South Africa, Brazil, Spain and Norway are championing the creation of an International Panel on Inequality. The project is moving toward a decisive stage at the United Nations. Inspired by the IPCC, this new body aims to turn scientific evidence into fairer, better-evaluated policies.
Extreme inequality is not an economic law. That is the message economist Joseph E. Stiglitz delivered in an opinion piece published by La Presse+ on September 8, 2026. In it, he presents a project now gaining momentum internationally: the creation of a permanent scientific body devoted to inequality.
The initiative builds on the work of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality. Created during South Africa’s G20 presidency and chaired by Stiglitz, the group brings together economists and specialists from several regions of the world. Its report offers a stark diagnosis, but focuses above all on ways to act.
Numbers that clarify collective choices
From 2000 to 2024, the richest 1% captured 41% of all new global wealth. The poorest half of humanity received only 1%, according to the committee’s report. The committee also found that 83% of countries have high inequality, representing 90% of the world’s population.
These gaps affect more than income. They shape access to education, health care, housing and political participation. The report also links high inequality to a greater risk of democratic decline. No single factor can explain every crisis, but this relationship warrants more regular and comparable analysis across countries.
An “IPCC for inequality” to measure what works
The proposed International Panel on Inequality would play a role similar to that of the IPCC on climate change. It would bring together available knowledge and assess its reliability, then present governments with policies whose effects are supported by evidence. Its work could cover taxation, labour rules, public services and trade, as well as the links between wealth, gender, origin and the environment.
The project reached an initial milestone in April 2026, when a founding committee met in Johannesburg. South Africa says the African Union supports the panel’s principles. More than 700 economists and specialists have also endorsed them, along with over 30 former heads of government or state. International social-work organizations are calling for people directly affected by inequality to participate, allowing lived experience to inform the scientific work.
The next step: the UN General Assembly
The four founding governments are due to bring leaders together in New York on September 23, 2026. The meeting is intended to broaden support for the panel and clarify how it would operate. Governance, funding and scientific independence will remain essential measures of its credibility.
In his opinion piece, Stiglitz urges Canada to support the initiative quickly. Canadian participation had not yet been announced in the sources consulted. For now, the concrete progress lies in the coalition taking shape. Its members want policies aimed at reducing inequality to undergo rigorous international evaluation. Better measurement cannot replace public decisions, but it could help governments choose measures that genuinely narrow the gaps.
Sources
- Joseph E. Stiglitz, “L’inégalité extrême n’est pas une fatalité,” La Presse+, September 8, 2026.
- G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, “G20 Global Inequality Report — Full Report and Summary,” November 2025.
- Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, “Keynote address at the Consultative Council of the Founding Committee of the International Panel on Inequality,” April 24, 2026.
- International Federation of Social Workers and partners, “Beyond Measuring Inequality: A Joint Call for an Inclusive International Panel on Inequality,” September 4, 2026.
Photos: Antenna and Thomas Lohmann / Unsplash. Illustrative images.
Article written in part with the help of AI.
