Despite thirty years of desperate warnings from scientists and civil society, we have so far failed to address the looming catastrophes of runaway climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequality, and democratic decay. All the possible futures that we face in this moment involve transformative change. Either we reshape the ways our societies function, or these crises will overwhelm our societies and economies, causing untold suffering.
We believe that the only way to deliver a fair and fast transition lies in new economies and new social contracts: covenants between citizens, their states and others such as businesses and nature.
For creating and realizing a sustainable, healthy and just future for societies worldwide it will require a fundamental renegotiation of our current social contracts, which implies institutional change as well as multiple parties, multiple sectors, and multiple levels of governance to act and collaborate effectively.
As a co-host Studio Europa Maastricht invites you to a roundtable that will offer a place where thought leaders from politics, business, civil society and academia will connect and offer thought leadership to influence change and the direction of a new social contract. The roundtable will showcase intriguing and inspiring examples of new social contract formation at different levels and in various contexts, and we will discuss future steps and possible cooperation.
This event is using a hybrid format, supporting both in-person attendance and online participation.
location: Sint Janskerk, Vrijthof 24, Maastricht
Register here
Speakers:
- Mary Robinson (keynote speaker) – Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice & Chair of The Elders
- Patrick Huntjens (inaugural address) – Professor of Governance of Sustainability Transitions, Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI), School of Business and Economics
- Dharmendra Kanani – Chief Operating Officer and Chief Spokeperson at Friends of Europe
- Donald Pols – Directeur Milieudefensie
- Naima Mohamed – Policy Director, Green Economy Coalition
- Isabell Kempf – Head of Bonn Office & Senior Research Coordinator, UNRISD
- René Kemp – Professor of innovation and sustainable development at ICIS and Professor fellow of UNU-MERIT
- Maria Geuze – Director, Slow Food Youth Network NL
- Frank Boons – Director of Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI), School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University
- Hans Stegeman – Chief Economist, Triodos Bank
- Alvaro Oleart – Postdoctoral Researcher, Université Libre de Bruxelles
- Job Zomerplaag – PhD Researcher and Programme Creator, Studio Europa Maastricht & UNU-MERIT
- Paul Ladd – Director of UNRISD
- Marine Cornelis – Founder & Executive Director, Next Energy Consumer
- Nikki Trip – Co-chair Network 2100, Founder of Shareholders of the Future
Partners:
- School of Business and Economivs (SBE), Maastricht University
- Friends of Europe
- United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
- United Nations University (UNU-MERIT)
- Green Economy Coalition
- The Maastricht Observatory on Responsible, Resilient and Sustainable Societies, Economies and Enterprise (MORSE), Maastricht University
