Sarah Saadoun
Sr researcher & advocate on economic justice, human rights watch. Imagining a world where economies unleash human potential for beauty.
- While many face abysmal public services + tax hikes, huge companies & the uber-rich game a tax system designed 100 yrs ago. My new oped in @opiniojuris.bsky.social on why the first-ever UN tax treaty is a historic chance for public budgets that can fund human rights opiniojuris.org/2026/01/13/a...
- Good to know the going rate for trying to counter my work!
- This included more than 6,000 Euros for drafting a text for a "legal blog post", probably never published, against @hrw.org report on the Israeli occupation economy.
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounLow tax revenues helped drive Sri Lanka to economic crisis. New report by @hrw.org’s @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social on how tax policies favoring companies & the wealthy have for decades been undermining human rights, including to education www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
- Today, @hrw.org released the 1st major report on tax, documenting how policies that favor the rich drove Sri Lanka into economic crisis & starved its public education system. UN tax treaty negotiations are historic chance to address a root cause. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
- We assess economies based on GDP, but all it measures is total productivity, incentivizing growth while ignoring inequality, environmental degradation & human rights like health & education. Good news is there’s a process underway to develop new metrics: www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounSri Lanka’s tax policies played a driving role in the country’s devastating 2022 economic crisis and have contributed to the chronic underfunding of education and other public services. New report @hrw.org / @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social, going out on Oct 15. Reporters can DM me for embargoed copy etc
- Watching states negotiate the first-ever UN tax treaty was a window into geopolitical shifts - and a ray of hope for changing tax rules that deprive all governments of revenues for the benefit of the wealthiest: new from @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounHad a great chat with @rosiebultman.bsky.social of KCSB and my @hrw.org colleague @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social about the Trump admin's terrible budget bill and how it will make ordinary people pay for tax cuts for the rich with their health Take a listen 👇 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
- Pleasure to join @rosiebultman.bsky.social on The People’s Program with my @hrw.org colleague @mattcconnell.bsky.social to talk about how Trump used the budget bill to kill a global rule meant to finally make companies pay a minimum tax rate on their profits. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounTrump’s budget doesn’t just attack inequality at home, it’s a global giveaway to corporate giants, sabotaging efforts to make billionaires and multinationals pay their fair share. While the world fights for tax justice, this administration rigs the system even further www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounTrump's budget-busting bill... Sure, it adds trillions to the national debt, but it transfers funds away from the poor, who already have too much money, to the rich, who desperately need money. Can't see anything wrong there. www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...
- Trump’s budget not only transfers public goods to private pockets in the US, he weaponised the process to let US companies keep ripping off the govts where they operate, hurting their ability to fund health, education & other rights www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...
- “It’s appalling that President Trump ran on a campaign to fix the economy but is delivering a budget that makes ordinary people pay with their health for tax breaks for millionaires” @mattcconnell.bsky.social @hrw.org on the catastrophe of a budget the senate just passed www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounThis is on top of the $79 trillion in upward redistribution since 1975, as per Carter C. Price's latest assessment in their Rand Corporation report www.rand.org/pubs/working... @randeurope.org #econsky #polisky #history
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounUS Senators are currently debating the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" to advance President Trump’s agenda. This bill is not a solution to economic inequality or for managing immigration procedures – it is a blueprint for cruelty. ✍️ Urge Congress to stop the bill NOW: www.hrw.org/NotOnOurWatch
- From Kenyans protesting regressive taxes to US budgets fights over tax cuts for the rich, one thing is clear: tax policies are central to human rights. A new database from @hrw.org shows UN human rights bodies made 168 tax-related recommendations to 98 states. www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounNEW: The Senate version of One Big Beautiful Bill is one big ugly transfer of wealth from low-income families to the rich. Americans struggling to get by will pay more for groceries & health care so the highest income families can get big tax cuts. This isn’t shared sacrifice.
