President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the landmark report commissioned by the South African Presidency of the G20, which looks at urgent and coordinated global action to tackle rising inequality.
In the summary report of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, released in November 2025, experts describe inequality as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.
They warn that it threatens economic stability, fuels political unrest, and erodes public trust.
The research was led by Nobel laureate Joseph E Stiglitz and included prominent global thinkers such as Adriana Abdenur, Winnie Byanyima, Jayati Ghosh, Imraan Valodia, and Wanna Zembe-Mkabile.
Mandate to assess global inequality
The committee was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, with a mandate to assess global inequality and propose policy solutions.
They argue that inequality is not inevitable but rather “a policy choice” that reflects political and moral priorities.
The report finds that 83% of countries now have high income inequality, while globally, the richest one percent have captured 41% of all new wealth since 2000.
In contrast, the poorest half of humanity gained just one percent.
The report attributes widening inequality to decades of policies that weakened labour protections, deregulated markets, and reduced taxes on corporations and the rich.
It highlights how global rules on trade, finance, and intellectual property have reinforced these trends, benefiting multinational corporations and wealthy nations at the expense of poorer countries.
Covid-19 exposed imbalance
The Covid-19 pandemic, the experts note, further exposed the imbalance, as rich countries monopolised vaccines while poorer nations faced surging food insecurity and health crises.
The committee warns that such disparities have dire consequences for democracy. Concentrations of wealth translate into concentrations of political influence, giving elites the power to shape laws, control media, and dominate public discourse.
Economic inequality, they argue, feeds political inequality, undermining social cohesion and public confidence in democratic institutions.
In their recommendations, the experts call for a global overhaul of economic governance.
They urge reforms to the international tax system to ensure fairer taxation of multinational corporations and the ultra-rich, as well as stronger regulation to curb monopolies and prevent corporate abuses.
They advocate rewriting trade and investment agreements that lock developing countries into disadvantage, reforming the governance of international financial institutions, and increasing access to finance for climate adaptation and social development.
Inequality is not inevitable
Central to the report is a proposal to establish an International Panel on Inequality (IPI).
This would be a permanent, independent body to monitor global inequality and advise policymakers.
Modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPI would provide governments with authoritative data and analysis to guide decisions.
The committee urges that the panel be launched under South Africa’s G20 leadership, describing it as a potential “landmark institution” and a lasting legacy of the country’s presidency.
“Inequality is not inevitable,” the report concludes. “Extreme inequality is a choice, and with political will and global cooperation, it can be reversed.”
The G20 will be held in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23.
