ICRICT 129d ago

On February 20, 2026, in Madrid, at the conference “Desigualdad: Es Hora de Actuar – Hoja de ruta hacia la creación de un panel internacional sobre desigualdad”, our co-chair Joseph Stiglitz delivered a powerful address on the urgency of tackling the global inequality crisis. Drawing on his experience as a lead author of the IPCC’s 1995 assessment, Stiglitz argued that inequality now requires a comparable multilateral, science-based response. His central proposal: the creation of an International Panel on Inequality (IPI) — a standing global body to assess trends, identify structural drivers, and guide coordinated policy action. The scale of the challenge is stark: • Since 2000, the richest 1% captured 41% of new wealth, while the bottom 50% gained just 1%. • The average wealth of the top 1% rose by $1.3 million; for the bottom half of humanity, just $585. • We are witnessing the emergence of an “inherited plutocracy,” with massive wealth transfers expected in the coming decade. • Inequality is contributing not only to economic fragility, but also to democratic backsliding. The proposal for the IPI has already received support from more than 700 economists and inequality experts, major research institutions, UN agencies, and governments including Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Norway. The African Union has also endorsed the initiative. The aim is to launch the IPI at the UN General Assembly in September. Stiglitz’s message was clear: just as the IPCC transformed global climate governance, an International Panel on Inequality can help guide evidence-based, cooperative solutions to one of the defining challenges of our time. The time to act is now. #Desigualdad #Inequality #EconomicJustice #GlobalGovernance #Multilateralism #IPI