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	Sudan Conflict: 21 million people face acute food insecurity by UNICEF, UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs   19 Jan. 2026   Atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region are spreading from town to town in an organized campaign of violence that includes mass executions, rape and ethnic targeting, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council on Monday.   Briefing ambassadors, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said the situation in Darfur had “darkened even further,” with civilians subjected to what she described as collective torture amid a widening war between Sudan’s rival military forces.   “The picture that is emerging is appalling: organised, widespread, mass criminality including mass executions,” Ms. Khan said. “Atrocities are used as a tool to assert control.”   Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF).   What began as a power struggle metastasised into conflicts across the country, most devastating in the Darfur region, which also saw longstanding ethnic tensions – which prompted allegations of genocide in the early 2000s – being reignited.   She said the fall of North Darfur’s regional capital El Fasher to the RSF had been followed by a “calculated campaign of the most profound suffering,” particularly targeting non-Arab communities.   The crimes, she said, include rape, arbitrary detention, executions and the creation of mass graves, often filmed and celebrated by perpetrators.   Based on video, audio and satellite evidence collected, the ICC Prosecutor has concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in El Fasher, particularly in late October, following a prolonged RSF siege of the city.   Ms. Khan said video footage showed patterns similar to those documented in earlier atrocities in Darfur, including the detention, mistreatment and killing of civilians from non-Arab tribes.   “Members of the RSF are seen celebrating direct executions and subsequently desecrating corpses,” she said.   The Office of the Prosecutor is also advancing investigations into crimes committed in El Geneina, where witnesses have provided accounts of attacks on displacement camps, looting, gender-based violence and crimes against children.   In 2023, El Geneina witnessed some of the worst violence of the war as RSF fighters and allied militias carried out massacres against the Massalit community, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighbouring Chad.   UN officials and human rights investigators described the violence as ethnically motivated and warned of possible crimes against humanity.   Evidence now indicates that the patterns of atrocities seen in El Geneina have since been replicated in El Fasher, Ms. Khan said.   “This criminality is being repeated in town after town in Darfur,” she warned. “It will continue until this conflict, and the sense of impunity that fuels it, are stopped.”   Sexual violence, including rape, is being used as a weapon of war, Ms. Khan said, adding that gender-based crimes remain a priority for ICC investigations. She acknowledged cultural and security barriers that prevent survivors from reporting abuse, stressing the need for gender-sensitive and survivor-centred investigations.   While much of the briefing focused on RSF abuses, the Deputy Prosecutor said the ICC was also documenting allegations of crimes committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), underscoring that all parties to the conflict are bound by international law to protect civilians.   Ms. Khan cited the conviction last October of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb – a former Janjaweed militia leader – as a landmark step toward accountability, but cautioned that the scale of ongoing atrocities far outweighed any sense of progress.   She closed with a pointed call on Sudanese authorities to act against senior suspects long sought by the Court, including former president Omar al-Bashir, former interior minister Ahmad Harun and former defence minister Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein.   “Action must now be taken,” she said, warning that justice for Darfur’s victims would remain hollow without arrests at the highest level.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166790 http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-office-prosecutor-situation-el-fasher-north-darfur http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/sudan-evidence-el-fasher-reveals-genocidal-campaign-targeting-non-arab http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-calls-states-do-more-end-senseless-war-sudan http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1167003 http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-sudan   Jan. 2026   1,000 days of war has devastating impact on the children of Sudan. (UNICEF)   “Since fighting erupted in April 2023, Sudan has become one of the largest and most devastating humanitarian crises in the world, pushing millions of children to the brink of survival.   A profound protection crisis with widespread violations of international law by parties to the conflict, exacerbated by a lack of humanitarian access, has deepened with each of the 1,000 days of agony that have passed.   "In 2026, 33.7 million people, about two-thirds of the population, are expected to need urgent humanitarian assistance. Half of them are children. Affected populations’ access to lifesaving aid remains dangerously constrained across large parts of the country, intensifying the humanitarian crisis.   “Children continue to be killed and injured – just this week, 8 children were killed in an attack in Al Obeid in North Kordofan.   “More than 5 million children have been forced from their homes – the equivalent of 5,000 children displaced every day - many of them repeatedly, with attacks and violence often following them as they move. Millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war, with children as young as one reported among survivors.   "An estimated 21 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity in 2026. Famine has already been confirmed in Al Fasher and Kadugli, with an additional 20 areas across Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan at risk.   In North Darfur, the epicentre of Sudan’s malnutrition emergency, nearly 85,000 children with severe acute malnutrition were treated between January and November 2025, equivalent to one child every six minutes.   The collapse of health systems, critical water shortages and the breakdown of basic services are compounding the crisis, fuelling deadly disease outbreaks and placing an estimated 3.4 million children under five at risk.   “Behind these numbers are lives marked by fear, hunger and loss, as the conflict continues to rob children of safety, health and hope.   “Despite these extraordinary insecurity and access constraints, life-saving assistance continues to reach children wherever possible.   UNICEF and partners are delivering support to treat severe malnutrition, vaccinate against deadly diseases, provide safe drinking water, and offer protection and care to children affected by violence and displacement as funding permits.   “These efforts are keeping children alive under the most difficult conditions, but they remain far from sufficient in the absence of sustained access, adequate funding and a meaningful reduction in hostilities. Humanitarian action can save lives, but it cannot replace the protection that only peace can provide.   “UNICEF is urgently calling for an immediate end to the conflict. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law: protect civilians, stop attacks on infrastructure, and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access across Sudan.   “Children in Sudan are not statistics. They are frightened, displaced and hungry, but they are also determined, resourceful and resilient. Every day, they strive to learn, to play, to hope, even as they wait for the world to act. Ending this conflict is a moral necessity. It cannot wait.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-sudan-have-endured-1000-days-agony http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nutrition-survey-finds-unprecedented-level-child-malnutrition-part-sudans-north http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-warns-deepening-protection-crisis-sudan-violence-and http://www.wfp.org/news/families-sudan-pushed-brink-amidst-brutal-conflict-and-famine-wfp-resources-dry   Sudan: Two-thirds of people need aid as conflict reaches 1,000th day. (OCHA)   Today marks 1,000 days since the start of the war in Sudan, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of a conflict they did not choose. Nearly 34 million people – or some two-thirds of the population – now need humanitarian assistance, making this the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.   It is also the largest displacement crisis, with 9.3 million people displaced inside the country and more than 4.3 million refugees in neighbouring states.   Food security conditions are catastrophic. Famine has been confirmed in El Fasher in North Darfur and in Kadugli in South Kordofan, with at least 20 other areas at risk. More than 21 million people are estimated to be acutely food insecure nationwide. Sieges in Kordofan have cut off Kadugli and Dilling, limiting access to food, markets and farmland.   The health system is close to collapse. Fewer than half of health facilities are fully functional, with even lower coverage in areas of active fighting. Cholera has been reported in all 18 states, with more than 72,000 suspected cases recorded last year.   Nearly 12 million people, mostly women and girls, are at risk of gender-based violence. Households headed by women are three times more likely to be food insecure, and three-quarters report not having enough to eat.   OCHA also reports continued fighting in Darfur, drone attacks and long-range strikes on civilian infrastructure.   Despite the mounting challenges, humanitarian partners reached nearly 19 million people in 2025, with local and women-led organizations often serving as the first or only responders in high-risk areas. However, access remains dangerous and politically constrained, and more than 125 aid workers have been killed since April 2023.   OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, respect for international humanitarian law, safe access for aid, protection of civilians and aid workers, and renewed funding, especially for local and women-led partners.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/sudan-4 http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-sudan-ukraine-occupied-palestinian-territory http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026 http://news.un.org/en/audio/2026/01/1166795 http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/01/visiting-turk-salutes-sudanese-peoples-struggle-peace-calls http://www.wfp.org/news/families-sudan-pushed-brink-amidst-brutal-conflict-and-famine-wfp-resources-dry Visit the related web page
