Education systems are being weakened by austerity, debt, and privatization by Dr. Maria Ron Balsera Executive Director, Center for Economic and Social Rights   As governments mark the International Day of Education on January 24, too many are left behind because of chronic underinvestment.   Education systems are being weakened by austerity, debt, and privatization. This moment demands a clear shift toward public financing that is grounded in rights and accountable to people.   Education is essential for peace, dignity, equality, and participation in public life. Yet across the world, this right is being denied.   Chronic underfunding, deepening inequalities, unsustainable debt, and growing military budgets are pushing education further out of reach for millions of people.   On this International Day of Education, we movements around the world in calling for public financing that meets the scale of the crisis. Governments must not delay. Fulfilling the right to education requires investing public resources where they are most needed, guided by human rights and international cooperation.   The right to education is well established under international law. The 4As framework defines its core components: availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability. States must ensure enough schools and trained teachers, eliminate barriers to access, deliver quality and culturally appropriate education, and adapt to the needs of different learners and communities.   But these commitments cannot be fulfilled without accountability. Transparency, participation, and enforceable remedies are necessary to make the right real. Without them, states avoid consequences when they fail to meet obligations, and communities are denied the power to shape decisions that affect them.   Public education systems are under growing pressure. Governments are cutting spending, even as needs increase. Many countries are locked into cycles of debt and austerity, spending more on interest payments than on health or education.   In 2024, developing countries paid $921 billion in interest on public debt. Over 3 billion people live in countries where debt service exceeds public investment in core social rights.   This crisis is rooted in systemic inequalities. Wealthier countries and institutions have structured global finance in ways that limit public budgets in the Global South. Debt relief is delayed, borrowing costs are unequal, and tax systems remain regressive and porous. In this environment, education is often treated as optional, rather than as a right protected by law.   Militarization is adding to the strain. As conflicts escalate, military budgets are expanding, while social investment is deprioritized.   The promised shift from defense to development, often referred to as a “peace dividend,” has not materialized. On the contrary, schools and teachers are being sidelined in favor of weapons and warfare.   Governments can and must reverse course. A justice-based approach to public finance can strengthen education systems while upholding rights. The 4S framework provides a clear path forward:   Share: Increase the proportion of public budgets dedicated to education. Meeting or exceeding the global benchmark of 15 to 20 percent is a necessary step to fulfill legal obligations.   Size: Expand the overall amount of resources available. This requires reducing debt payments, raising more revenue through progressive taxes, and ending tax loopholes and harmful exemptions that benefit the wealthy. International cooperation is key. A UN-led tax convention would help create fairer global rules and allow countries to mobilize resources for rights.   Sensitivity: Budget decisions must prioritize equity and inclusion. That means focusing on the needs of marginalized learners, including girls, children with disabilities, rural and migrant communities, and others who are too often excluded. Equity must be built into every stage of the budget process.   Scrutiny: Transparent, participatory, and accountable budget systems are essential. People must have access to information, a voice in decisions, and mechanisms to hold institutions to account.   Under pressure to deliver services without increasing public spending, some governments and donors have embraced privatization. But these approaches have repeatedly failed to uphold rights. Low-fee private schools often exclude the poorest students and students with special needs and disabilities.   Public-private partnerships shift risk onto the public while private actors profit. Financialization turns education into an investment product, removing it from public oversight.   These models deepen inequality and weaken public systems. They are promoted by powerful corporate interests, but they are incompatible with the right to education. Governments have a duty to regulate, not retreat.   The right to education cannot be realized through domestic policy alone. Wealthier countries and international institutions shape the rules of the global economy, and they must be held to account. That includes:   Supporting debt relief and restructuring instead of pushing austerity. Ensuring that international financial institutions do not impose conditions that restrict public investment. Contribute adequate, grant-based funds to multilateral education mechanisms like the Global Partnership for Education.   International cooperation is not an act of generosity. It is a legal obligation rooted in the right to development and global human rights law.   Public education is a foundation for dignity, equality, and shared prosperity. It supports gender and climate justice, strengthens democracy, and enables collective action.   Financing it is not a secondary concern. It is a test of whether governments are serious about building fair and sustainable societies.   On this International Day of Education, the demand is clear. Fund education as a right. Fund it publicly. Fund it fairly. And do it now. Visit the related web page
