South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged countries to back an International Panel on Inequality and build a stronger global response to extreme inequality….reports Africa Daily News Desk
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for greater international cooperation to tackle extreme inequality and urged countries to support the creation of an International Panel on Inequality through a United Nations General Assembly resolution.
Addressing an international gathering of leaders, ministers, diplomats and other delegates, Ramaphosa said the challenge of inequality required a new multilateral approach and called for immediate action.
“President Lula, Prime Minister Støre, Prime Minister Sanchez and I welcome you as leaders of nations united by a common cause – to overcome extreme inequality,” Ramaphosa said.
Referring to South Africa’s founding president Nelson Mandela, Ramaphosa said persistent poverty, injustice and inequality meant that the international community could not afford to remain passive.
“In the spirit of Madiba’s words, let today be a day of action,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the task was to build what he described as a “new multilateral frontier” and expand the global coalition working to address inequality.
At the centre of the initiative is the proposed International Panel on Inequality, which Ramaphosa described as one of the most significant outcomes of South Africa’s G20 presidency last year.
He said the initiative built on Brazil’s G20 presidency, which had placed inequality at the centre of the global agenda.
Ramaphosa pointed to the range of representatives attending the gathering as evidence that support for the proposed panel was growing.
“It is time to accelerate the momentum, and to get the backing of the General Assembly for a resolution on the IPI,” he said.
The South African President also cited economist Joseph Stiglitz, who has argued that inequality is not inevitable and can be addressed through evidence, analysis and cooperation.
Ramaphosa said these principles should guide international efforts to establish the panel and develop a stronger collective response to inequality.
“As Professor Joseph Stiglitz reminds us, inequality is not and never has been inevitable,” he said. “It is a problem we can solve with evidence, analysis and cooperation.”
He urged countries to continue working together towards the proposed initiative, saying an International Panel on Inequality was now within reach.
“Let us forge forward in the spirit of cooperation and common purpose,” Ramaphosa said.
“An International Panel on Inequality is now firmly on the horizon, and fully within our grasp.”
He concluded with a direct call for action, saying: “The time for an International Panel on Inequality is now.”
