Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the IMF invited countries to "spend and keep the receipts." The times of spending (if there were any in the Global South) are ending swiftly and debt payments are already closing in.

Austerity is on the rise. Policy prescriptions are now centering on fiscal constraints and debt reduction. Feminists, especially from the Global South, are well aware that women, the poor, and racialized groups are bearing the brunt. And it has a cost: it is taking a profound toll on their health, education, and labour protection systems they rely upon.

The time is ripe to discuss these issues. This April 28, join DAWN and CESR, for a research-based discussion on the real costs of austerity during the COVID-19 crisis. Let’s chart new paths forward and imagine a future that is emancipatory, feminist, and grounded on social justice.