Economies that work - for all

Leilani Farha—former UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and global director of THE SHIFT—joins us in this episode for a timely and thought-provoking conversation on housing as a human right.
Farha describes housing as a “springboard” to nearly every other human right, emphasizing that without a safe and secure home, it is nearly impossible to live a full and dignified life. She argues that meaningfully enforcing the right to housing is key to confronting the deepening global housing crisis.
Building on this foundation, our conversation turns to the structural forces shaping today’s housing landscape—from the financialization of housing markets to the systemic roots of homelessness. Rather than viewing homelessness as an individual shortcoming, we examine it as a policy failure embedded in broader economic systems. We also discuss the role of corporate actors, and why greater accountability, while not a silver bullet, could be a powerful step toward creating fairer and more sustainable housing systems.

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.

We welcome Dr. Ahilan Kadirgamar—a leading Sri Lankan economist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Jaffna, examines Sri Lanka’s so-called “lost decade,” marked by a shrinking economy, rising debt burdens, widespread food shortages, and skyrocketing inflation. He traces how misguided economic and development policies compounded over time to erode what was once a relatively prosperous economy.
While rooted in Sri Lanka’s experience, his analysis resonates far beyond one country, offering insights into the structural pressures shaping economic development across many countries. Dr. Kadirgamar makes the case for a Human Rights Economy grounded in collective action,participation and democratic economic policymaking, calling systems designed to improve people’s lives rather than maximize profits.

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.

For the third episode of the Economies that work - for all, we welcome Dorah Modise, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Commission of South Africa. The episode explores South Africa’s efforts on just transition, examining plans to move toward a low-carbon economy and the government’s strategy for developing the country’s significant critical minerals sector, all within a framework that places human rights at the centre of the transition. 
The conversation highlights the country's transformative policy approaches, including the decentralization of power supply and a growing reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Together, these efforts seek to ensure that the transition not only reduces emissions but also avoids deepening energy poverty or creating new inequalities—delivering benefits that are both equitable and far-reaching. The episode further provides an inside perspective on the complexities of steering a national energy transition, as policymakers gather support from government and industry, and ensure that workers, Indigenous peoples and affected communities have their rights respected.

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.

In the second episode of Economies that work-for all, we are pleased to welcome Poliana Garcia Ferreira, General Coordinator of International Tax Cooperation in Brazil, for an in-depth conversation on poverty and extreme economic inequality in developing countries. Using Brazil as a case study, the episode explores how governments can leverage fiscal policy, progressive taxation, and targeted social spending to address entrenched poverty and reshape unequal economic structures. Framed within the broader field of social policy and the human rights economy, the discussion highlights how the strategic and intentional use of public finance tools can shift the status quo and expand access to economic opportunity.

The conversation further examines why tax policy can no longer be treated as purely a national concern. In today’s globalized economy, multinational corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals pay way less taxes than they should, while the poorer are overburdened. As Ms. Garcia Ferreira emphasizes, transparent dialogue and coordinated cooperation — both domestically and internationally — are essential to building an intelligent and effective global tax architecture that strengthen human rights and support a life with dignity for all.

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.

In this episode, we welcome Pablo Bustinduy, Spain’s Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and the 2030 Agenda, for a conversation on the responsibility of democratic governments to advance social policy through both legislation and economic strategy. Drawing on recent reforms in Spain, Minister Bustinduy discusses how embedding human rights principles and the UN 2030 Agenda into fiscal and economic policy is essential to building a modern welfare state fit for the 21st century.
The discussion explores why wealthy democracies cannot allow poverty and social exclusion to persist, and why leaving welfare to market forces alone is a political and economic mistake. Minister Bustinduy argues for a rights-based approach to economic governance—one that recognizes workers and their labor, paid and unpaid, as the foundation of society and treats redistribution not only as a matter of justice, but as an economic necessity. This episode offers key insights for anyone interested in fomenting a fairer and more equal society.

If you’d like to learn more about the Human Rights Economy, the work of OHCHR or UNSSC, check this link.