent a membership of around 1.5 million people here. The regional secretariat is based in Lomé, Togo. Contact our regional offices.

Fight Privatization at Bridge International Academies!

18 July 2017

Civil society call on investors to cease support to Bridge International Academies - Growing evidence and analysis published in the last two years that raise grave concerns regarding Bridge’s transparency, relationship with governments, labour conditions, and breach of educational standards.

Localizing the SDGs: local and regional governments actions for poverty eradication and prosperity

17 July 2017

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, spoke at the recent UCLG/GTF side-event at the UN High-level political forum on sustainable development emphasizing that "taxation is a key lever to beat inequality, ensure socio-economic inclusion and the SDGs".

Conversation with authors of the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017"

17 July 2017

Authors of the recently launched Spotlight Report will present key findings and recommendations to participants for discussion. The 2017 edition focuses on privatization, partnerships, corporate capture and the impact they have on sustainability and inequality.

Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment to Achieve the 2030 Agenda

17 July 2017

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, will be speaking on 17 July at the UNSG’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The HLP is a side event at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), currently taking place in New York.

PPP: Corporations divert UN agenda, claims civil society report

13 July 2017

New York, 13 July 2017: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), usually portrayed as a useful tool towards sustainable development, actually “involve disproportionate risks and costs for people and the public purse”, claims a global coalition of civil society organizations and trade unions in the Spotlight Report 2017 launched earlier this week.

Policy Coherence and Financing for Sustainable Development With Equality

13 July 2017

Side-event during the 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Jointly organized by Civil Society Financing for Development Group including the Women’s Working Group on Financing for Development, Femnet, Forum for Women and Democracy, Womankind Worldwide.

Whistleblower protection – how serious are governments in addressing corruption

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Four critical steps to operationalize the New Urban Agenda’s transformative commitment to decent work and inclusive and sustainable cities

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Corporate power threatens women's human rights

12 July 2017

New York, 12 July 2017:  Corporate power threatens  women´s human rights by promoting a race to the bottom in labour standards and avoiding taxes in the countries where  profits are obtained, concludes the report Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017, in its analysis of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal which promises to achieve gender equality by 2030 and empower all women and girls.

Healthcare is not a commodity but a public good

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Decent work requires decent public policies

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

World Bank plan to mobilize “trillions” will not help the poor

11 July 2017

Global Spotlight Report says that the proposed “cascade” of private financing for infrastructure will result in more corruption, high fees for essential services, and massive resource transfers to the rich from the poor.

Trade Unions Question the Asian Mega Free Trade deal RCEP

11 July 2017

On Saturday 8 July, more than 40 representatives of trade unions encompassing a wide range of sectors in manufacturing, services and the informal economy met in Hyderabad to take a view on the implications for workers of the negotiations for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP) treaty between 16 Asian countries, including India.

The new generation of PPPs in infrastructure – meeting the needs of institutional investors

10 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Civil society groups reclaim policies for the public

07 July 2017

Launching on the opening day of the High Level Political Forum at the United Nations in New York this new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Rio+20 Working for a sustainable world

16 July 2012

The general failure of the Rio +20 negotiations presents both threats and opportunities for public service unions. These will require local and national level responses, as well as coordination across regions and globally.

Impact of the economic crisis and austerity measures on women

04 July 2012

Women are losing jobs in both the private and public sectors, which has an immediate effect on household income but a much longer term effect on the role of women in the labour force.

Public Control Workers and the Fight against Corruption

15 June 2012

Ending corruption requires public and political organising to demand that governments represent public interests, instead of rich individuals and powerful companies, and to hold them accountable.

Financing water and sanitation: public realities

12 March 2012

This research publication by the Public Services International Research Unit reveals that the private sector investments in water and sanitation have been negligible, whether in OECD or in developi

Conflicts, companies, human rights and water

12 March 2012

Conflicts, companies, human rights and water, a research publication from the Public Services International Research Unit, discusses locations created when corporations seek to control access to na

Utterly Uncompetitive: the homelands of eternal water privatisation

10 March 2012

This new report from the Public Services International Research Unit shows that private companies delivering water and sanitation services enjoy and abuse monopoly positions. Examines situation in France, Spain and the UK to demonstrate serious distortions practiced by these companies

Why we need public spending - 2009

08 February 2012

The analysis presented here is a powerful reminder that public investment in public services and social benefits is central to social and economic development, and is more efficient than leaving such services to be supplied by the market. It shows the economic efficiency of using taxation to finance public spending on infrastructure and services which enable and support all other economic activity. It shows that higher taxation is affordable, and that corporations in particular are paying far too little tax.

Global Corporate Taxation and Resources for Quality Public Services

28 November 2011

The study has been commissioned by Education International Research Institute on behalf of the Council of Global Unions. The current debate on sovereign debt is conducted as if there were no other option than austerity. This report changes the focus. Here the focus is on the revenue side.The problem with the ‘no option but austerity’ line is that it thrusts national economies into downward spirals. There is another way. Public revenues can be boosted, if there is political will do so.

Desertec: what are the implications for Africa?

22 November 2011

The Desertec plan is a highly ambitious, large-scale project designed to harness renewable energy such as solar and wind power to generate large amounts of electricity. It will do this by establishing solar as well as wind plants in the Sahara desert in countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Water, electricity and the political context in Arab countries 2011

22 November 2011

This report examines the electricity and water sectors in North African and Middle Eastern countries. It consists of three sections. The first section examines the political, economic and global context as of September 2011. The second section examines the water sector. The third section examines the electricity sector.

The past, present and future of finance for investment in water systems

20 November 2011

This paper presents empirical evidence on the historical relative use of public and private finance for investment in water and sanitation systems in developed countries, evidence on the relative use of public and private finance and aid in developing countries, and evidence on the likely impact of the economic crisis.

Replacing failed private water contracts

18 November 2011

This paper sets out a global overview of trends in the public and private presence in the water sector, to help assess the options facing cities which still have problematic private water contracts, such as Jakarta.

PSUFASA Newsletter 2011

18 November 2011

The newsletter for public sector unions fighting HIV and AIDS in southern Africa (PSUFASA) is produced quarterly by the Project Coordinator based in the PSI Sub-Regional office for Southern Africa in Johannesburg.

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Pre-decision kit

07 November 2011

Public Services International (PSI) and its affiliated unions have prepared this kit to provide basic information on the facts, realities and issues concerning migration in the health sector. It is designed to help potential migrant health workers make an informed choice and to support unions that wish to assist health workers in making the right decisions

Effects of contracting out public sector tasks

30 August 2011

A presentation of the results of a research-based review of Danish and international studies from 2000-2011