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounThe United Nations conference on financing for development should help pave the way for meaningful progress on improving international tax cooperation to benefit everyone’s human rights: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounThe reconciliation bill puts health benefits for tipped workers at risk. ⬇️
- The White House is touting tax benefits for tipped workers in the reconciliation bill, but 2 million tipped workers could be among those at risk of losing health coverage because of the #Medicaid and #ACA marketplace cuts in the bill. (1/3) www.nbcwashington.com/news/busines...
- 10,000 people are coming to Sevilla in a scorching heatwave to discuss financing for development. You know what would make the conference super cool? Advancing tax justice. 😎 New from @hrw.org on #FFD4Sevilla: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...
- Protestors in #Kenya commemorating one year anniversary since protests against a regressive tax bill once again met with horrific violence, killing at least 8 people. Here’s @hrw analysis of why the tax bill violates human rights: www.hrw.org/news/2024/07...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounDispatch for @hrw.org on the draft bill on social security in the UK. The proposed benefit cuts will harm people with disabilities, worsen poverty, and undermine rights. The government says the bill “will protect the most vulnerable.” Its own data belie that claim. www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...
- This is a big win in the fight for labor rights of gig workers. If you want to get a sense of why this is so important, read Lena's fantastic report on gig workers in Texas: www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
- 🚨 Big news from Geneva: the @ilo.org has agreed to develop binding global standards on decent work in the platform economy. This is a major breakthrough—but the real fight is just beginning.🧵 #ILC2025 #GigWorkersRights www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...
- Exactly what the US needed: more inequality. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/u...
- Gene Leon, president of a development bank, making the case for going beyond GDP, among other proposals for making the 4th Financing for Development conference a success www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/ffd4-c...
- Gene Leon, president of a development bank, making the case for going beyond GDP, among other proposals for making the 4th Financing for Development conference a success www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/ffd4-c...
- Gene Leon, president of a development bank, making the case for going beyond GDP, among other proposals for making the 4th Financing for Development conference a success www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/ffd4-c...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounCost estimate of the House-passed "Big Beautiful Bill" is out It'd be the largest cut to Medicaid+CHIP and SNAP in history while still increasing deficits by $2.4 trillion due to $3.8 trillion in tax cuts This'd be the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in a single law in history
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounHow did we get here? Decades of economic myths. We treat the federal budget like a household’s—obsessed with deficits, ignoring that a monetarily sovereign government like the U.S. can’t “run out of money.” We cut public support, enrich the wealthy, and then ask why inequality explodes. #EconSky
- Your (ir)regular rundown of economic justice news from @hrw.org. Spotlight on a report revealing shocking conditions of gig workers in Texas. Also, stuff on climate because environmental & economic justice must be forged together. Some good news on labour rights. & more! Links below.
- 2/ Gig work is sold as flexible & independent but research by @lenasimet.bsky.social based on a survey & dozens of interviews reveal how companies like uber & instacart leave gig workers in Texas at the mercy of unstable & subminimum wages & dystopian algorithmic control www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...
- 3/ On climate recs on rush for critical minerals www.hrw.org/news/2025/05... wood products in malaysia are tainted by deforestration www.hrw.org/news/2025/05... what should brazil focus on when it hosts COP30 www.hrw.org/news/2025/04... let's phase out fossil fuels! www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
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View full thread5/ new EU regs on banning forced labor www.hrw.org/news/2025/04... with Q&A www.hrw.org/news/2025/04... And one more...Why we need an int'l obligation for free pre-primary education www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...
- These stats on effective wages of gig workers in texas are 🤯
- 5/ Pay is often unpredictable and low, especially after accounting for work expenses and benefits employers typically cover. Texas workers @hrw.org surveyed earned just $5.12/hour, that’s 30% below the federal minimum wage & 70% below what MIT considers a living wage in the state.
- Reposted by Sarah Saadoun1/ After nearly 3 years of research, our @hrw.org report "The Gig Trap" is finally out. It documents how companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt, Favor, and Amazon Flex created a business model that undermines labor rights & deepens inequality in the US. A 🧵https://hrw.org/node/391214
- I was lucky to get a sneak peek at the findings and they're eye-popping. Highly recommend this event for anyone interested in the true cost of the gig economy.
