The inequality between rich and poor is still increasing worldwide. That is what Oxfam Novib says in its annual report on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the top of politicians, world leaders and business.
The 22 richest men in the world together hold more than all women in Africa. More than 2000 billionaires together are richer than the 4.6 billion poorest people, who make up 60 percent of the world’s population. Oxfam Novib intervenes in the report Time to Care again to compelling imagination to draw attention to the worldwide gap between the (super) rich and those who have little to nothing.
The number of people living in extreme poverty is declining, according to the development organization. But inequality is increasing, partly because super rich and multinationals pay less and less tax. The number of billionaires has doubled in the last ten years. While the rich are getting richer, the message is, education and health care are coming under increasing pressure in many countries.
Stuck at the bottom
This year, special attention is requested for women and children. In poor countries, they often spend the majority of their time cooking, cleaning and caring for children and the elderly. According to Oxfam Novib, unpaid care work is one of the “hidden engines employed by a system that allows profits to flow away to large companies and their shareholders.”
Because of this system, women and children have little or no time to earn a decent income or to attend an education. “They are stuck at the bottom of the economy,” the report says.
The Netherlands played a bad role
According to Oxfam Novib, the Netherlands is playing a “bad role” in growing the gap between rich and poor. From international research it would appear that of the profit that multinationals divert around the world to avoid tax, a small 10 percent ends up in the Netherlands. “Our country must now really eliminate tax avoidance,” says Oxfam-Novib director Michiel Servaes.
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