	The world is extremely unequal by World Inequality Lab, Oxfam, agencies   Dec. 2025   The world is extremely unequal. (World Inequality Report 2026)   Inequality has long been a defining feature of the global economy, but by 2025, it has reached levels that demand urgent attention. The benefits of globalization and economic growth have flowed disproportionately to a small minority, while much of the world’s population still face difficulties in achieving stable livelihoods. These divides are not inevitable. They are the outcome of political and institutional choices.   This report draws on the World Inequality Database and new research to provide a comprehensive picture of inequality across income, wealth, gender, international finance, climate responsibility, taxation, and politics.   The findings are clear: inequality remains extreme and persistent; it manifests across multiple dimensions that intersect and reinforce one another; and it reshapes democracies, fragmenting coalitions and eroding political consensus. Yet the data also demonstrate that inequality can be reduced.   Policies such as redistributive transfers, progressive taxation, investment in human capital, and stronger labor rights have made a difference in some contexts. Proposals such as minimum wealth taxes on multi-millionaires illustrate the scale of resources that could be mobilized to finance education, health, and climate adaptation. Reducing inequality is not only about fairness but also essential for the resilience of economies, the stability of democracies, and the viability of our planet.   The first and most striking fact emerging from the data is that inequality remains at very high levels. Today, the top 10% of the global population’s income-earners earn more than the remaining 90%, while the poorest half of the global population captures less than 10% of the total global income. Wealth is even more concentrated: the top 10% own three-quarters of global wealth, while the bottom half holds only 2%.   The wealthiest 0.001% alone, fewer than 60,000 multi-millionaires, control today three times more wealth than half of humanity combined. This concentration is not only persistent, but it is also accelerating. Extreme wealth inequality is rapidly increasing. Since the 1990s, the wealth of billionaires and centi-millionaires has grown at approximately 8% annually, nearly twice the rate of growth experienced by the bottom half of the population.   Inequality is not only a question of income and wealth. It is also embedded in the structures of everyday life, shaping whose work is recognized, whose contributions are rewarded, and whose opportunities are constrained. Among the most persistent and pervasive divides is the gap between men and women.   Globally, women capture just over a quarter of total labor income, a share that has barely shifted since 1990. When analyzed by regions, in the Middle East & North Africa, women’s share is only 16%; in South & Southeast Asia it is 20%; in Sub-Saharan Africa, 28%; and in East Asia, 34%. Europe, North America & Oceania, as well as Russia & Central Asia, perform better, but women still capture only about 40% of labor income. Women continue to work more and earn less than men. Women work more hours than men, on average 53 hours per week compared to 43 for men, once domestic and care work is taken into account. Yet their work is consistently valued less.   Studying inequality across countries and over time reveals that policy can indeed reduce inequality. Progressive taxation and, especially, redistributive transfers can significantly reduce inequality. Taxation often fails where it is most needed: at the very top of the distribution. The ultra-rich escape taxation.   Effective income tax rates climb steadily for most of the population but fall sharply for billionaires and centi-millionaires. These elites pay proportionally less than most of the households that earn much lower incomes.   This regressive pattern deprives states of resources for essential investments in education, healthcare, and climate action. It also undermines fairness and social cohesion by decreasing trust in the tax system.   Progressive taxation is therefore crucial: it not only mobilizes revenues to finance public goods and reduce inequality, but also strengthens the legitimacy of fiscal systems by ensuring that those with the greatest means contribute their fair share.   Reducing inequality is a political choice. But fragmented electorates, underrepresentation of workers, and the outsized influence of wealth all work against the coalitions needed for reform. This reality can change. It reflects political choices about campaign finance rules, party strategies, and institutional design that can be reshaped with sufficient will. Inequality can be reduced. There are a range of policies that, in different ways, have proven effective in narrowing gaps.   One important avenue is through public investments in education and health. These are among the most powerful equalizers, yet access to these basic services remains uneven and stratified. Public investment in free, high-quality schools, universal healthcare, childcare, and nutrition programs can reduce early-life disparities and foster lifelong learning opportunities.   Another path is through redistributive programs. Cash transfers, pensions, unemployment benefits, and support for vulnerable households can directly shift resources from the top to the bottom of the distribution. Where well designed, such measures have narrowed income gaps, strengthened social cohesion, and provided buffers against shocks.   