Staff

Patrick Brown

Executive Director

Patrick is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland, with 10 years of experience as an elected representative in local and national government. He has a background in international development and a PhD in politics from Queen’s University, with his thesis looking at the role of cash transfers in post-conflict peacebuilding. He has extensive experience in grassroots organising, environmental advocacy and political campaigning, including as the founder of a political travel company and as the Campaigns and Development Officer for the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. He is currently based in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.

patrick@equalright.org

Zainab Bie

Director, Asia Pacific

Zainab is an expert in Climate Justice and Public Policy with a strong background in Economics. She has spearheaded initiatives across diverse regions, representing India and the Global South at key international forums such as COP27, COP28, G20, and SBs. Zainab has authored research papers for UN-HABITAT and GIZ, and has collaborated with global organizations including Greenpeace International and USAID. Trained by UNITAR, she has amplified social impact and the youth climate movement. Based in Delhi, India, Zainab is a dynamic advocate for change

zainab@equalright.org

Sarah Hathiari

PhD Researcher

Sarah is a PhD Researcher with the Social Policy & Sciences team at the University of Bath, co-funded by Equal Right. Her research examines the intersection of climate justice and gender equality, focusing on how unconditional cash allocations can drive equitable and sustainable outcomes. Sarah has co-authored research reports with Equal Right and Project Deep, contributing to interdisciplinary work on social and environmental policy. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a Researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, where she co-authored publications on systems analysis for digital competition policy and international carbon trading mechanisms. At IIASA, Sarah led the first publication of the IIASA Women in Science magazine which highlights women’s experiences and achievements in the field of research. She has spent her formative years between India and the UK and earned her MSc Economics in Austria from the Vienna University of Economics & Business (WU).

George Matu Mureithi

Project Coordinator, Climate Commons Fund

Matu is a financial consultant as well as an advocate for Universal Basic Income (UBI). With extensive experience in the financial sector, including roles at leading banks and microfinance institutions, he has a deep understanding of the challenges marginalized communities face, particularly in accessing financial services. He is committed to exploring solutions to poverty, inequality, and climate change through sustainable economic systems, focusing on empowering communities and building inclusive financial frameworks.

Sabuktageen Ahmed Jengi

Prospect Research & Fundraising Assistant

Jengi is a Chevening Scholar currently pursuing an MSc in International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action at the University of Bath. With a background in Civil Engineering and over a decade of experience across WASH, Shelter, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience, he has worked in complex humanitarian settings, including the Rohingya Refugee Response in Bangladesh. Previously with UNHCR, he specialised in humanitarian coordination, cluster processes, and managing donor and external partnerships. At Equal Right, he supports prospect research and fundraising efforts, drawing on his experience in partnerships and stakeholder engagement. His interests focus on advancing climate justice, equitable development, and innovative financing approaches that empower vulnerable communities.

Carlos Adrian Perez

Director, Latin America

Carlos has over a decade of experience in environmental sustainability, social justice, and peacebuilding. His career encompasses international organisations & NGOs, where he has fostered dialogue with communities affected by conflict, women, & ethnic groups to develop social projects and advocate for environmental sustainability. His expertise also extends to political and consultancy work, where he has built bridges and facilitated collaborative efforts between the private and public sectors for the benefit of the most vulnerable. Additionally, his work in academia involves researching alternative perspectives on socio-environmental issues & global justice.

carlos@equalright.org

Christine Wainaina

Early Career Climate Fellow

Christine is an Early Career Climate Fellow in Climate Justice and Finance and a lawyer committed to shaping a fairer climate future. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Nairobi, where she came to understand the law as both a shield and a compass capable of defending the vulnerable and directing societies towards accountability.
Her work is anchored in the pursuit of climate justice for communities in the Global South, guided by the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR). She believes that those who have contributed most to the climate crisis carry a greater obligation to respond and that climate finance must reflect equity rather than charity. Grounded in human rights, her advocacy insists that dignity and justice are not aspirations but entitlements.

