A wave of youth-led “Gen Z” protests is sweeping the world. A recurring slogan during the recent protests in Morocco was “We want hospitals, not stadiums”, reflecting how publicly funded services such as health and education are being sidelined. Electricity and water outages triggered the protests in Madagascar that toppled the government. Rooted in high levels of inequality, deficits in public services, and generational frustration, these protests reflect the fracturing of the social contract between governments and young citizensThis week will see the World Summit for Social Development in Qatar. This is the first such summit in 30 years to focus the world’s attention on the pressing need to provide health, education, social protection and other vital services for all. Such public services are the most powerful and proven way to build more equal, fairer societies. This summit offers a critical opportunity to radically improve public service delivery, something that is at the heart of the rebuilding of a new social contract between angry citizens and their governments.Sadly, the trend is firmly in the wrong direction. In 2024, Oxfam highlighted that 84 percent of countries have cut investment in education, health and social protection. Nine out of ten countries have backtracked in one or more areas. …
