SA's G20 Presidency Launches Global Inequality Initiative with World Experts

South Africa, under its Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency, has embarked on a landmark initiative to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the widening gulf of global inequality. For the first time in G20 history, an Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts has been commissioned to produce a comprehensive report on global wealth and income inequality, a subject increasingly recognized as a systemic risk to global economic, social, and political stability.

A Historic First for the G20

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the initiative on Thursday, calling it a milestone for international cooperation. The South African Presidency emphasized that this is not merely a symbolic effort but a substantive undertaking aimed at providing actionable recommendations for world leaders.

“South Africa’s G20 Presidency is proud to launch an initiative that will target this issue of global wealth inequality – a first for the G20 – and offer a practical way forward. We are honored to host a group of the world’s most respected economic experts, led by Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, to produce a report that will be presented to G20 Leaders,” President Ramaphosa declared.

Rising Concerns over Global Inequality

The urgency of the initiative is underscored by stark economic realities. Research shows that the world’s richest 1% have accumulated over US$33.9 trillion in additional wealth since 2015—an amount sufficient to eliminate global poverty more than twenty times over. Meanwhile, the majority of the world’s population faces mounting hardships, from rising food and energy prices to debt burdens and declining access to essential services.

Economic shocks—from the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic to current geopolitical tensions—have exposed the fragility of the global system. Structural imbalances in international financing, trade disruptions, unfair tax regimes, and sovereign debt overhangs now threaten to accelerate inequality further.

The Expert Committee

The Extraordinary Committee is composed of six globally recognized experts spanning academia, policy, and international institutions.

• Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz (USA): Nobel Economics Laureate, university professor at Columbia University, and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute.

• Dr Adriana E. Abdenur (Brazil): Co-founder of the Plataforma CIPÓ think tank, co-President of the Global Fund for a New Economy, and former advisor to President Lula of Brazil.

• Ms Winnie Byanyima (Uganda): Executive Director of UNAIDS, UN Under-Secretary-General, and co-chair of the People’s Medicines Alliance.

• Professor Jayati Ghosh (India): Renowned economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and co-chair of the International Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation.

• Professor Imraan Valodia (South Africa): Director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at Wits University and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Climate, Sustainability, and Inequality.

• Dr Wanga Zembe-Mkabile (South Africa): Senior Scientist at the South African Medical Research Council and Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape.

Together, they will assess the state of global inequality, its impact on growth and development, and propose transformative policy solutions.

Voices of Concern

In his remarks, Professor Stiglitz warned that inequality has reached levels so extreme that they threaten democratic governance itself.

“Inequality was always a choice – and G20 nations have the power to choose a different path on a range of economic and social policies. Our task must now be to translate the evidence and the public's palpable anger at the great divide into sound, practical, and transformative policy proposals for G20 leaders,” he said.

Professor Jayati Ghosh echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that existing economic orthodoxy is no longer sufficient to address the scale of today’s challenges. She pointed to a “perfect storm” of shocks—climate change, trade wars, deregulation, slashed aid, and financial instability—that continue to deepen divides between the wealthy few and the struggling majority.

Winnie Byanyima reminded global leaders of the moral dimension of inequality, citing the inequities in vaccine access during the pandemic as a stark example of systemic failure. “People across the world saw the brutal unfairness of vaccine apartheid, where millions in the Global South were denied life-saving doses. That injustice lives on in rising food and energy prices, debt crises, and declining opportunities for the poor,” she said.

A Call for Transformative Action

The South African Presidency stressed that the stakes extend beyond economics, with inequality posing serious risks to global stability, peace, and trust in multilateral institutions. The forthcoming report will serve as a guide for policymakers seeking evidence-based, practical strategies to reverse entrenched patterns of inequality.

Professor Ghosh noted that the effort will provide a “new playbook” for the fractured 21st-century global economy, shifting focus away from policies that perpetuate business-as-usual outcomes toward those that confront uncomfortable but critical truths.

Dr Adriana Abdenur emphasized the importance of inclusive global governance, while Professor Imraan Valodia highlighted the interconnectedness of inequality with climate and sustainability concerns. Dr Wanga Zembe-Mkabile added that inequality is also a public health issue, undermining resilience against future pandemics and shocks.

Looking Ahead

The G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, housed within South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, will deliver its report later this year. Its recommendations are expected to shape discussions at the highest levels of the G20 and beyond, offering governments a unique opportunity to chart a new course in addressing one of humanity’s greatest challenges.

South Africa’s initiative marks a turning point: not just in recognizing inequality as a global priority but in committing to actionable solutions. Whether the G20 can rise to the challenge remains to be seen, but with this unprecedented step, the debate over global inequality can no longer be ignored.