Progress can also come from advancing gender equality. Reducing gender gaps requires dismantling the structural barriers that shape how work is valued and distributed. Policies that recognize and redistribute unpaid care work, through affordable childcare, parental leave that includes fathers, and pension credits for caregivers, are essential to leveling the playing field. Equally important are the strict enforcement of equal pay and stronger protections against workplace discrimination. Addressing these imbalances ensures that opportunities and rewards are not determined by gender but by contribution and capability.   Tax policy is another powerful lever. Fairer tax systems, where those at the very top contribute at higher rates through progressive taxes, not only mobilize resources but also strengthen fiscal legitimacy. Even modest rates of a global minimum tax on billionaires and centi-millionaires could raise between 0.45% and 1.11% of global GDP and could finance transformative investments in education, healthcare, and climate adaptation.   Inequality can also be reduced by reforming the global financial system. Current arrangements allow advanced economies to borrow cheaply and secure steady inflows, while developing economies face costly liabilities and persistent outflows.   Inequality is a political choice. It is the result of our policies, institutions, and governance structures. The costs of escalating inequality are clear: widening divides, fragile democracies, and a climate crisis borne most heavily by those least responsible. But the possibilities of reform are equally clear. Where redistribution is strong, taxation is fair, and social investment is prioritized, inequality narrows.   The tools exist. The challenge is political will. The choices we make will determine whether the global economy continues down a path of extreme concentration or moves toward shared prosperity.   http://wir2026.wid.world/ http://wir2026.wid.world/insights/ http://wir2026.wid.world/insight/executive-summary http://wir2026.wid.world/medias/ http://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-finds   Sep. 2025   Stand with Billions, Not Billionaires. Change the System. (Economic Justice Mobilisation)   We live in a critical moment in history. Humanity is confronted with massive economic and climate injustice, because the system is rigged — and we are all paying the price. This unjust economic system advantages rich countries to the detriment of poorer nations, fossil fuels over clean energy, and billionaire oligarchs over everyone else.   The super-rich and large corporations control the media, manipulate politicians and dodge taxes — increasing their political power and trapping billions of people in poverty.   While billionaires, big corporations and rich nations hoard wealth and power, climate disasters and crushing debt push billions deeper into poverty. The richest 1% pollute more than the poorest 66%, yet vulnerable communities bear the devastation — with floods, fires, and storms wiping out lives and livelihoods. The wealthiest countries owe an enormous debt for this damage, which impacts women, youth and marginalised groups the hardest.   At the same time, nearly one in three countries face a catastrophic debt crisis — the biggest in a generation. Instead of funding healthcare and schools, low-income countries are forced to pay billions to wealthy creditors, at crushing interest rates, while institutions like the IMF and World Bank impose brutal austerity. When public services fail, women and girls bear the heaviest burden, as they perform the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work.   At the heart of this injustice is an outdated global financial system that fuels inequality and the climate crisis. We must fight back — and there is a better way.   2025 is a Jubilee Year — a rare opportunity to cancel debts and start afresh. Let’s create a new financial system to prevent future debt crises, end austerity, create a progressive tax system and tackle climate change. We pledge to stand together and make our values and demands visible everywhere, so that every government feels the urgent pressure to act.   Here’s what we’re fighting for:   Cancel the Debt: End the debt crisis today by canceling unsustainable and illegitimate debts — no strings attached — and requiring rich countries to pay their climate debts to support communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.   Change the System: Transform the outdated, rigged financial system with a fair, democratic and transparent one under the United Nations — including a binding debt framework and international tax convention. Everyone deserves a voice in shaping the future, not just a few billionaires.   Choose Hope and Justice: Debt cancellation cannot be done in isolation. To build just economies we must (a) tax the super-rich and large corporations to curb inequality, (b) guarantee public services including health care, education, and social protection for all, and (c) accelerate a just transition for people and planet, including a fair, equitable and timebound transition away from fossil fuels as well as the protection of biodiversity and community livelihoods.   But the clock is ticking. With only five years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, we're failing. At this rate, ending poverty will take 230 years—but the world's first trillionaire could emerge in less than a decade.   This is not a time to be defined by tyranny, oligarchy, exploitation, and greed. Instead, we are defined by our courage to fight for justice, our solidarity and a determination to build a just and equitable world. We can rewrite the rules. We can change the system. We choose Hope and Justice — for Billions, Not Billionaires.   * 1071 civil society organisations from 115 countries have signed the Economic Justice statement: http://economicjustice.global   * Joint Civil Society call urging President Ramaphosa to Confront Extreme Inequality at the G20: http://gi-escr.org/en/our-work/on-the-ground/joint-letter-urging-president-ramaphosa-to-confront-extreme-inequality-at-the-g20   * G20 Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality Final Report: http://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202511/g20-global-inequality-report-full-and-summary.pdf   Aug. 2025 (Oxfam International)   In reaction to the United Nations’ 2025 edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” (SOFI) report launched today, showing only a slight progress in reducing hunger and warning that over half a billion people could be chronically hungry by 2030—nearly 60% of them in Africa — Emily Farr, Oxfam’s Food and Economic Security Lead, said:    “We are witnessing the collapse of a moral contract. While some regions have seen some modest gains, the world is veering dangerously off track, leaving the poorest and more vulnerable behind. As top donors, including the G7, push through a historic 28% cut to aid by 2026, 2.6 billion people —over a third of humanity —still cannot afford a healthy diet. These are not just statistics. These are lives unravelling and futures stolen.   “This is not a crisis of scarcity — it is a crisis of inequality. Climate chaos, conflict unchecked, and broken policies—driven by greed and impunity—are tearing apart global food systems and entrenching inequality.   In 2024 alone, billionaires’ wealth soared by $2 trillion while poverty barely budged. Since 2015, the world’s richest 1% have amassed $33.9 trillion — enough to end global poverty 22 times over. Yet hunger persists, not by accident, but by design. As fields flood and crops wither, aid is slashed, and a few corporate giants profit from the wreckage.   Low-income countries are paying the highest price for a crisis they did not create. While global food price inflation peaked at 13.6 percent, it soared to 30 percent in the poorest economies— wiping out household budgets and access to food.   In Africa, 1 in 5 people remain chronically hungry, with women and children hit hardest by deep cuts in nutrition programs.   “We cannot afford a global food system built on injustice and indifference. Despite a modest improvement, we are nowhere the pace needed to meet global goals. The tide can still be turned, but only if governments act with urgency and unity: restore gutted aid, crack down on food profiteers, and invest in local farmers and local food systems that feed people, not profit margins.”   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/oxfam-reaction-sofi-2025-rep http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/billionaire-wealth-jumps-three-times-faster-2025-highest-peak-ever http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/resisting-rule-rich   UNEQUAL: The rise of a new American oligarchy and the agenda we need   This past year has been indelibly shaped by concentrated wealth and power. The 10 richest U.S. billionaires got $698 billion wealthier, and the arrival of the world’s first trillionaire grew more imminent.   The Trump administration—largely with the support of the Republican-controlled Congress—has moved with staggering speed and scale to carry out a relentless attack on working-class families, while enriching the wealthy and well-connected.   How did the country get here? The story does not begin in 2025. Oxfam’s UNEQUAL provides a snapshot of U.S. economic inequality today, and looks at the trends in recent decades that have culminated in contemporary extremes that are corroding U.S. democracy and causing hardship for many millions of people.   The report examines the influence of concentrated wealth over politics, and how policymakers’ choices on tax, labor, social protection and other issues contributed to the growing divide between the very wealthiest and much of the country. It sounds the highest alarm about what comes next and sets out an agenda to turn the tide and reverse harmful inequality, calling on policymakers to back the demands of workers, movements, and communities to deliver for ordinary people.   http://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/unequal-the-rise-of-a-new-american-oligarchy-and-the-agenda-we-need-621764/ http://americansfortaxfairness.org/new-report-u-s-billionaires-got-1-5-trillion-richer-trumps-first-year/ http://americansfortaxfairness.org/groups-back-billionaires-income-tax/ http://itep.org/why-the-us-should-reform-corporate-income-tax/ http://www.cabillionairetax.org/ http://www.cabillionairetax.org/news/press-release-12-30-b http://www.cabillionairetax.org/news/press-release-12-30-a http://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-and-khanna-introduce-legislation-to-tax-billionaire-wealth-and-invest-in-working-families/ http://robertreich.substack.com/p/a-wealth-tax-that-works   http://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/05/20/a-tax-on-the-worlds-ultra-rich-to-fight-hunger-and-disease/ http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/a-blueprint-for-a-coordinated-minimum-effective-taxation-standard-for-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals/ http://clubmadrid.org/former-heads-state-government-call-president-biden-fellow-g20-leaders-back-global-deal-tax-ultra-rich/ http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/global-tax-evasion-report-2024/ http://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Saez-Zuchman-final-draft.pdf   The richest 3,600 Europeans now hold as much wealth as the poorest 181 million. (Oxfam)   In 2025, the EU counted nearly 500 billionaires, 39 more than in 2024. In the last year alone, a new billionaire was created, on average, every 9 days in the EU. Altogether, the richest 3,600 Europeans now hold as much wealth as the poorest 181 million – equivalent to the populations of Germany, Italy and Spain combined.   Europe faces a deep inequality crisis: the richest 1% in the EU own nearly a quarter of all wealth while half the population shares just 3%. Decades of tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations has resulted in the super-rich paying proportionally less taxes than ordinary citizens, eroding fairness, democracy, and social cohesion. The EU lacks harmonized policies to curb extreme wealth concentration and tax avoidance of the wealthiest.   Decades of tax policies have been rigged to benefit the super-rich while squeezing ordinary people. Since the 1980s, EU governments have cut taxes for the super-rich and companies, while relying more heavily on taxes paid mainly by ordinary Europeans, such as wage and consumption taxes.   Today, 8 in every 10 euros of tax revenue in the EU comes from taxes paid primarily by ordinary Europeans. Corporate income tax, the tax companies pay on their profits, makes up just 9% and taxes on wealth only 0.4%. Ordinary Europeans mostly earn through wages, which are, on average, taxed at a higher rate. By contrast, the super-rich grow even richer while paying less, using investments and holding companies that are taxed at lower rates or not at all in some EU countries. Meanwhile, wealth itself is barely taxed.   Oxfam calls for bold reforms, such as an EU-wide or national tax on the super-rich and transparency mechanisms like an EU assets registry, to fund social needs, climate action, and development. Taxing the super-rich is widely supported, is feasible and is urgent.   http://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/a-european-agenda-to-tax-the-super-rich-a-solution-to-inequality-in-the-europea-621736/ http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025   Australia's tax system is providing huge tax discounts to the wealthiest, reports Oxfam Australia.   “Our tax system is deepening inequality because it fails to tax wealth. Today, billions of dollars in budget revenue is given away to the wealthiest in the form of tax discounts and because our tax system does not effectively tax the super-rich. Instead, it allows them to amass wealth and fund lavish lifestyles through untaxed growth in assets and investments. It’s time we tax income from wealth like wages, and that starts by scrapping the 50% capital gains discount on profits from sales of investments,” says Oxfam.   In a new report, The Elephant in the Room: Australia’s failure to tax wealth, presents new analysis showing what a wealth tax for Australia’s richest could raise. According to Oxfam Australia, if Australia’s 161 billionaires were taxed at a rate of 5% in 2025, this could have raised $33.5 billion alone.   $33.5 billion per year is enough to raise social support payments above the poverty line, build 50,000 new social housing properties a year, invest in better health and social services and offer greater support for international aid.   “Everywhere, ordinary people are feeling the squeeze from rising costs in housing, healthcare, transport, grocery prices. Yet while households struggle with cost of living pressures, our tax system allows unbridled wealth growth at the top and starves the budget of the revenue needed for the delivery of adequate public services. Wealth taxes and ending tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the rich and corporations are critical to funding health, housing, education and social security — the foundations of social cohesion and economic resilience,” said Dr. Muli.   http://media.oxfam.org.au/2025/10/24000-millionaires-pocket-half-of-capital-gains-tax-break-oxfam-australia/ http://media.oxfam.org.au/2025/06/number-of-australian-billionaires-more-than-doubles-in-10-years-turbocharging-inequality-oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.au/2025/01/takers-not-makers-how-billionaires-profit-while-billions-struggle   An Unequal Future: Asia’s struggle for justice in a warming, wired world   This report investigates how inequality, climate change, and digital exclusion intersect to shape Asia’s future. Drawing on data from across the region, the report reveals that how the richest 1% and 10% continue to accumulate wealth and power while billions remain trapped in poverty and vulnerability.   