Eco-social contracts for sustainable and just futures

At this event, you will hear from contributors of this ground breaking open-access volume presenting eco-social contracts as a bold and actionable vision for tackling the major, interconnected crises of our time—climate change, biodiversity loss, rising inequality, and the erosion of public trust and democratic legitimacy. At its core lies a crucial realisation that can no longer be ignored: the social contract has been broken for billions of people. Consequently, the bonds between people, the planet, and power need to be rewoven. Connecting theory and practice, the book offers essential insights into how regenerative, inclusive, and just futures can be co-created.

Meet our speakers and chair

Najma Mohamed works at the intersection of climate, nature, and social justice in development policy and practice focusing on ideas and solutions that address climate change, fight inequality, and restore nature. She has over two decades of experience in policies and innovations to support a just transition to green economies, championing solutions which embody systems thinking and which cross institutional and disciplinary boundaries. She is currently the Head of Nature-Based Solutions at UNEP WCMC and is a co-editor of Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures.

Manisha Desai is the Executive Director of Center for Changing Systems of Power and the Empowerment Trust Endowed Professor of Global Citizenship at Stony Brook University. She is a senior research associate of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and a member of the Global Network for Research and Action for a new eco-social contract. Manisha is a co-editor of Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures.

Ashfaq Khalfan is the Director of the Sustainability Regulation Observatory (SRO) and Distinguished Policy Fellow at LSE's Global School of Sustainability. He was previously Climate Justice Director at Oxfam America and Law and Policy Director at Amnesty International. The SRO critically analyses sustainability regulation and generates insights into more effective design that advances human rights, social justice and sustainability.

Mary Robinson is the first woman President of Ireland and a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; former Chair of The Elders; a passionate advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building, human dignity and climate justice.

George Kunnath is an associate professor (Education) and academic lead for the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme. He is also a core team member of the Politics of Inequality Research programme at the International Inequalities Institute. His research examines the relationality of inequality, conflict and peacebuilding in the Global South, particularly focusing on the intersectionality of race, caste, class, gender and ethnicity.

For information on how to attend the event in-person or online, please visit this page.