Ronald Lamola Pushes for UN Inequality Panel With Brazil, Norway and Spain Amid Backlash

• South Africa's International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola addressed the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, calling for a new global body to tackle wealth inequality
• Lamola joined Brazil, Norway, and Spain in pushing for a UN resolution to establish an International Panel on Inequality, modelled on South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency recommendations
• The proposal came as global figures revealed the richest 10% of the world's population controls 75% of global wealth, while the poorest half holds just 2%

South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, addressed world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, making a formal push for a new international body designed to confront growing wealth disparities across the globe.

Standing alongside a pre-recorded address from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Lamola urged UN member states to support a General Assembly resolution that would officially bring an International Panel on Inequality (IPI) into existence. South Africa is co-sponsoring the initiative with Brazil, Norway, and Spain.

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A panel built on evidence, not politics

The IPI is envisioned as a science-based, independent panel that would track income and wealth gaps worldwide, consolidate data from multiple sources, analyse the structural causes of inequality, and offer governments evidence-based policy guidance. Its design draws from the model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which advises nations on climate policy through rigorous scientific consensus.

According to government reports, the initiative grew directly out of South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency. During that period, President Ramaphosa commissioned an expert panel led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz. The group's November 2025 report recommended creating a permanent technical body under an intergovernmental mandate while preserving full scientific independence.

The numbers driving the call

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed added weight to the argument by citing stark statistics. The world's wealthiest 10% currently hold approximately 75% of global wealth, while the bottom 50% share just 2%.

Lamola argued that extreme inequality is not a natural or fixed condition but a global emergency with serious consequences. He warned that widening economic gaps, unsustainable debt burdens, and climate pressures combine to fuel political extremism, weaken democratic institutions, and erode public trust in both national governments and international cooperation.

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South Africa, which carries one of the world's highest Gini coefficients at 0.63 and faces an unemployment rate of around 33%, is no stranger to the consequences of deep inequality. Lamola's speech drew on this domestic experience to argue the case for coordinated global action.

The four co-sponsoring nations are now in active consultations with other UN member states to build the support needed to pass a formal General Assembly resolution and bring the IPI to life.

South Africans react

Reactions on social media were sharp:

@whiteriot321 wrote:

"He only became a millionaire after 1994 through BEE deals..."

@artifactjpg said:

"Cyril: the BEE billionaire. Benefiting from other people's hard work since '94."

@Julescape64 noted:

"The richest 10% are untouchable. It's the middle class who get taxed and dragged down to the lower common denominator, increasing the wealth gap still further."

@Chrisec1969 added:

"Yes, let's take Cyril Ramaphosa's money and give it all to the poor, like a true communist. When are you doing it, Lamola?"

@ThinkFoYourself observed:

"And he, of all people, preaches equality. Hehehe."

@AlwyndeKlerk commented:

"And he is not into sharing personal wealth with 'his people.'"

See the X post below:

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More on Ronald Lamola and SA's international relations

• Briefly News recently reported on the LPC investigating a misconduct complaint against Lamola over R71,000 in legal fees linked to a case dating back to 2015.
• Lamola sparked controversy after labelling the US Afrikaner refugee programme "Apartheid 2.0" amid rising SA-US tensions.
• The minister challenged G20 founding members to take a stance after South Africa was excluded from upcoming US-hosted G20 meetings.

Source: Briefly News