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Draft:Patrick Huntjens

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Patrick M. J. M. Huntjens is a Dutch academic and practitioner in the fields of environmental governance, peacebuilding, and sustainability transitions. He served as Professor of Governance of Sustainability Transitions at Maastricht University (2021–2024)[1] and is Professor of Social Innovation and Sustainability Transitions at Inholland University of Applied Sciences (2018-present).[2] His work on “natural social contracts” and “eco-social contracts" has been recognized in global sustainability debates and assessments, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Transformative Change Assessment.[3]

Career

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Huntjens’s academic background spans multiple disciplines, with master’s degrees in Biology and Ecology and in Political Science and International Relations (cum laude), followed by a PhD in Complex System Sciences and Policy Sciences (magna cum laude) under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom.[4][5]

At the international level, Huntjens was appointed Lead Author for the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment (2022–2024).[3] During this period, IPBES as an institution received international recognition, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity (2022)[6] and the Blue Planet Prize (2024).[7]

From 2010-2013, Huntjens acted as Director of the Water Partner Foundation.[8] From 2013 to 2017, Huntjens served as Head of Water & Climate Diplomacy and Governance at The Hague Institute for Global Justice.[9] In this role, he hosted and co-organized the Water Security and Peace Conference (2013) at the Peace Palace in The Hague.[10] The event was covered in an Al Jazeera Inside Story broadcast on water diplomacy, which included a live interview with Huntjens.[11] In the same period, he also served as lead mediator in the Israeli–Palestinian water conflict,[12] commissioned by the Geneva Initiative and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[13] He also served as Senior Consultant Governance and Institutions for The World Bank.[14]

At the national level, Huntjens was appointed Team Leader for the National Adaptation Strategy in Kosovo by UNDP.[15], and acted as Team Leader for projects such as The Political-Economy of Water Management in Yemen,[16] Participation in Climate Change Adaptation in Vietnam.[17] and Governance of Climate Adaptation in Small Island Developing States.[18] and he was Key Governance Expert for the Integrated Trans-boundary NGO Master Plan for the Lower Jordan River Basin.[19]

Research and concepts

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Huntjens is known for developing the vision and concept of Natural Social Contracts,[20][21][22][23][24] and Eco-Social Contracts,[25][26], and related Transformative Change Approaches, such as Transformative Social-Ecological Innovation[21] and the Transformation Flower Approach.[27][28][29][3] Eco-Social Contracts call for "renewed solidarity, systemic equity across generations and communities, inclusive governance, and a fundamental transformation of economic systems".[26] His 2021 open-access book Towards a Natural Social Contract presented this framework and won the Nautilus Book Award (Gold Medal, 2022).[30] The book and its ideas have been discussed in Dutch and international media, including Springer Nature,[31] Trouw,[32] Reformatorisch Dagblad,[33] De Limburger,[34] BNNVARA Vroege Vogels,[35], BNR Nieuwsradio.[36] Platform31,[37] PONT Klimaat, [38] and Platform Overheid.[39]

Eco-Social Contracts are defined in an ideal-typical sense as: “Implicit or explicit collective agreements across multiple levels of governance, among members of society, aimed at addressing the interconnected polycrisis of the 21st century, including inequalities, injustices, climate and ecological breakdown, systemic distrust, and more. These agreements are rooted in cooperation and the recognition of shared norms and values oriented toward sustainability, equity, and justice. Importantly, eco-social contracts encompass social, environmental, economic, cultural, and institutional dimensions, and articulate the corresponding rights and duties of care for the environment and the well-being of others, including future generations and all forms of life on Earth”.[40]

The IPBES Transformative Change Assessment (2024) highlighted Natural Social Contracts / Eco-Social Contracts as one of the most transformative economic visions to date, next to post-growth economics and well-being economics.[3] The concept and vision is increasingly recognised in international policy and research, for example through UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Our common Agenda,[41], UNRISD’s Flagship Report Crises of Inequality: Shifting Power for New Eco-Social Contract,[42] the Global Foresight report of the United Nations Environment Programme and International Science Council,[43] UNESCO’s A new social contract for education,[44], the World Health Organisation,[45] the International Labour Organisation,[46] the International Trade Union Confederation,[47] and the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment,[3] and is elaborated in the edited volume Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures: Mobilising Collective Power for Dealing with the 21st Century Polycrisis.[48]

Since 2021 Huntjens has been involved in the Global Research and Action Network for a New Eco-Social Contract (2021), an international initiative which, by 2025, brought together more than 380 members from 79 countries, including scholars, civil society actors and policy institutions.[49] In January 2023 he delivered a keynote at the Global Network event Re-negotiate: A New Social Contract in an Age of Crises, hosted at Maastricht University.[50] Later that year, on 29–30 August 2023, he was invited as keynote speaker to the UNRISD Global Policy Seminar on Eco-Social Contracts in Bonn,[51] which built on his UNRISD issue brief on dismantling ecological divides.[52][25]

He is lead editor of the forthcoming United Nations-linked volume Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures (2025),[48] pre-launched at the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Annual Meeting 2025,[53] the Transformative Change/Earth System Governance 2025 conference,[54] and the official book launch at the Second World Summit for Social Development, hosted by the United Nations.[55]

Recognition

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  • Nautilus Book Award (Gold Medal, 2022) for Towards a Natural Social Contract.[30]
  • Named Lector van het Jaar (Professor of the Year) 2021 by the Dutch higher-education outlet ScienceGuide.[56]
  • During his period as Lead Author for the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment (2022–2024), IPBES as an institution received international recognition, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity (2022)[6] and the Blue Planet Prize (2024).[7]

Selected publications

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  • Huntjens, P. (2021). Towards a Natural Social Contract: Transformative Social-Ecological Innovation for a Sustainable, Healthy and Just Society. Springer: Heidelberg, March 2021, 221 pp.[21]
  • Huntjens, P. and Kemp, R. (2022). “The Importance of a Natural Social Contract and Co-Evolutionary Governance for Sustainability Transitions.” Sustainability, 14(5), p.2976. Open access.[22]
  • Huntjens, P., Mohamed, N., Hujo, K., & Desai, M. (eds.) (2025). Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures – Mobilising Collective Power to Deal with the 21st Century Polycrisis. UNRISD/Springer Nature.[26]

References

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  1. ↑ "Appointment as Professor of Governance of Sustainability Transitions at Maastricht University (2021)". Archived from the original on 2025-05-01. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  2. ↑ "Inholland University appointment". www.inholland.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "IPBES Transformative Change Assessment – Summary for Policymakers (2024)". IPBES secretariat. Archived from the original on 2025-04-13. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  4. ↑ Water Partner Foundation. "PhD Award Patrick Huntjens". Archived from the original on 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  5. ↑ PhD-Thesis (Magna Cum Laude) at University of Osnabruck. Eburon Acad. Publ. 2011. ISBN 978-90-5972-509-6.
  6. 1 2 "2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity distinguishes IPBES and IPCC". 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  7. 1 2 "2024 (33rd) Blue Planet Prize Laureates". 13 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Water Partner Foundation".
  9. ↑ "Maastricht University page".
  10. ↑ "Clingendael Institute news". Archived from the original on 2025-05-01. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  11. ↑ "Al Jazeera Inside Story – "Water Under Pressure" (2013)".
  12. ↑ Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Water Conflict: A Practitioner's View.
  13. ↑ "WaterPartner Foundation – biography". Archived from the original on 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  14. ↑ "World Bank report: Managing the Invisible: Understanding and Improving Groundwater Governance (2012)".
  15. ↑ "WaterPartner - UNDP National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) for Kosovo".
  16. ↑ "The Political-Economy of Water Management in Yemen: Conflict Analysis and Recommendations".
  17. ↑ Participation in climate adaptation in the Lower Vam Co River Basin in Vietnam. Taylor & Francis Group. doi:10.4324/9781315780368-4 (inactive 19 September 2025).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2025 (link)
  18. ↑ "Governance of Climate Change Adaptation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a project by The Hague Institute for Global Justice".
  19. ↑ "Integrated Transboundary Master Plan for the Lower Jordan River Basin, The Hague Institute for Global Justice".
  20. ↑ Huntjens, Patrick (2019). Op weg naar een Natuurlijk Sociaal Contract. Inholland University of Applied Sciences.
  21. 1 2 3 Huntjens, Patrick (2021). Springer: Towards A Natural Social Contract (2021). doi:10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3. ISBN 978-3-030-67129-7. Archived from the original on 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  22. 1 2 Patrick, Huntjens; René, Kemp (January 2022). "The Importance of a Natural Social Contract and Co-Evolutionary Governance for Sustainability Transitions". Sustainability. 14 (5): 2976. Bibcode:2022Sust...14.2976H. doi:10.3390/su14052976.
  23. ↑ "Video Interview by Kees Klomp (for CIRCL NL, THRIVE Institute, ABN-AMRO) with Patrick Huntjens on Natural Social Contract".
  24. ↑ "Springtij Conference 2022 Keynote on Natural Social Contract by Patrick Huntjens".
  25. 1 2 "UNRISD Issue Brief: Dismantling the Ecological Divide: Toward a New Eco-Social Contract (January, 2023)". Archived from the original on 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  26. 1 2 3 Springer: Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures (2025).
  27. ↑ "Huntjens, P. and Kemp, R., (2022) The importance of a Natural Social Contract and co-evolutionary governance for sustainability transitions. Sustainability, 14(5),". Sustainability: 2976.
  28. ↑ Huntjens, P.; Herkrath, M.; Brouwer, D. (2024). Gebiedsgericht werken op basis van de Transitiebloem-aanpak: Casus Midden-Delfland. Hogeschool Inholland. doi:10.48544/81a46ac4-c4ed-4bdc-9083-9e2d14c1fc54.
  29. ↑ Huntjens, P.; Kemp, R. (2025). "The Transformation Flower Approach for Eco-Social Contracting: Comparative insights from eight case studies in the Global South and North". In Huntjens, P.; Mohamed, M.; Hujo, K.; Desai, R. (eds.). Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures: Mobilising Collective Power to Deal with the 21st Century Polycrisis. Springer Nature.
  30. 1 2 "Nautilus Book Awards Winners 2022 PDF" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  31. ↑ "Interview in Springer Nature". 14 October 2022.
  32. ↑ "Trouw: "In strijd tegen klimaatverandering kunnen burgers meer doen dan ze denken, vindt hoogleraar Patrick Huntjens" (2022)".
  33. ↑ "Reformatorisch Dagblad: "Nieuw ecosociaal contract kan ons uit ecologische crisis leiden" (2024)".
  34. ↑ "De Limburger: "Alles hangt met elkaar samen" (2022)".
  35. ↑ "BNNVARA Vroege Vogels: "Van Ego naar Eco" (2022)". Archived from the original on 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  36. ↑ "BNR Nieuwsradio segments on drought and water policy (2011–2012)". Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  37. ↑ "Platform 31 - Corona Papers: Transitiebeleid na Corona" (PDF).
  38. ↑ "News article on Natural Social Contract on Klimaatweb".
  39. ↑ "News article on Platform Overheid".
  40. ↑ Huntjens, P., & Kemp, R. (2025). The Transformation Flower Approach for Eco-Social Contracting: Comparative insights from eight case studies in the Global South and North. Chapter 13 in: Huntjens, Mohamed, Hujo, Desai (Eds, 2025) Eco-Social Contract for Sustainable and Just Futures: Mobilising Collective Power to Deal with the 21ste Century Polycrisis. Open Access Edited Volume, Springer Nature, 2025.
  41. ↑ "UN. 2021. Our Common Agenda – Report of the Secretary-General. New York: United Nations".
  42. ↑ "UNRISD. 2022. Crises of Inequality: Shifting Power for a New Eco-Social Contract. Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development" (PDF).
  43. ↑ "United Nations Environment Programme and International Science Council. 2024. Navigating New Horizons: A global foresight report on planetary health and human wellbeing. Nairobi: Kenya".
  44. ↑ "UNESCO. 2022. Reimagining our futures together. A new social contract for education. Paris: UNESCO".
  45. ↑ "Lemmens, Trudo, Ghimire, Kanksha Mahadevia, Perehudoff, Katrina and Persaud, Navindra. 2022. The social contract and human rights bases for promoting access to effective, novel, high-priced medicines. Oslo Medicines Initiative technical report. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe" (PDF). Oslo Medicines Initiative Technical Report. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
  46. ↑ "International Labour Organization. n.d. Global Coalition for Social Justice. Accessed 30 April 2025".
  47. ↑ "International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). 2021. New Social Contract: Five workers' demands for recovery and resilience. Accessed 21 September 2024".
  48. 1 2 Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures: Mobilising Collective Power to Deal with the 21st Century Polycrisis. Springer. 2025.
  49. ↑ "Global Research and Action Network for a New Eco-Social Contract".
  50. ↑ "Global Network – Re-negotiate: A New Social Contract in an Age of Crises (event summary, 21 January 2023)".
  51. ↑ "UNRISD Event Brief: Global Policy Seminar on Eco-Social Contracts (UNRISD, 2024)" (PDF).
  52. ↑ "Green Economy Coalition: "UNRISD Issue Brief - Dismantling the Ecological Divide" (2023)". Archived from the original on 2025-07-19. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  53. ↑ "Academic Conference of the United Nations, Annual Conference 2025: Book Launch: Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures (Nairobi, 2025)" (PDF).
  54. ↑ "Transformative Change/Earth System Governance Conference 2025: Panel and Book Launch: Eco-Social Contract For Sustainable and Just Futures (Johannesburg, 2025)".
  55. ↑ "United Nations: Second World Summit for Social Development (Doha, 2025)".
  56. ↑ "Science Guide: "Patrick Huntjens verkozen tot lector van het jaar 2021"". Archived from the original on 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
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