NATIONALITY: Belgian

QUALIFICATIONS: PhD in social sciences, development cooperation

Thesis : Globalisation and Poverty. Analysis of the Poverty Discourse of international organisations. Highest degree. Université Libre de Bruxelles

Master in Conference Interpreting

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1982-1995: lecturer at Higher Institute for Translators and Interpreters/RUCA, Antwerp 

1995-2000: associated researcher at CELA-IS (Centre pour l’étude de l’Amérique latine), ULB

2002-2010 : associated researcher at GRAID (Groupe de recherche sur les associations internationales et leurs discours), ULB

2003-2010: lecturer ‘Postgraduate Studies in International Relations’ – Université Libre de Bruxelles

2008-2009 : lecturer ‘Global Studies ‘ University of Ghent

Since 2000: 

several training missions in Africa, Latin America and Asia concerning global issues, poverty reduction, social protection and gender policies

1976-2012: free-lance conference interpreter at the European institutions

2013-2020: associated member of CRIDIS/ Uuiversité Catholique de Louvain (Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire. Démocratie, Institutions, Subjectivités).

CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVITIES

1986-1996: member of AGENOR, a European group for critical thinking on European policies – publication of regular ‘newsletters’ – Organisation of yearly conferences of the ‘Dialogue for European Alternatives’

1991-1993: ‘European Initiative’ of the Belgian Charta 91 group (a citizen’s initiative): organization of a European conference on Racism and citizenship 

Since 2005: member of NIGD (Network Institute for Global Democratization)

2006-2010: secretary-general of ‘AEDH’ (European Association for Human rights), associated to FIDH (International Federation of Leagues for Human rights) – working mainly on social and economic rights

Member of the International Council of the WSF (CETRI)

Member of the International Organising Committee of the Asia Europe People’s Forum, coordinating its social justice cluster

Member of the board of CETRI – Centre tricontinental – Louvain –la-Neuve 

Coordinator of the global network of ‘Global Social Justice’ working on the social dimension of globalization (www.globalsocialjustice.eu) and on a project of ‘social commons’ (www.socialcommons.eu)

Algunos libros y artículos

Mestrum, F., Globalisering en armoede. Over het nut van armoede in de nieuwe wereldorde, Antwerpen, EPO, 2002

Mestrum, F., Mondialisation et Pauvreté. Sur l’utilité de la pauvreté dans le nouvel ordre mondial, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2002

Mestrum, F., De rattenvanger van Hameln. De Wereldbank, armoede en ontwikkeling, Antwerpen, EPO, 2005.

Matti Kohonen and Francine Mestrum, Tax Justice. Putting Global Inequality on the agenda, London, Pluto, 2009.

Mestrum, F., Ontwikkeling en Solidariteit, Antwerpen, EPO, 2010

Francine Mestrum – Meena Menon, Redefining the Agenda for Social Justice. Voices from Europe and Asia, Singapore, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.

Francine Mestrum, The Social Commons. Rethinking Social Justice in post-neoliberal societies, 2015, www.socialcommons.eu

‘Mondiale Armoedebestrijding’, in Jaarboek armoede en sociale uitsluiting 2014, OASES, Acco, Leuven, 2014.

‘Social Protection: Reimagining Development’ in ‘Global Health Watch’, London, Zed Books, 2014.

‘La lutte contre la pauvreté’ in Beaudet, P. et Haslam, P., ‘Enjeux et défis du développement international’, Presses universitaires d’Ottawa, 2014.

‘Child Poverty in the context of global social development’ in Vandenhole, W. et al., Routledge International Handbook of Children’s Rights Studies, London, 2015.

L’inégalité: un problème politique (bien plus grave que la pauvreté), in Alternatives Sud, ‘’L’aggravation des inégalités’, Vol. 22-2015/3.

‘Justicia social para la sostenibilidad de la vida. Sobre la necesidad de un nuevo pacto social global’ in German Jaraíz Arroyo (ed.), ‘Bienestar social y políticas públicas. Retos para pactar el futuro’, Catarata, Madrid, 2018.

‘Why Basic Income can never be a progressive solution’, in Amy Downes and Stewart Lansley (eds.), ‘It’s Basic Income. The global debate’, Bristol, Policy Press, 2018.

Social Commons and System Change (1), (2), (3): socialcommons.eu/category/news/; www.globalsocialjustice.info

‘Global Inequality: Don’t Look Up’, Global Inequality: Don’t Look Up! – Global Social Justice