Management Board

Paul Harnett

Paul is an economist. He works on macroeconomics, public finance management and poverty reduction, with specialisms in healthcare, agricultural economics, anti-corruption schemes, community participation, and safety nets including cash transfers. He has worked with the World Bank, European Commission, UNDP, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Health Organisation, the UK’s Department for International Development, the African Development Bank, SECO, USAID and various NGOs, and he sits on the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department expert panel. He has worked throughout Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe and the USA. He is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Louis Strappazzon

Louis is a PhD student at the University of Bath, researching the role of hope in the Basic Income Movement and is an active campaigner working towards a Basic Income pilot in Greater Manchester, UK. He co-chairs UBI Lab Manchester, which is an autonomous group part of the global and decentralised UBI Lab Network, that consists of individuals across the world campaigning for a Universal Basic Income. He has volunteered for World Basic Income (now Equal Right) since 2020, which has involved producing the podcast Act Global and providing research support. Louis has a BA in History and Politics and an MA in Political Economy from the University of Manchester

Christopher Nwafor

Christopher is the Executive Director at Africa Observatory, a public-benefit organization engaged in research and advocacy around social and economic issues in Africa. He is the founding Director and Program Manager at Coastal Resources Centre South Africa, the Africa Coordinator at Citizen Network, and Chief Executive Officer at Inclusion Alliance. He has a background in partnership work to empower communities and producer groups, and capacity building of NGO partners and public agencies across West and Southern Africa. He currently provides advisory, programme management and fundraising support to the non-profit sector as an independent consultant. He holds a Doctorate in Agriculture and Masters’ degrees in Public Administration and Development Studies.

Mike Dowden

Mike is an economist. He works on microeconomics, regional economic development focussing on labour market issues and dynamics (un/employment, routes into work, gender, training et al), SME and entrepreneur matters (especially survival entrepreneurship), programme development and financing. Mike’s experience has been with DfID, the European Commission, the World Bank and various NGOs. This work has taken place throughout Europe, Africa, the MENA and Gulf States, Asia and North America.

Elena Klaudis

Elena started her career in marketing agencies working on database management and account planning. After briefly managing a small theatre marketing department, she re-trained in video production and facilitated youth video projects on conflict resolution and social enterprise education. As part of UBI Lab Network & UBI Lab Lambeth she researches UBI in the context of climate change, new economy and transition. She has also founded a small literary project linking readers, writers and publishers expanding creative opportunity through an alternative model of copyright licensing.

Laura Bannister

Laura is a political economist, justice activist and researcher. In various roles she has worked on global justice, trade justice, universal basic income, child rights and environmental issues, and she has helped to draft basic income manifesto proposals during general elections. She studied political economy with research focused on worldwide inequality and the potential for a global minimum wage. She has worked with the Eastern Africa Greens Federation in Uganda and Kenya and with NGOs in Zambia. In 2016 she set up Equal Right (formerly World Basic Income) to campaign for North-South redistribution and a secure income as a human right.

Sarah Methven

Sarah is a governance and social development consultant. She works on empowering citizens and civil society organisations to engage with governments and decision makers on rights, livelihoods, justice, community resource management and monitoring. After completing a Masters degree in Social Policy and Social Development she joined www.intrac.org and is now an associate. She has worked with the Department for International Development, the EU and other donors, and for organisations including Oxfam GB and Concern Worldwide. She lived in Southern Africa for ten years and now volunteers with Bristol Signing Support group that supports asylum seekers. After nearly thirty years working in development, she is excited by the potential of a world basic income to empower people and reduce global inequality.

Zagabe Appolinaire

Zagabe is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is currently a high level actor on Climate Justice issues , Entrepreneurship and Social work. He holds a Master's Degree in Public International Law from Kampala International University, and is Founder and Director of the DRC Climate Change Network, a platform bringing together several local, national, international and indigenous organisations in the DRC to campaign for the protection of the environment and fight against climate change. He is also the author of several publications in scientific research in the context of International Law and Conflict Resolution around the World.

