...
By Alyse Messmer
Intern
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged developed countries on Tuesday to recognize and act against the "rising inequality" around the world, and help those struggling during the climate crisis and coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reported.
"We all bear some responsibility for this," Blinken said. "For decades, our member countries measured economic success chiefly in terms of rising GDP (gross domestic product) and stock markets—which don't reflect the reality of millions of working families. Instead, our unprecedented growth has frequently come with rising inequity.
"The data are crystal clear: both the pandemic and the climate crisis are hitting underserved populations in our societies hardest."
Read More
Antony Blinken Heading to France Hoping to Repair Relationship After Submarine Deal3 min read
US Losing Patience With Iran on Nuclear Talks, May Abandon Effort, Official Says3 min read
Joe Biden Is Losing Powerful Friends in Europe6 min read
Blinken's plan to attack the problem is establishing a global corporate minimum tax rate that he believes would no longer allow larger corporations to "avoid paying their fair share," and would help "avoid a self-defeating race to the bottom."
The tax, according to Blinken, could potentially bring in an estimated $100 billion to $240 billion that could be invested in health care, education and environmentally friendly infrastructure.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
...
He told the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris that the coronavirus and climate change have exacerbated inequality between and within nations and that action must be taken to reverse the trend.
In addition to tackling those two threats, he told an OECD conference on climate and security that curbing corporate tax avoidance and ending discrimination against women and minorities are critical to improving global living conditions.
Blinken said the Biden administration is committed to addressing the root causes of inequity and inequality. His comments came as President Joe Biden is struggling to win congressional approval of major initiatives aimed at doing that.
He said discrimination against women and girls as well as LGBTQ communities is also driving inequality and hampering growth and development. He said the U.S. could be funding OECD initiatives to quantify the cost of such discrimination and look at ways to reverse it.
"At the heart of all of these efforts is the recognition that, more than ever, the true wealth of our nations is found not only in our natural resources, the strength of our militaries, the size of our populations, or the expanse of our geography, our abundance of natural resources, but in our people, and in our capacity to fully unleash their potential," Blinken said.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines