The Citizens’ Network On Essential Services (CNES) works to democratize national and global governance by supporting citizens’ groups in developing and transition countries that are engaged in influencing policy decisions about basic services: water, power, education, and health care. CNES contends that citizens and their elected representatives (in democratic systems) should determine the kind of service provision that can best serve their social, environmental, and development goals. Participatory decision-making is the best route to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
CNES facilitates a Policy Circle on Essential Services (PCES), which links citizens’ groups engaged in such activities. PCES facilitates the exchange of information and experience as well as collaborative education, research, and advocacy work in the following areas:
- Disseminating Information.
- Educating for Policy Engagement, providing materials on Market Mechanisms for Service Delivery, Guides to Policy Options, and the Role of GATS in Essential Services
- Conducting and Synthesizing Policy Impact Research
- Amplifying Messages of Analysis and Experience, such as those from citizen groups seeking to bring social and environmental values to bear upon national laws and policies