How a Feminist & Decolonial Global Green New Deal Can Transform Systemic Inequalities

Over the last few years there have been several Green New Deals emerging across the developed world. There have also been responses, critiques and alternative formulations, particularly from the Global South, centered on global economic and social justice and on the need for Green New Deals to address systemic inequalities and still-persisting colonial dynamics. What does a feminist and decolonial global Green New Deal look like? What would be its key principles and provisions? And could it serve as a viable, intersectional framework for building sustainable peace in worn-torn countries?

Bhumika Muchhala is a political economist and critical theorist engaged in research, writing, advocacy, activism and public education on the international financial architecture, feminist economics and decolonial futures. She has 20 years of experience in global economic and social justice advocacy, and is a movement leader in global civil society who has advised developing country governments in UN conference negotiations and in the Human Rights Council. Since 2009, she has led Third World Network's programme on global economic governance, carrying out advocacy, research and campaign initiatives on fiscal justice, economic governance reforms for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of the IMF in the debt and fiscal crises generated by the pandemic, systemic inequalities and Special Drawing Rights, as well as the systemic transformations and paradigm shifts required for a decolonial and feminist global green new deal. Muchhala has a Masters of Science in Development Economics from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature and Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She is of Indian origin, grew up in Jakarta and is now based in New York.

Anne Marie Goetz is Clinical Professor at the Center for Global Affairs, New York University, and former Chief Advisor on Peace and Security at UN Women. As a political scientist, she has focused on studying how development policies in fragile states promote the interests of marginalized social groups, particularly poor women. She has researched democratization and good governance reforms in South Asia and East Africa, including research on pro-poor and gender-sensitive approaches to public sector reforms, anti-corruption initiatives, and decentralization, as well as political liberalization and state building in fragile states and post-conflict situations. She has published widely, including seven books on the subjects of gender, politics and policy in developing countries. Goetz holds a PhD from University of Cambridge, UK, a Masters of Science from the London School of Economics, and Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University, Canada. She is a Canadian who was brought up in Venezuela, Brazil, Trinidad, France, Australia, and Singapore, and currently lives in Connecticut, USA.