Piano music plays.
Scenery: Cartoon of George Washington in a top hat points to a graphic showing “54%”
Narrator: During the first year of COVID-19, billionaires saw a 54% increase in wealth, equivalent to more than 4 trillion dollars, whereas 120 million more people were pushed into extreme poverty, an unprecedented increase.
There is no doubt inequalities are hampering the progress of humanity. So, is inequality here to stay? Not necessarily. But to address this, we need to fully understand it. Let’s look at some data.
Scenery: A globe of Earth becomes a pie chart, which is highlighted in red and represented by “80%”.
Narrator: 80% of the public we’ve surveyed feel there are divisions in society affecting the way we live together.
Scenery: On one side of the screen, the flag of Sierra Leone appears, and the percentage “75%” is visible above it. On the other side of the screen, the flag of Sweden appears, and the percentage of “91%” is visible above it.
Narrator: The vast majority think these divisions create tensions and countries are doing too little about it.
Scenery: A bar chart appears with the following values: 21% of people think countries are doing too much, 12% say they think countries are doing the right amount, 2% don’t know, and 65% think countries are doing too little.
Narrator: Most people are bothered about the rich not paying enough tax, and the majority feel that governments are largely influenced by
Scenery: Text on the screen reads: Costa Rica, 90%; Sweden, 78%
Narrator: wealthy individuals, interest groups, or businesses, and people like them are not listened to. It can feel like change isn’t possible, but some countries have been trying new things.
In Sierra Leone, community justice organizations deployed paralegals in remote and marginalized communities to help people resolve disputes, from debt to family problems.
In the USA, extra welfare support for the poorest meant that poverty fell
Scenery: A line on a graph trends downward, ending at 45%
Narrator: in record numbers during the pandemic.
And in Costa Rica, a national conversation was launched to ensure even the most marginalized were heard.
Across the world, policies are making a difference, and according to our research, the most important policies to deliver are those that: create visible change, for instance by increasing access to affordable housing; build solidarity between groups through social dialogue tools; secure credibility by addressing corruption so the rich no longer rig the system; and work internationally to provide debt relief to the poorest countries.
Without tackling policies like these, we cannot fix other global problems, including the climate crisis. But our research shows: we can start the process of healing, not only from the 2020 global pandemic, but decades of division and rampant inequality.
Scenery: Pathfinders logo and NYU CIC logo on a white background.
Text: Download the full report at www.sdg16.plus/delivering-equality-and-inclusion
Music ends