Harsh Patel

Harsh is a sustainability professional with five years of experience in consulting and data management. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with the Public and private sector leaders to solve complex problems and push for better practices. In his most recent role at Schneider Electric, he works to bridge the gap between complex data and actionable climate action. He is a second-generation Indian American with agricultural roots in Gujarat, Harsh is driven by the human dimension of sustainability. He is specifically dedicated to rectifying the impacts of mineral extraction in unregulated markets, advocating for fair labor practices and worker rights to ensure a high quality of life for global communities. Harsh holds a Master’s in Environmental and Sustainability Management from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s from the University of South Carolina

Daniel Mermelstein

Daniel is a universal basic income campaigner. He volunteers with the UBI Lab Network and is a trustee of the Basic Income Research Group (formerly the Citizens Basic Income Trust). He is involved in the proposal for the first ever UBI trial in England and, as someone who grew up in Colombia, is working hard to make sure that Equal Right's project for a UBI trial in his country of birth becomes a reality. Daniel has a professional background in journalism and technology product management.

Saskia Daggett

Saskia has worked as Campaigns/Programme Director for a range of international organisations including Oxfam, Save the Children International and as a consultant for UNICEF. She has led campaigning on climate change, women's rights, mental health and anti-corruption. She lived and worked in Uganda for seven years working in and alongside grassroots organisations. She is a specialist in campaigning for systems change and is in awe of what groups of passionate people can achieve together.

Emma Gilbert

Emma is a human rights lawyer. She started as a legal aid solicitor in London helping families and vulnerable persons seek justice in inquest proceedings, judicial reviews and civil litigation against the police and the state. More recently, Emma is focusing on her international practice as a Legal Advisor to the Blockchain Climate Institute and pursuing an Advanced LL.M. in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University. She became aware of Equal Right in her role as a Director of Amazing Communities Together and is animated about the potential for UBI to transform the economics of climate activism.

International Advisory Board

Eduardo Suplicy

Politician & Author

Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy is a Brazilian economist, professor, businessman, and politician from the Workers’ Party (PT). He was the first PT senator, serving for 24 years (1991–2015), and was re-elected in 1998 and 2006.
Suplicy has a long public career: state deputy (1979), federal deputy (1983), city councilor (1989, 2017, 2021), and state deputy again in 2022, when he won with a record 807,015 votes. He also served as São Paulo’s Human Rights Secretary (2014).
Throughout his career, he has championed income distribution policies to fight inequality. In 1991, he introduced Brazil’s first Minimum Income proposal, and since 1994 has promoted the idea of a Universal Basic Income. His work led to the approval of Law 10.835 (2004), making Brazil the first country in the world to adopt a Basic Income law.

Tomás Paes de Carvalho

Basic Income Expert

Tomás is an economist with extensive research experience on inequalities and the precariousness of labour in Brazil and Latin America. With a strong background in basic income and sovereign wealth funds, he has worked with the development and evaluation of cash transfer policies in the region. Since 2021, he coordinates a network of young economists focused on economic and climate justice. He graduated from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, with a year abroad at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Caroline Teti

Development Scientist

Caroline is a development scientist based in Kenya.
She works at GiveDirectly as Director of Recipient Advocacy. Previously as a Field Director at GiveDirectly, she set-up the Basic Income pilot experiment that currently sends monthly transfers to over 20,000 beneficiaries in Kenya. She has spoken in various forums on the impact of cash on poor communities. She has worked for non-profits in East Africa and Europe and for the government of Kenya. She holds holds a postgraduate degree in Development Communication and a postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Human Rights.

