(20 Jan 2020) As world and business leaders gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, the UK-based non-governmental organisation Oxfam are releasing a report highlighting that the gap between rich and poor is widening globally.
The report, titled "Time to Care," comes out amid anti-inequality protest movements taking place in many parts of the world.
In an interview, Oxfam India's Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Behar explained that the unequal distribution of income and wealth is problematic and contributes to exacerbating poverty across the globe.
Behar criticised governments for being part of the problem, allowing wealthy elites to accumulate large fortunes - often at the expense of ordinary citizens of which the majority are women.
"Our report is clearly telling us that last year, the billionaires actually had more wealth than 4.6 billion people on this earth and this needs to be juxtaposed with the fact that 50% of the global population still lives in poverty," he said.
Behar added that for this to change, lawmakers have to ensure that the wealthiest individuals and companies are taxed properly, and that public services are not under funded.
However, he stressed that the responsibility to pay their fair share of taxes also lies with billionaires and big businesses.
Behar went on to describe the income gap as "completely unacceptable," and stressed that Oxfam would use the World Economic Forum as an opportunity to address world and business leaders, other key stakeholders, and international media - to promote that change is needed.
Behar was speaking in Kenya, during a visit to Oxfam's Nairobi office on Friday.
A day earlier, Kenyans took to the streets of the capital to march for income equality and climate justice.
Footage showed one woman holding up a sign reading "No tax breaks for the rich on the backs of working poor."
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