As governments across the Global South face rising debt repayments and pressure to implement austerity measures, public education systems are being pushed deeper into crisis. At the same time, countries continue to lose billions in public revenues through international tax abuse and illicit financial flows, reducing the resources available to fund schools, teachers and education systems.
The Tax Justice Network joined over ten civil society organisations in submitting evidence to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Farida Shaheed, on the relationship between debt, the international financial architecture, and the right to education. The submission responds to the Special Rapporteur’s call for inputs on how debt and international financial policies are affecting education systems around the world.
Drawing on evidence from countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, the submission shows how rising debt burdens and shrinking fiscal space are undermining governments’ ability to finance public education. In many of the countries analysed, debt servicing now exceeds education spending.
The submission argues that these pressures cannot be separated from the failures of the international tax system. Current international tax rules continue to restrict the taxing rights of many Global South countries and enable multinational corporations to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions, eroding domestic tax bases and increasing dependence on borrowing.
In this context, the ongoing negotiations for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation represent an important opportunity to strengthen global tax rules, improve financial transparency, and support countries to mobilise domestic resources for public services, including education.
The coalition also calls for reforms to the global debt architecture, including debt sustainability assessments grounded in human rights obligations and a fair sovereign debt workout mechanism under the United Nations.
Endorsements: ActionAid International, Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), Education International, Equal Education, Global Campaign for Education (GCE), Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE), Oxfam International , Prof. Steven J. Klees, University of Maryland, Results UK and Tax Justice Network.