President Ramaphosa calls for UN backing on panel on inequality

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality to advance democracy, human rights, and equality worldwide.

He noted that the gulf of inequality within and among nations is a serious challenge to democracy, adding that the laws, rules, and institutions that support democracy must ensure that people’s lives are improved and that all people have an equal opportunity to contribute to decisions that affect them.

That is why we called on leaders to support the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality, which will evaluate alternative policies for addressing inequality to inform governments, policy makers and the international community.

Mr Ramaphosa added that the establishment of the panel was one of the recommendations of the groundbreaking global inequality report produced by a committee of independent experts that South Africa commissioned during its G20 Presidency.

He noted that the ‘In Defence of Democracy’ initiative is aligned with South Africa’s foreign policy and the country is committed to supporting its work.