extreme inequality

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed and worsened the depth of inequality in West Africa. It has pushed millions into poverty. However, the pandemic offers West African governments a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest heavily in inequality-busting policies by boosting public spending, making tax systems more progressive, and tackling joblessness and precarious work.

A one-off 99 percent levy on billionaires’ wealth gains during the pandemic could pay for everyone on Earth to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide a $20,000 cash grant to all unemployed workers, according to new analysis released today by Oxfam, the Fight Inequality Alliance, the Institute for Policy Studies and the Patriotic Millionaires.

Given the tremendous financing needs, Oxfam supports a strong IDA20 replenishment. We are calling for a robust policy package that is appropriately ambitious for the next three years, aimed at propelling IDA countries forward towards a just economy after COVID-19 that is more equal and inclusive.

The coronavirus crisis has exposed our collective frailty and the inability of our deeply unequal economy to work for all. Yet it has also shown us the vital importance of government action to protect our health and livelihoods, and to create a more equal and sustainable world. 

New Oxfam analysis reveals huge carbon inequality in Europe. To achieve the deeper emissions cuts needed by 2030, European leaders must put fairness and a just transition at the heart of the Green Deal that tackles both inequality and emissions and can help build fairer, healthier and more resilient societies in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

This briefing describes new research that shows how extreme carbon inequality in recent decades has brought the world to the climate brink. It sets out how governments must use this historic juncture to build fairer economies within the limits our planet can bear. 

This study takes stock of inequalities in Tunisia, especially those sustained by an unjust fiscal system. Oxfam puts forth concrete recommendation to turn the page on austerity policies and advocates for fiscal justice and wider redistributive policies in Tunisia.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread suffering in rich countries, overwhelming some of the best healthcare systems in the world. But with the disease now spreading to many countries with high levels of poverty and inequality, its impact could be catastrophic and disproportionally affect women. Urgent action is needed now.

Despite significant progress in reducing poverty, inequality widens in Uganda. Even as GDP figures tell a story of success, the poor get poorer, while the rich get richer. Among the contributors to such a big gap, land stands out as the lead driver of inequality in the country.

Leaders must heed climate strikes and give vulnerable people the tools to survive.