Blogs and Think Pieces
Highlights ...
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On the occasion of International Women's Day, UNRISD Senior Research Coordinator Francisco Cos-Montiel contributes this reflection on the crises of care and climate, and how feminist thinkers and activists can respond.
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This think piece introducing the UNRISD series, The Time is Now! Why We Need a New Eco-Social Contract for a Just and Green World, argues that our social contracts are broken and cannot sustain the transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rather than fixing what was never a truly inclusive, ecological or equitable social contract, we argue that now is the time for a fundamental rethink of the principles and values that guide our societies and economies. This will require a process of meaningful participation, deliberation and negotiation in different places, at different levels and with all stakeholders, to commit to new eco-social contracts which are fully inclusive, grounded in human rights, respect planetary boundaries and support new forms of solidarity.
Also...
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In the 21st century, the pluralization of diplomacy is evident. A plethora of non-state actors―minority groups, Indigenous peoples, peasant movements, NGOs, human rights activists―currently interact and network with states in different UN and non-UN settings. What kind of diplomacy should be practiced to “leave no one behind”, as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has it? And how could multilateral diplomacy at the UN be steered to negotiate a new eco-social contract that is desperately needed to rebound and build a sustainable and just world in post-pandemic times?
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Whose future is it anyway? This is the key question that this think piece asks, arguing that young people are the only ones who appreciate the urgency of the climate crisis. Yet politicians and businesses are looking the other way. A new eco-social contract will require system-wide changes to foster inclusion, promote gender equality and deliver environmental justice. So let’s follow the example of our young people and start shifting the balance of power and figuring out new models of practice that recognize the intersections between climate change, inequalities and human rights.
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Is the pandemic creating opportunities for a new, more inclusive social contract regarding redistribution and social protection in the global South? This question, we argue, is best answered by anchoring broad calls for desired change in specific country-based policy processes. Drawing on ongoing fieldwork, we take a closer look at the way emergency cash transfers were implemented in Central America during 2020. In addition to positive short-term outcomes in terms of coverage and generosity, in two of the countries studied these programmes also displayed state capacities that could contribute to a new social contract in the area of social policy in the future. Yet the rapid return of austerity narratives could prevent any real advance towards the kind of eco-social contract that UNRISD promotes.
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UNRISD has launched its new Institutional Strategy focused on inequalities, and the Institute intends to apply an intersectional approach across all of its research programmes. Read on to find out why intersectionality is so important to UNRISD’s mission.
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Lagos is identified as one of the top 10 global cities at extreme risk from climate change. In the last two decades, adaptation interventions have been put in place, but a top-down approach in decision making that, to a large extent, is not inclusive of the urban poor population, has been detrimental to achieving the desired objectives of reducing the vulnerability of people facing climate risk.
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The smaller scale of secondary cities creates unique opportunities to pilot novel approaches for transformation. Lessons from Mongla, a port town in southwestern coastal Bangladesh, point to the potential for positive outcomes, but also the challenges of ensuring inclusive and just transformations.
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Informal recyclable waste collectors in Sai Mai district in Bangkok led to 21,681 tonnes of avoided greenhouse gas emissions yearly, yet their contribution goes unrecognized. Making climate change mitigation and adaptation equitable and inclusive would entail ensuring that these informal waste workers themselves can adapt to the impacts of climate change.
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In his blog for International Women’s Day 2021, Francisco Cos-Montiel argues that well-designed quotas are key to progress in women's political participation. When we think of women’s leadership, however, equally essential—but also slower and more complex—is social transformation that breaks through cultural barriers to gender equality and justice.