Forging a New Eco-Social Contract for People and Planet

The Global Research and Action Network for a New Eco-Social Contract (GRAN-ESC) proposes a bottom-up, negotiated framework to address the 'polycrisis' by aligning social contracts with environmental sustainability. The briefing provides specific recommendations for the UN's Pact for the Future, emphasizing gender justice, international financial architecture reform, youth empowerment, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities to ensure a just transition toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• The proposed eco-social contract seeks to merge a reformed social contract focused on inclusion and justice with a specific contract for nature and future generations, grounded in human rights, gender justice, and solidarity.
• To avoid exclusionary top-down approaches, the document advocates for bottom-up democratic tools such as citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and citizen dialogues to mandate the transformation of economies.
• The briefing recommends that the Pact for the Future be expanded to include gender-responsive budgeting and increased investment in social infrastructure, including the care economy and social protection systems.
• Regarding economic transformation, the document calls for a new international financial architecture (IFA) that utilizes progressive tax systems, combats illicit financial flows, and implements the progressive removal of fossil fuel subsidies.
• The network suggests empowering youth through the reform of education curricula to include SDG-aligned concepts and the creation of youth-as-citizen assemblies at national and regional levels.
• The document emphasizes the need to move beyond mere 'improvements' for persons with disabilities (PwDs) toward equity and co-production, specifically warning against 'eco-ableism' and 'eco-exclusion' in environmental policymaking.

APA

Green Economy Coalition (n.d.). Forging a New Eco-Social Contract for People and Planet. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/ib1-gran-esc-delivering-pact-future.pdf

Chicago

Green Economy Coalition. Forging a New Eco-Social Contract for People and Planet. n.d. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/ib1-gran-esc-delivering-pact-future.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Economy Coalition |title=Forging a New Eco-Social Contract for People and Planet |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/ib1-gran-esc-delivering-pact-future.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greeneconomycoalitionndforging, author = {{Green Economy Coalition}}, title = {{Forging a New Eco-Social Contract for People and Planet}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/ib1-gran-esc-delivering-pact-future.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }