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Out of service - How public services and human rights are being threatened by the growing debt crisis

A new report from Eurodad's team working on ending debt crises warns that rapidly rising public debt is pitting the rights of creditors against those of the world’s poorest people - in particular women and girls. As the cost of debt rises and countries devote up to 40% of revenue to paying off external debt, public services are feeling the effect of austerity-driven cuts. Under international human rights law, states have a duty to promote social progress and better standards of living, including by allocating sufficient resources to public service provision. Yet people living in some of the world’s most impoverished countries are seeing their rights eroded on a daily basis because there is no fair international system addressing the growing debt crisis.

• Read the report
• Download the briefing
• Read the press release

News

Japan leads surge in tied aid

Eurodad's Jan Van der Poel told Devex that the increase in tied aid in 2018 represented “a remarkable surge in the amount of aid that puts donors’ commercial priorities before the priorities of people living in poverty.” 

Reports & useful resources

The impact of PPPs on gender equality and women's rights

As public-private partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly promoted, concerns about their impact are rising. This briefing explores the effect of PPPs on gender equality and women’s rights – highlighting concerns over increasing costs to governments alongside threats to the provision of universal, gender-transformative public services. It concludes that the ideologically driven promotion of PPPs should be replaced by a much more nuanced and evidence-based approach. Download this briefing from the Gender & Development Network.

Public Good or Private Wealth?

By Oxfam

This new report by Oxfam explores how we need to transform our economies to deliver universal health, education and other public services. Fairer taxation of the wealthiest can help pay for them.

How the EU plans to communicate the Green Deal

Last week, Tina Zournatzi - Head of Unit for Strategic Communication at the European Commission - was the guest speaker at a Brussels-based meet-up for NGOs called News and Booze. She spoke about how the Commission plans to communicate the European Green Deal and the role that NGOs can play. Click here to read an article on the key take-aways from this discussion.

Job vacancy

Policy & Advocacy Officer - Development Finance at Eurodad

Eurodad is hiring a Development Finance Policy & Advocacy Officer. The successful candidate will play a major role in our exciting work to make public development finance contribute to sustainable development objectives. They will have a strong vision, excellent interpersonal skills and experience working with CSOs. Deadline - 8 March.

This newsletter has been produced with co-funding from the European Union, Bread for the World and Norad. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Eurodad and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the funders.