	We cannot accept a future where the rich thrive while billions are left behind by OHCHR, Oxfam International, agencies   Resisting the Rule of the Rich. (Oxfam International, agencies)   Billionaire wealth jumped by over 16 per cent in 2025, three times faster than the past five-year average, to $18.3 trillion – its highest level in history, according to a new Oxfam report as the World Economic Forum opens in Davos.   Billionaire wealth has increased by 81 per cent since 2020. This comes as one in four people don’t regularly have enough to eat and nearly half the world’s population live in poverty.   The report Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power analyses how the super-rich are securing political power to shape the rules of our economies and societies for their own gain and to the detriment of the rights and freedoms of people around the world.   The surge in billionaire wealth coincides with the US Trump administration pursuing a pro-billionaire agenda. It has slashed taxes for the super-rich, undermined global efforts to tax large corporations, reversed attempts to address monopoly power and contributed to the growth of AI-related stocks that have provided a boon to super-rich investors world-wide.   His presidency has sent a clear warning sign to the rest of the world about the power of the ultra-rich. Rather than solely a US phenomenon Oxfam’s paper demonstrates that rising oligarchy is undermining societies worldwide. Oxfam’s report finds:   The collective wealth of billionaires last year surged by $2.5 trillion, almost equivalent to the total wealth held by the bottom half of humanity – 4.1 billion people.   The number of billionaires topped 3,000 last year for the first time, while the richest, Elon Musk, became the first ever to surpass half a trillion dollars.   Billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary people.   The $2.5 trillion rise in billionaires’ wealth would be enough to eradicate extreme poverty 26 times over.   “The widening gap between the rich and the rest is at the same time creating a political deficit that is highly dangerous and unsustainable.” said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.   Oxfam estimates that billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary citizens. A World Values Survey of 66 countries found that almost half of all people polled say that the rich often buy elections in their country.   “Governments are making wrong choices to pander to the elite and defend wealth while repressing people’s rights and anger at how so many of their lives are becoming unaffordable and unbearable,” Behar said.   Billions of people are being left facing avoidable hardships of poverty, hunger and death from preventable diseases because the system is rigged against them. Worldwide one in four people face food insecurity, having to regularly skip meals.   The rate of poverty reduction has stagnated with levels broadly where they were in 2019. Extreme poverty is rising again in Africa. Political decisions made by governments across the world last year to slash aid budgets have directly hit people living in poverty and could lead to more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.   Civil liberties and political rights are being rolled back and suppressed; 2024 was the nineteenth successive year of decline with a quarter of all countries curtailing freedoms of expression. Last year there were more than 142 significant anti-government protests across 68 countries which authorities typically met with violence.   “Being economically poor creates hunger. Being politically poor creates anger.” said Behar.   The chances of democratic backsliding through, for example, the erosion of the rule of law or the undermining of elections is seven times more likely in highly unequal countries.   “No country can afford to be complacent. The pace that economic and political inequality can hasten the erosion of people’s rights and safety can be frighteningly fast,” he said.   Governments are allowing the super-rich to dominate media and social media companies. Billionaires own more than half the world’s largest media companies and all the main social media companies.   “Our societies feel more toxic today because they demonstrably are, but not always for the reasons we’re being told. The outsized influence that the super-rich have over our politicians, economies and media has deepened inequality and led us far off track on tackling poverty. Governments should be listening to the needs of the people on things like quality healthcare, action on climate change and tax fairness,” Behar said.   Oxfam is calling on governments to prioritise:   Realistic and time-bound National Inequality Reduction Plans, with well-established benchmarks and regular monitoring of progress.   Effectively taxing the rich to reduce their power, including with broad-base taxes on income and wealth at high enough rates to reduce massive levels of inequality.   Stronger firewalls between wealth and politics including by tougher regulations against lobbying and campaign financing by the rich, ensuring more media independence, and banning hate speech.   Accountability for the political empowerment of ordinary citizens, including stronger protection for people’s freedoms of association, assembly and expression and for civil society organisations and trade unions.   * Forbes March 2026: 3,428 billionaires wealth now a record $20.1 trillion, up $4 trillion from last year. The U.S. has 989 billionaires, including 15 of the top 20. China, including Hong Kong, is next, with 610, and India (229) ranks third.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/billionaire-wealth-jumps-three-times-faster-2025-highest-peak-ever http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/resisting-rule-rich http://www.equals.ink/p/billionaire-wealth-reaches-historic http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/2026/01/27/democracy-at-risk-resisting-the-rule-of-the-richest/ http://ipdcolumbia.org/event/landmark-g20-report-led-by-nobel-laureate-joseph-stiglitz-sounds-alarm-on-inequality-emergency-and-calls-for-international-panel-on-inequality/ http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3054/unrisd-ipi-committee   http://www.equals.ink/p/agnes-callamard-on-rising-inequality http://www.equals.ink/p/the-great-global-wealth-transfer-thomas-piketty-on-inequality http://www.equals.ink/p/who-pays-when-countries-fall-into http://www.icrict.com/international-tax-reform/un-ecosoc-a-blueprint-for-financial-integrity http://publicservices.international/resources/news/our-new-research-shows-global-corporate-tax-reforms-would-boost-public-revenues-by-50-?id=16364&lang=en http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2026/02/financing-social-protection-a-matter-of-global-justice/   http://wir2026.wid.world/ http://wir2026.wid.world/insights/ http://wir2026.wid.world/insight/executive-summary http://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-finds   http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/a-blueprint-for-a-coordinated-minimum-effective-taxation-standard-for-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals/ http://americansfortaxfairness.org/new-report-u-s-billionaires-got-1-5-trillion-richer-trumps-first-year/ http://americansfortaxfairness.org/groups-back-billionaires-income-tax/ http://www.icij.org/news/2026/03/irs-criminal-referrals-against-big-corporations-and-ultrawealthy-plummeted-during-trumps-first-year/   Mar. 2026   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council (Extract):   "Inequality is the quiet force deciding the fate of millions. It dictates who eats, who learns, who gets housing and healthcare – and who does not.   