Why we need a GAPS

More than a billion people are without safe water supply, more than twice that number without sanitation, and countless millions impoverished by lack of basic health care, education, energy, transport and other necessities of life.

We all know that, without bridging those gaps, global poverty will not be eradicated and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be achieved.

That is why a representative alliance of international civil society organisations is calling for a General Agreement on Public Services (GAPS). Our aim is to promote quality public services based firmly on rights, and to underpin national and local democratic accountability with international standards.

The billions of people without even basic services are rightly the focus of increasing international determination to bridge the gaps. But even in countries with quite high levels of public service provision, many needs are met inadequately because of insufficient resources, poor systems or both.

While the role of the state in building and maintaining public services is fundamental, and privatization has often added new problems to existing ones, the inadequacies of public services have demonstrated government failure as well as market failure.

We need a new approach. In the modern world, we must recognise both the inter-dependency of public services and the need for global standards to underpin local accountability. That is why we have come together to work for a GAPS, and invite you to join and support our efforts.