WD2026: Developing a Strategic Roadmap for Economic Justice Across Global Policy Moments

Today, at WD2026, ICRW and the Center for Global Development, in conjunction with the Women Deliver Economic Justice and Rights Working Group, convened a session titled Developing a Strategic Roadmap for Economic Justice Across Global Policy Moments. The conversation focused on “now what”: how advocates, movements, and institutions can better coordinate strategies and sustain momentum beyond the conference. Below are the high-level takeaways from the discussion.

1. THE GLOBAL DEBT CRISIS IS NOT TECHNICAL—IT’S POLITICAL

Too often, debt is framed as a technical macroeconomic issue. In reality, it’s a political question about who gets paid, who decides, and who bears the cost. Governments across the Global South are being forced to choose between servicing debt and funding essential services like healthcare, education, and social protection.

Chenai Mukumba, Executive Director, Tax Justice Network Africa, invited us to rethink the dominant narratives we know about debt:

Africa is not simply indebted; it is systematically drained of resources:

African countries pay ~$100 billion annually in debt servicing. This exceeds the money flowing into the continent via aid and private finance. If you add ~$90 billion in illicit financial flows, the picture becomes clear: more resources leave Africa than enter it.

The “corruption and mismanagement” narrative is incomplete:

While governance challenges exist everywhere, they do not explain the full story. The global financial architecture concentrates power in creditor countries, forces African countries to borrow at higher interest rates, imposes stricter conditions and less flexibility, and places countries in negotiations from positions of structural weakness.

Austerity is not a neutral solution.

Austerity policies are often presented as inevitable. But in practice, they cut public services, shift the burden onto households, and disproportionately impact women. When governments cut spending, the costs don’t disappear—they are transferred into unpaid care work and household survival strategies.

Debt is not gender-neutral

Across Africa, women dominate informal employment, up to 90% in some contexts. Informal workers lack social protection, and cuts to services hit women first and hardest. Debt policy is therefore gender policy.

Without structural economic transformation, countries risk returning to debt crises repeatedly. Breaking the cycle requires: moving up value chains, reducing dependence on raw material exports, and building inclusive and resilient economies.

Feminist voices must be present wherever economic policy is shaped because debt, austerity, and economic restructuring are gendered issues.

2. THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AS A SYSTEM

Debt, international taxation, development aid, multilateral lending, domestic taxation, and climate finance are often discussed separately. However, they are deeply interconnected and must be addressed together to create real economic justice.

Caren Grown, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, Brookings Institution highlighted that:

The decline in overseas development assistance is reshaping global financing:

Overseas development assistance (ODA) has dropped by roughly 25%, driven largely by a small number of donor countries. The consequences are severe, affecting health, education, humanitarian, and civil society and governance funding. These cuts are not abstract—they directly impact services and systems that millions rely on. This creates urgency for countries to strengthen domestic resource mobilization. Without fair domestic taxation, countries cannot fund public investment in care, health, education, and infrastructure. 

Development lending is rising—and so is debt risk:

Lending by multilateral development banks has tripled, rising from $30 billion to $96 billion. While this lending is often concessional and less harmful than private debt, it is still debt. Countries remain bound by repayment obligations and conditions. At the same time, private commercial debt is growing rapidly and is far less transparent and regulated. Transparency and accountability must include both public and private debt.

Climate finance is the missing piece of the conversation:

Climate finance is now a major global funding stream—but it is insufficient, debt-heavy, and focused mostly on mitigation rather than adaptation, the area most critical for vulnerable countries.

Investments in care systems—services, infrastructure, health, and education—are climate adaptation strategies. Without investment in social infrastructure, countries cannot adapt.

3. THE CARE AGENDA IS A RESULT OF DECADES OF FEMINIST AND LABOR ADVOCACY

The growing global momentum around care is the product of long-term work by feminist economists, labor movements, and civil society. Over time, the movement has evolved through three stages: what is care?; why does care matter?; and; how do we implement care systems? Today, the global conversation is shifting decisively into the “how” phase.

Ana B. Moreno, Technical Secretary, Global Alliance for Care, discussed advancing the care agenda and what we must do to ensure continued progress:

Global progress happens at different speeds — and that’s okay:

Advocacy for care is advancing across multiple levels simultaneously:

• Global level: slowly moving toward implementation and financing
• National level: some countries are already implementing care systems
• Local level: rapid innovation and real-world experimentation

Countries are already proving care systems are possible:

Several countries have begun implementing national care systems and policies. Local governments are also integrating care into urban planning, transport, budgeting, and citizen participation. Care is moving from concept to public policy and infrastructure.

Narrative change is the backbone of the care movement:

A major driver of progress has been changing how societies understand unpaid care work. Care is being reframed as: a need, a right, a public good, and a foundation of economic systems. This narrative shift is essential for sustained policy change.

The next phase requires collective, cross-movement action:

The future of the care agenda depends on collective intelligence, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and strategic, long-term thinking. Real progress requires connecting roles, actors, and sectors.

Multilateral spaces still matter—now more than ever:

Despite skepticism about multilateralism, global policy spaces remain critical. The post-2030 agenda and upcoming global moments (including future CSW sessions) are major opportunities to advance the care agenda.

4. ADVOCACY MUST ENGAGE EARLIER IN GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS

One of the most powerful entry points for influence is early engagement in global processes. Major international agreements take years to negotiate, and long-term advocacy can shape outcomes.

Foteini Papagioti, Director, Policy and Advocacy, ICRW, underscored the value of sustained, strategic engagement in global governance spaces.

Multilateralism still matters — and needs reinvestment:

Despite frustration with slow progress, multilateral spaces remain critical for advancing gender equality and economic justice. The key mindset shift is to engage constructively, maintain ambition, keep dialogue spaces open, and use every process to expand influence. Walking away from these spaces would weaken progress.

Gender equality still sits in “soft” policy spaces:

A major challenge in global policy is the divide between binding agreements (funded and enforceable) and soft instruments (voluntary and underfunded). Gender equality initiatives often fall into the second category. This creates a major advocacy opportunity: move gender equality from voluntary commitments into funded financial systems.

Coalition building is growing—but funding is not yet following:

Current progress is strongest in coalition building, knowledge production, and policy dialogue. What’s missing, however, is large-scale resource mobilization and deep integration of gender equality into financial systems. The next phase must focus on durable systems and financing.

Connecting financial tools to gender equality goals is the next frontier:

Encouraging signs are emerging, including initiatives linking normative goals with financial instruments, collaboration with multilateral development banks, and new approaches to financing gender equality priorities. However, this work is still in the early stages and needs to be accelerated.

Global advocacy requires continuous, strategic engagement:

Influence does not happen at single events. It requires long-term strategy, coordination across global policy moments, translating commitments into concrete action, and building coherence across forums and timelines.