Inequality is hurting us all. ACT NOW
Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom
We can all feel it: the gap between the richest and the rest of us is damaging our lives. The UK is one of the most unequal countries in the developed world, and we’re all paying the price in our health, our democracy, our happiness, education of our children, and our communities.
But there is a way to change this.
Inequality experts across the world are calling for the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality (IPI): a global independent, trusted authority on the causes and consequences of inequality, and the policies that can actually reduce it. It is time that world leaders listen to the evidence on inequality - and take action!Inspired in part by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an IPI draws attention to the fact that high inequality is an issue of global importance, akin to climate change.
The proposal for an IPI has received support from over 1500 leading academics and economists, including Nobel laureates and notable economists such as Janet Yellen, Thomas Piketty and Kate Pickett.
Across the UK momentum is building. There is significant support for the establishment of an IPI, especially since Andy Burnham, a longstanding champion in the fight against inequality, now leads the country.
The UK’s voice could make the difference. By backing an IPI, Burnham can take his fight against inequality from Greater Manchester to the world stage, building on the Independent Inequalities Commission and his work to tackle inequalities throughout the UK.
Add your name. Tell Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary, to back an IPI.
Together, we can make the UK a leader in addressing structural causes of inequality - directly helping us get one step closer to making equality a reality.
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Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom
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To Ed Miliband
I want a good life, I want my friends to have a good life, I want my family to have a good life
Over the last 40 years, wealth has become more and more concentrated in the hands of a small number of people, and the gap between rich and poor has grown. Rising inequality affects all of us. It weakens democracy, drives the cost of living crisis, slows social progress and economic growth, and makes it more difficult to tackle complex challenges like the climate emergency.
Inequality is not just a problem for individuals. It is a growing, global risk
And importantly inequality is not inevitable, it is the result of politics and policy choices. Change is possible
There is already a huge amount of research on inequality, but it is fragmented, across institutions and countries. An International Panel on Inequality would bring this evidence together, track how inequality is changing, and evaluate the impacts of policy choices at both the global and national levels. The proposal already has the backing of more than 1500 inequality experts and is attracting growing support from governments around the world, including Brazil, France, Germany, Japan and South Africa, among others.
I am adding my voice to these global experts and asking you to commit the UK to join the growing coalition of countries backing the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality in order to help create the conditions for everyone to enjoy a good life.
Thank you