Municipal Services Project Workshop

Speaker(s)

Daniel Chavez, Satoko Kishimoto, David McDonald, Marcela Olivera, Mary Ann Manahan, Yoswa Dambisya, Greg Ruiters, Amit Sengupta, Maude Barlow, Carlos Crespo, Susan Spronk, Martin Pigeon, Carles Escolano, Nila Ardhianie

Session I: Alternatives to Privatization: Public Options for Water, Health and Electricity in the Global South

Times: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM

This workshop presents the findings of our new book on ‘alternatives to privatization’. It looks at water, health care and electricity in over 40 countries in the global South and celebrates the women and men who are reinventing the meaning of ‘public’. We discuss the diversity of public models that exist, how we evaluate their ‘success’ and how they might be reproduced elsewhere.

Speakers:

• David McDonald - Municipal Services Project, Canada 
• Marcela Olivera – RedVIDA, Bolivia 
• Mary Ann Manahan – Focus on the Global South, Philippines 
• Yoswa Dambisya – University of Limpopo, South Africa 
• Daniel Chavez – Transnational Institute, Netherlands

Session II: Research and Activism: Together in Defense of Public Services

Times: 13:00 PM - 15:30 PM

This participatory workshop explores how researchers and activists can join forces in the fight against privatization and the search for improved public services. Examining this relationship is critical to understanding where the movement for public services is going and how research can reinforce action.

Speakers:

• Greg Ruiters – Municipal Services Project, South Africa 
• Amit Sengupta – People’s Health Movement, India 
• Maude Barlow – Council of Canadians, Canada 
• Carlos Crespo – University Mayor San Simón, Bolivia 
• Susan Spronk – University of Ottawa, Canada

Session III: Remunicipalisation: Putting Water Back in Public Hands

Times 15:30 PM - 18:00 PM

Remunicipalisation is a growing trend in the water sector. Defined as the transfer of water services from private companies to municipal authorities, remunicipalisation shows that public can outperform private worldwide. This workshop reviews five recent case studies from Argentina, Canada, France, Malaysia and Tanzania, looking at the origin of the process, the transition period, and the public phase. It offers insights into campaign strategies and lessons learned.

Speakers:

• Martin Pigeon – Corporate Europe Observatory, Belgium 
• David McDonald – Municipal Services Project, Canada 
• Satoko Kishimoto – Transnational Institute, Netherlands 
• Carles Escolano – ATTAC, Spain 
• Nila Ardhianie – Amrta Institute for Water Literacy, Indonesia                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Copies of the book 'Remunicipalisation: Putting Water Back in Public Hands' will be distributed for FREE to participants in the workshop, and will be available for 5 euros during the FAME meetings.