Around the world, one in four people face food insecurity, and one in three lack adequate housing.   Over half the world’s population work in the informal economy, without access to paid sick leave, maternity leave, or other forms of social protection. This is particularly true for women. Nearly 60 percent of employed women work in the informal economy.   The 2030 Agenda is alarmingly off track, with many goals now slipping into reverse. Severe cuts in international development aid are projected to lead to more than 22 million avoidable deaths by 2030.   Faced with these realities, people — especially young people — have taken to the streets to demand their rights to work, to health, to education, and to be free from corruption. They are calling for economic systems that are fair, transparent, and accountable.   Their frustration reflects deep structural failures in the global economy, which continue to deepen inequalities within and between countries.   In 2024, developing countries paid a record 415 billion US dollars in interest, more than double what they paid a decade earlier.   Interest payments trap states in a spiral of under-development and shrink the resources available for health, education, social security, and other economic and social rights.   Many developing countries face the worst climate impacts despite contributing least to the crisis. Yet, those labelled as middle-income economies – including most small island developing states - are denied the concessional financing needed for climate adaptation and recovery.   Low-income countries often receive inadequate levels of debt relief, grants and concession-based finance that they desperately need.   Meanwhile, many of the richest countries under-invest in economic, social and cultural rights. Their tax systems reward the wealthy while failing to protect those who struggle.   Over the past 20 years, the richest one percent have captured 41 percent of all new wealth, while the bottom 50 percent receive just 1 percent. Last year alone, billionaires amassed enough wealth to eliminate extreme poverty twenty-six times over.   The consequences of deep inequalities within countries are devastating. Poverty, unemployment, and the lack of social protection, make people vulnerable to brutal exploitation. A recent report from our office highlighted for instance grave abuses against people trafficked into scam centres across several regions.   Commitments on financing for development need to be backed by action to enable countries to access the resources needed for sustainable development. Reform of the international financial architecture, including debt restructuring is desperately needed.   Debt servicing must not compromise international human rights obligations. States and international financial institutions should integrate human rights impact assessments systematically into their decisions on debt, in order to safeguard the fiscal space needed to realize the rights to health, education, a healthy environment, and social protection, among others. Stronger representation of developing countries in international decision-making is also crucial.   It is high time to move beyond gross domestic product as the main metric for progress. The measure of development should be whether the economy is improving people’s wellbeing and whether economic benefits are shared equitably across society.   Economic indicators should capture positive contributions to society – including the unpaid care work largely done by women, and the value added by the informal economy. And they should exclude economic activities that are harmful to human rights, such as burning fossil fuels.   Broader access to social security is a matter of justice. All States need to realise universal and legally protected social protection floors.   It is critical to expand resources for States on the frontlines of environmental damage. In an advisory opinion last year, the International Court of Justice stressed that international cooperation around climate change is a legal obligation. This includes providing enough financial support for climate action.   We cannot accept a future where a few thrive while billions are left behind. Together, we need to build economies that deliver for everyone, and make equality and justice the measure of our progress".   http://www.neep-poverty.org/news/interview-global-economy-must-stop-pandering-to-frivolous-desires-of-ultra-rich-says-un-expert http://www.neep-poverty.org/joint-policy-briefs/ http://www.srpoverty.org/2026/01/27/time-opinion-economic-growth-at-any-cost-fails-us-all/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a80138-far-right-populism-and-future-social-protection-report-special http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/putting-people-balance-sheets-un-expert-calls-rights-centered-global http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-expert-demands-global-action-democratise-water-governance-and-protect   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/development-cannot-be-achieved-dying-planet-un-committee-issues-new-guidance http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-experts-urge-binding-accountability-agribusiness-safeguard-peasants http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a80213-corporate-power-and-human-rights-food-systems-report-special http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/kenyas-seed-sharing-ruling-milestone-peasants-rights-and-food-security-un http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5848-right-food-finance-and-national-action-plans-report-special http://ipes-food.org/industrial-food-system-failing-as-un-finds-733-million-still-hungry/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/fair-and-effective-tax-policies-needed-advance-economic-social-and-cultural http://www.cesr.org/states-adopt-un-resolution-to-further-rights-enabling-economic-policies/ Visit the related web page
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