Survie

General issue

Published on June 2004 - Survie

Everywhere, throughout our time, public goods and services are threatened by greed for financial interests. At the same time, the increasing interaction of human societies leads to both new evils and needs. It is within this difficult context that the idea of “global public goods” as a necessity has entered into public debates on the world’s future.

Although common goods, public goods, public services are accurately linked, they are however very different. Common goods are what have to belong to everyone (or no one) now and in the future. Public goods are what everyone should have a right to, here and now. Public service is the way in which these common and public goods have to be managed, produced and distributed. This is true at all levels of society, from the village to global scale.

Global Public Goods are things that we admit both people and populations have a right to, that are produced and distributed freely and equitably, as according to the definition of public service itself, and done so whatever the status of the company providing the service. Universal human and ecological rights provide these rules which are guaranteed by international institutions, and which are permanently demanded by democracy and created by social movements.

Translated by Nga NGUYEN

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