- New @hrw.org report dropping next week on labor rights abuses in the US platform economy. 📅Join us for the launch event on Tuesday, May 13 at 11:30am ET / 3:30pm UTC Featuring @deschuttero.bsky.social @amostoh.bsky.social @ituc.bsky.social & others! 📌 Register here: hrworg.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounWhat do we mean by Human Rights Economies? Mahinour El Badrawi @cesr.bsky.social explains the principles that underpin it. Read here to learn more: www.cesr.org/sites/defaul...
- My @hrw.org colleague @lenasimet.bsky.social speaking at the World Bank on her upcoming report on gig workers in Texas, which shows that algorithmic exploitation & lack of information leads people to earn scandalously low wages that are far below minimum wage - let alone a living wage
- Intensifying pressure from debt, aid cuts, climate change, make systemic reforms urgent. Join us for a talk at the final #PrepCom ahead of #FfD4: Advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Financing for Development! Register forms.gle/Xaxu6Ra3xXvB... Virtual atlanticfellows.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounJoin us this Friday at 11:15am ET for a panel dicussion on "Ensuring Decent Work & Social Security in the Platform Economy" at the 2025 World Bank / IMF Spring Meetings. We'll be joined by experts from @ituc.bsky.social @arabreforminit.bsky.social @psiglobalunion.bsky.social @hrw.org @ilo.org & more
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounThis is what happens when trade policy is driven by chaos, not strategy. As @mikemadowitz.bsky.social tells @voxdotcom.bsky.social: tariff shocks spur short-term spending, but suppress future demand. Unstable policymaking has real economic costs. www.vox.com/politics/409...
- Did I miss anything while out on vacation? 😉 A lot to catch up on for my weekly posts on economic justice news at @hrw.org. First, obvs: tariffs! Also: data-rich report on global health spending; free education in Uganda and Japan; UK aid cuts; social security in Germany; & more! Links below.
- (1) Trump tapped into a pervasive sense of being economically cheated, but his broad & arbitrary tariffs are set to make things worse. Instead of blaming foreign countries, we need an economic vision rooted in rights: public services, social security, living wage, etc www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- (2) A new report from the brilliant @mattcconnell.bsky.social crunches WHO data to reveal the stark underfunding of health globally www.hrw.org/news/2025/04... (3) Meanwhile, the UK slashes foreign aid, inc for health, compounding harm of US cuts www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
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View full threadKeeping a bit of good news for last: a small step forward for aligning economies with human rights at www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounTrump's tariffs illustrate the danger of pursuing economic reforms without regard for the impact on people’s human rights. We need a human rights economy. www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounTrump´s tariffs illustrate the danger of making economic policy decisions without regard for the impact on people’s human rights. New piece by my @hrw.org colleagues @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social and @sylvainaubry.bsky.social: www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounUS President Donald Trump's import tariffs illustrate the danger of pursuing economic reforms without regard for the impact on people’s human rights. Read more on the need for a human rights economy:
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounYes, economies should be transformed to ensure everyone can enjoy their rights. But the Trump approach does not care for people's lives & rights. There are other reforms we could make instead. Our preliminary piece on human rights take on Trump's tarrifs www.hrw.org/news/2025/0...
- “A human rights approach to tariffs would carefully weigh the risk of increasing prices on necessities like food and housing against the potential benefits.” New from @hrw.org on why Trump’s economic policies are not the change we need. www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- Yes! Governments actually have a human rights obligation to collect enough taxes to fund rights like healthcare, education, and social security — of course through progressive measures. www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounWe welcome the UN's Human Rights Council recent resolution on #ESCRights, which strengthens the link between human rights and fiscal policy 💪 It represents meaningful progress in recognizing tax justice as essential to fulfilling states’ human rights obligations. Our analysis in full ⬇️
- Everyone has the right to benefit from global resources & governments are obligated to work together to fulfill rights. What happens when govts turn their back on that promise? Honored to speak on this at the UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development session at 3pm webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1r...
- The UN Human Rights Council regularly adopts a resolution on fulfilling economic, social & cultural rights. This year it addresses for the 1st time key issues like tax, debt, public services & climate finance following a big push by many groups including @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...
