BIEN will be sending out a quarterly Newsletter focusing on BIEN events and developments. The first issue was sent out on December 15.
Here is a Holiday Greeting from BIEN’s Chair and Acting Chair
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Dear friends and fellow travellers,
2025 was an exciting year for the global basic income community and for BIEN. With a new year in sight, the Executive Committee wants to thank all of you for your energy, engagement and support. We want you all to share in celebrating our achievements this year and preview some of our exciting plans for 2026.
The global basic income movement continues to make tangible progress, with a huge year for the movement that has seen many more individuals, groups, and organisations engage with basic income. But 2025 also brought some huge news..
- Ireland’s Basic Income for the Artist pilot has been made permanent, demonstrating growing confidence in basic income as a long-term policy tool.
- Cook County in the US is turning its Guaranteed Income program into a permanent scheme .
- South Korea has elected a President openly supportive of universal basic income , keeping the country firmly on the map as a major centre of UBI innovation and debate.
- And the Marshall Islands has introduced a basic income provision, marking a significant step for universal income security in the Pacific region.
- BIEN’s Asian footprint has made great strides this year with activities and policy advocacy in Malaysia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand.
And so much more happened within the basic income movement all around the world.
BIEN itself has had one of its strongest and most productive years. We are in the healthiest financial position in BIEN’s history, giving us greater stability and capacity to plan for the future. Our organisational transformation plans continue, with communications, regions and other functions being organised into dedicated teams to improve focus and effectiveness. Our new Comms Team has launched a new BIEN newsletter, designed to keep our community better informed and more connected. If you’d like to receive this letter, please sign up via the main BIEN homepage.
2025 has seen BIEN deepening its connections with the United Nations and other partners in the basic income movement (such as Equal Right ), strengthening our role as a trusted global knowledge partner. Many of you participated in a highly successful 2025 Congress in Brazil , featuring participants from more than 45 countries. We will soon update you on plans for the 2026 BIEN Congress. Last but
not least, 2025 also saw the UBIdata project expand from proof-of-concept to a functional tool, bringing us closer to a robust, shared evidence base for researchers, advocates, and policymakers. These are a mere snapshot of the many projects and activities BIEN has been involved in this year.
Looking ahead, 2026 is promising to be an even more exciting year for BIEN. Our Comms Team is planning a major overhaul of our website to improve usability, accessibility, and visibility of our work. A newly designed UBI Digest will keep all our members involved on the latest news in the basic income ecosystem. The Financial Strategy Team is working to implement the BIEN Permanent Fund and to set out a new fundraising strategy to secure BIEN’s long-term financial health. The Regions Team is expanding BIEN’s support for local initiatives and organisations aimed at promoting a genuinely global basic income discussion.
At the start of 2026 BIEN EC is undergoing some changes. We are delighted to welcome James Grant as our Communications Coordinator along with several new volunteers who have joined our Teams- more details to come in 2026. Unfortunately, Hilde Latour has resigned as Deputy Chair to refocus her considerable energies on other projects within the basic income movement. The EC wishes her all the best in her new endeavours. Sarath Davala will also be taking a short break from his role as BIEN Chair and will return at the helm in April. Meanwhile, EC has appointed Jurgen De Wispelaere as Acting Chair to ensure our work continues uninterrupted.
The basic income movement is advancing — and BIEN is proud to be part of shaping its future!
Thank you, as always, for your continued engagement and support and, on behalf of the whole Executive Committee, we wish you a restful break and all the best for 2026!
Sarath Davala, Chair
Jurgen De Wispelaere, Acting Chair
On behalf of the BIEN Executive Committee
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The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission in the United Kingdom (registered charity number 1177066).
