Thriving in a deeply unequal global landscape
Author: Rafael Williams.
Today, we live in a much more volatile, complex, ambiguous, and hyper-connected world than ever before. Diversity, of people with different social and ethnic backgrounds has been accelerated by globalization and is becoming an irreversible force shaping of modern society. Learning to live in this ever-changing context is one of the most important challenges societies are facing.
Globalization has generally meant growth, development, and prosperity. Accordingly, globalization and economic interdependence among nations, helped our global GDP increase from $34 trillion in 2000 to $104 trillion in 2022. Nonetheless, as UN asserts, “inequality in its various forms is an issue that will define our time,” to the point that ‘Leave no one behind’ is the motto of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and their number one goal is to eliminate poverty by 2030. Although the world has made remarkable and unprecedented progress in reducing poverty since 2015, when the goals were set by the UN, the truth is that recent projections suggest 570 million people might still be poor by 2030.
A major cause of globalization (the interdependence of people) is the so-called demographic shift. The world’s population is expected to increase by about two billion people, from 8.0 billion at present to about 10 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of nearly 11 billion by the end of the century. During this period, the global population is projected to become increasingly urban—in fact, this is the first time in human history that more than 50% of the population live in urban centers. Noteworthy, most of the population growth will happen in emerging economies, while the population of OCDE countries is likely to shrink. This growth and urban trend impose significant strain on our global economy, climate, and ability to be more socially inclusive.
At the same time, people are on the move. One dimension of this is the coexistence of opportunity-seeking migration on one side, versus forced migration, on the other side; both with different causes and different effects. The UN says that the percentage of international migrants has remained around 3.6 per cent (about 281 million people) of the global population over the past two decades. The absolute number has increased by more in the latter 10 years (2010-2020) due to civil wars and social unrest.
We have been witnessing a displacement of people, in biblical proportions, through migration due to lengthy conflicts, climate change, environmental degradation and social injustice. The fact is that this dispersion of people throughout and across borders continues to alter our societies and demands us to become more tolerant and accepting of human differences. The question remains – how will we as people continue to thrive if we do not learn to collaborate, support one another, support our natural environment, and seek peace?