Rahul Basu

Research Director

Rahul is Research Director at Goa Foundation, an environmental non-profit in India.
He is technical advisor to Mines, Minerals & People and on the India advisory board of the India Network for Basic Income. Rahul is a member of INSEE (Indian Society for Ecological Economics), EAERE (European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists), the Goenchi Mati Movement and The Future We Need. He has published papers in Economics & Political Weekly on mining and intergenerational equity. His experience includes finance & accounting, behavioural economics and public policy.

Karen Jooste

Founder and Director

Karen is the founder and director of RightfulShare, an income movement in South Africa.
The movement calls for basic economic security by replacing charitable aid with a dividend paid directly to South Africans as their rightful share of the economy. The organisation is building a use case in a rural town, demonstrating how access to a basic amount of cash promotes justice and unlocks innovation in a context where wage work is no longer the norm. Karen previously served as a Member of Parliament and holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Stellenbosch.

Didier Nshimirimana

Lawyer and Advocate

Didier is a lawyer and a climate justice and human rights advocate, committed to mobilising political will for better laws and policies to address the climate crisis and human rights.
He works with communities in Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya on climate change adaptation, resilience and legal aid in partnership with organisations including UNDP and USAID. Since 2020 Didier has been the Director of the East Africa Mother Earth Project and participated in COP26 in Scotland as an UNFCCC Observer. He believes that a greater diversity of voices is needed in order to create sustainable solutions to global challenges, and he trusts in the power of communities to boost and sustain their own social and economic resilience when provided with appropriate empowerment and support.

Caroline Whyte

Ecological Economist

Caroline is an ecological economist who undertakes research and advocacy for the Irish think-tank Feasta (The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability).
Caroline is the main author of a series of Feasta submissions and publications which include analyses of Universal Basic Income and commons-based taxation. She is a member of the Steering Groups of the Irish Environmental Pillar and Stop Climate Chaos Ireland and the Economic Transition Working Group of the European Environmental Bureau, and she represents Feasta in the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

Bernard 'Kato' Ewekia

Founder and National Director

Bernard is the founder and National Director of Saving Tuvalu
Kato is a Tuvaluan citizen who has found love for his country in the details that make it unique. He is a passionate climate campaigner, and through his organisation Saving Tuvalu he has led one of his country’s most influential environmental organisations at both local and national levels. He was the first Tuvaluan youth to represent his country at COP, and has done so 3 times. He is currently based in Perth, Australia with his family, and spends his time playing rugby and visualising a better future for his home country.

Frank Kamanga

Lecturer in Economics

Frank is a Lecturer in Economics at the Catholic University of Malawi.
Frank leads the Basic Income Malawi group and is a global ambassador for the universal basic income movement. He is a former Economist of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and has co-founded two non-governmental organizations: Global Hope Mobilization and Centre for Child Development and Research. As a dynamic Economist, his domains of change-making include universal basic income, business economics, agriculture, digital economy and youth development.

John Barry

Professor

John is a father, a recovering politician and Professor of Green Political Economy at Queens University Belfast. He is also co-chair of the Belfast Climate Commission.
What keeps him awake at night is the life opportunities and future wellbeing of his and other children in this age of the planetary crisis, and why it is easier for most people to believe in the end of the world than the end of capitalism and economic growth. His areas of academic research include post-growth and heterodox political economy; the politics, policy and political economy of climate breakdown and climate resilience; and the overlap between conflict transformation and these sustainability and energy transitions.

Brent Ranalli

Practitioner and researcher

Brent is an environmental policy practitioner and researcher.
His book Common Wealth Dividends: History and Theory recounts the principle of common wealth dividends (the idea that those who make private use of common resources should compensate those who are excluded) in three different domains: as applied to land by Thomas Paine and others; as applied to oil and other natural resources starting with the Alaska Permanent Fund; and as applied to the atmosphere as a carbon sink. The book also situates the exploitation of natural resources for dividends within a larger framework of ecological sustainability, and investigates the extension of the idea of common wealth dividends beyond nature to man-made common resources like our financial and monetary systems.

Robert Fletcher