- Allow me to introduce you to the human rights economy www.hrw.org/news/2025/03....
- "I don't understand how we can be a nation with so much wealth and abundance and we haven't figured out a way to design a system where, when you invest in the wellbeing of people, people thrive." — @corybooker.bsky.social (There is a way. It's called #newhappy) Thank you Senator Booker.
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounLast week 24 Nepali and global economic justice & rights groups sent a letter to Nepal's Finance Minister, to expand the highly effective Child Grant Program in the upcoming budget. A key opportunity to strengthen social security for children: www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounHRW's Sarah Saadoun on why we need a human rights economy: "What if, instead, economic decisions were made with people and the planet at the center?" www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- Reposted by Sarah Saadoun👉 "Our current economic approach is putting people and the planet in crisis. A #humanrightseconomy offers a blueprint for a far better approach." @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- This week's (late & abridged) round up of economic justice news at @hrw.org: 1. Why we need a human rights economy: a new paper lays out a path for transforming economies to center people & planet www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- 2. Upcoming summit is chance to fight for comprehensive care & support systems for people with disabilities & older people, while valuing the millions of caregivers & support people, mainly women www.hrw.org/news/2025/03... 3. Why Iraq's climate crisis is a human crisis www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- Starting in 30 minutes
- Join our Duke Law Human Rights in Practice event: “Building a Human Rights Economy” Mar. 5 at 12:30ET (or via livestream: bit.ly/3FmuJox) w/ @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social (Senior Researcher & Advocate, Poverty and Inequality, @hrw.org). Very much look forward to moderating! law.duke.edu/events/human...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounJoin our Duke Law Human Rights in Practice event: “Building a Human Rights Economy” Mar. 5 at 12:30ET (or via livestream: bit.ly/3FmuJox) w/ @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social (Senior Researcher & Advocate, Poverty and Inequality, @hrw.org). Very much look forward to moderating! law.duke.edu/events/human...
- Your economic justice news from @hrw.org. New report from @kartikraj.bsky.social on inadequacy of social security in Germany. Tackling air pollution. Extending social protection to all children in Nepal. Reparations! Plus me at Duke law school tmrw speaking on a Human Rights Economy. Links below.
- Report finds gaps in Germany's social security system making it hard for many to have enough food & pay essential bills. “Germany has a poverty problem, and a women’s poverty problem in particular, even though it has the world’s third richest economy" www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- From 2 weeks ago but recently posted, a statement to the Human Rights Council on why the moment is ripe for building human rights economies hrw.org/news/2025/03... Want to learn more abt this concept? Join my talk w/ @ayaff.bsky.social at Duke law school tmrw at 12:30 law.duke.edu/events/human...
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View full threadAddressing today's racial inequality, inequity, and discrimination requires redressing historic racial injustices, including through reparations www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...
- Happening tomorrow
- How do we shift toward economies that allow all people to thrive? Honored to speak on "Building a Human Rights Economy" at Duke Law School with @ayaff.bsky.social on March 25 at 12:30ET (or via livestream: bit.ly/3FmuJox) law.duke.edu/events/human...
- Reposted by Sarah Saadoun1/5 Today, we publish a new @hrw.org report on the poverty and the right to social security in #Germany. The full report is here: “It Tears You Apart” Poverty and Gender in Germany’s Social Security System www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
- How do we shift toward economies that allow all people to thrive? Honored to speak on "Building a Human Rights Economy" at Duke Law School with @ayaff.bsky.social on March 25 at 12:30ET (or via livestream: bit.ly/3FmuJox) law.duke.edu/events/human...
- Reposted by Sarah SaadounOut next week. Contact @lisamaier.bsky.social @hrwdeutschland.bsky.social for more info, or if you're a journalist seeking an advance copy under embargo.
- One of the most corrosive gospels of Trumpism is that only the selfish win & those who care for others are losers. A beautiful piece by my dear friend Ayala Danzig in @bostonglobe.com on why we must fight for a world that values the human spirit over naked greed www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/17/m...