It features how climate disasters, gender disparities, and unequal digital access reinforce structural inequalities and injustice, threatening social stability and sustainable development. The paper calls for radical policies for progressive taxation, universal public services, gender equality, reducing digital divide and climate justice—to ensure a fairer and more resilient Asia.   http://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/an-unequal-future-asias-struggle-for-justice-in-a-warming-wired-world-621765/   July 2025   Africa’s richest four hold more wealth than half the continent - Oxfam, Development Finance International   Today, just four of Africa’s richest billionaires hold $57.4 billion in wealth — more than the combined wealth of 750 million people, or half the continent’s population, according to a new Oxfam report.   The report – Africa’s inequality crisis and the rise of the super-rich – launched ahead of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, warns that the explosive concentration of wealth is accelerating inequality, driven by policies that enrich elites while starving public services.   Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Director, Oxfam in Africa, said:   “Africa’s wealth is not missing. It’s being siphoned off by a rigged system that allows a small elite to amass vast fortunes while denying hundreds of millions even the most basic services. This is an utter policy failure —unjust, avoidable and entirely reversible."   Africa is one of the most unequal regions in the world and has some of the highest poverty rates. Nearly half (23) of the world’s 50 most unequal countries are African, while extreme poverty has soared: seven in ten people living in extreme poverty today are in Africa, compared to just one in ten in 1990. Hunger is also worsening, with nearly 850 million Africans experiencing hunger — an increase of 20 million since 2022.   Despite deepening poverty and widening inequalities, African governments remain the least committed globally to narrowing the gap — slashing budgets for public services like education, health and social protection, while imposing some of the world’s lowest wealth taxes on the ultra-rich.   On average, the continent collects just 0.3% of GDP in wealth taxes. This is less than any other region and well below Asia (0.6%), Latin America (0.9%), and OECD countries (1.8%). Over the past decade, that already meagre share has dropped by nearly 25%.   For each dollar African countries raise from personal income and wealth taxes, they collect nearly three dollars from indirect taxes like Value Added Tax (VAT) — levies that deepen inequality.   The consequences are glaring. Half of Africa's population live in 19 countries where income inequality has worsened or stagnated over the past decade. The richest 5% in Africa now hold nearly $4 trillion in wealth, more than double the combined wealth of the remaining 95% of the continent’s population.   Fatouma, a mother of 10 children who sells vegetables in El Afweyn, Somalia says: "Meat is a luxury we cannot afford in many homes. I earn about two dollars a day while the price of one kilo of flour has tripled."   As debt burdens mount, governments across the continent are squeezing the poor – gutting essential public services – while shielding the wealthiest from fair taxation.   An earlier report by Oxfam and Development Finance International found that 94% of African countries with active World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans (44 out of 47 countries) have slashed spending on education, health and social protection in 2023-2024 to repay debt. This significantly undermines the AU’s goal of reducing inequality by 15% over the next 10 years.   “The solution is not far-fetched: tax the rich and invest in the majority. Anything less is a betrayal. If African leaders are serious about their commitments, they must stop rewarding the few and start building economies that work for everyone,” added N’Zi-Hassane.   Some African governments are already proving that fairer economies are possible. Morocco and South Africa collect 1.5% and 1.2% of their GDP from property taxes, respectively — among the highest in the continent. In Seychelles, the poorest 50% have seen their income share grow by 76% since 2000, while the richest 1% have lost two-thirds of theirs. The government also guarantees universal healthcare, free quality education, along with a robust welfare system for the most vulnerable.   A modest tax on Africa’s richest - just 1% more on wealth and 10% more on income – could generate $66 billion a year for the continent (2.29% of Africa’s GDP), according to the report. This would be more than enough to close the funding gaps needed to deliver free quality education and provide electricity to every home and business still in the dark.   "Every African woman, man and child deserves to live in dignity. When a handful of billionaires are allowed to hoard obscene wealth while millions are trapped in poverty, the system becomes not just broken but morally bankrupt. As leaders meet for AU Summit, delay is indefensible. Taxing the super-rich isn’t just fair — it’s essential for building the Africa we want," said N’Zi-Hassane.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/africas-richest-four-hold-more-wealth-half-continent-oxfam http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/africas-inequality-crisis-and-rise-super-rich http://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/kenyas-inequality-crisis-the-great-economic-divide-621771/ http://www.equals.ink/p/the-rise-of-africas-super-rich-part http://www.equals.ink/p/taxing-africas-super-rich-part-2 http://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/the-commitment-to-reducing-inequality-index-2024-621653/
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