Brazil has made major economic gains during 3rd term of President Lula da Silva by Center for Economic and Policy Research   30 Sep. 2026   An analysis released this week documents some of the major economic gains that Brazil has made over the past four years during the third term of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is currently in a close battle for re-election against rival Flavio Bolsonaro.   The analysis, published by the US-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), finds that, between 2022 and 2025, the Brazilian economy grew by a cumulative 8.9%, easily outpacing the average rate of growth in other South American countries.   This growth has been coupled with a drop in the unemployment rate, which has fallen from more than 9% in the second quarter of 2022 to just 5.4% in the second quarter of 2026.   Both poverty and food insecurity fell dramatically in the first two year’s of Lula’s term, the analysis finds, and in 2025, “Brazil was removed from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Hunger Map after chronic undernourishment fell below 2.5%.”   CEPR’s report also gives credit to Lula’s policies for improved economic conditions, including a new minimum wage law, an expanded maternity leave program, and increased average payments to low-income families given through the Bolsa Família program.   The economy during Lula’s term is not perfect, however, and the report flags high interest rates set by Brazil’s central bank as a key factor in raising consumers’ borrowing costs.   CEPR also noted the negative impact of online betting apps, which Lula has pledged to ban starting next month, on Brazilian workers.   “Brazilian households lost an estimated R$62.5 billion (US$11.2 billion) to online betting in 2025,” the report says, “while some 802,000 Bolsa Família households spent more than 2% of their income on betting in January 2025.”   Jake Johnston, CEPR’s director of international research, said that “the past almost four years have seen Brazil accomplish a great deal in terms of bringing people out of poverty, creating jobs, curbing hunger, and raising standards of living.”   “This was done,” Johnston added, “despite the lingering impact of the Covid pandemic, external economic shocks that affected the global economy, and excessively high interest rates.”   The first round of Brazil’s presidential election is set to take place on Sunday, and recent polls show Lula with a narrow lead over Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is still serving a criminal sentence for efforts to instigate a coup after his loss in the 2022 election.   http://cepr.net/publications/the-social-and-economic-record-of-lula-da-silvas-third-term/   Sep. 2026   The attempted Regime Change operation in Brazil must be Thwarted, by Mark Weisbrot. (Los Angeles Times)   One of the most important elections in recent Latin American history will take place Sunday in Brazil. Incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has recently been emphasizing the issue of national sovereignty. One reason: The challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro, has the strong backing of the Trump administration—and the US has been intervening heavily on his behalf.   In the last few months of Brazil’s election campaign, Trump has met with Bolsonaro at the White House, imposed new tariffs on Brazilian goods and tried to send State Department officials to Brazil. (Both Brazilian and American officials said the presence of Trump administration operatives would cast doubt on the integrity of the voting there.)   A letter last week to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from 31 members of Congress documented additional hostile actions and concluded that “the United States is acting as an agent of interference and destabilization.”   The election is forecast to be very close, and the sovereignty issue could be persuasive for swing voters.   Trump’s intervention undermines a basic and generally cherished right to self-determination, as well as the right to democracy itself. It is even clearly illegal under the Charter of the Organization of American States, to which the United States is a signatory.   But Brazilians currently have reasons to attach even more urgency to preserving their sovereignty and independence. This can be seen in the recent history of Brazil and Latin America and in the economic impact of political independence on living standards.   Starting with Brazil: Lula was a metalworker and union leader who helped found, and then lead, the Workers Party. He served two consecutive terms as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and left office with one of the highest approval ratings in the world—83%.   There were compelling reasons for that, which stemmed from the government’s changes in economic and social policy. These changed the lives of tens of millions of people in Brazil. GDP per person, the most basic measure of living standards, grew about four times as fast as it did in the eight years prior to Lula’s presidency.   Poverty was reduced by 61% and extreme poverty by 64%. There was also a 57% increase in the real (inflation-adjusted) minimum wage. University enrollment almost doubled.   Lula was able to implement these and other life-changing reforms because he broke with the “Washington consensus” policies that had governed economic decision-making in the region as perhaps never before, from 1980 to 2000.   This included economic policies that were often decided at the International Monetary Fund or sometimes other Washington-controlled institutions. The result was a disaster: Those two decades saw the worst long-term economic growth failure in Latin America for more than 100 years.   This historic economic growth collapse helped bring about the election of left-of-center governments in the majority of the region for the first time. As in Brazil, these governments were more independent than the prior regional norm and therefore pursued more progressive and effective economic policies.   The turnaround was historic: From 2002 to 2013, the percentage of the population of Latin America living in poverty fell to 28.4 from 45.6 after increasing over the prior two decades.   The independence that these governments were able to establish is what the Trump administration appears to most want to abolish. Hence their current efforts at regime change in Brazil. This is the big prize. It’s the largest country in Latin America, and a Lula government won’t support the Trump administration in its efforts to control the region. But Lula’s opponent would almost certainly be a solid Trump ally.   That is Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator handpicked by his father Jair Bolsonaro, who was president from 2019 to 2023; he has branded himself “Bolsonaro 2.0.”   Flavio and his team are trying to link Lula to the biggest bank fraud in Brazilian history, which forced a deposit insurance payout of almost $8 billion for about 800,000 victims. But the dirt is actually on Flavio and his allies. He is up to his neck in this scandal. Nothing on Lula.   Bolsonaro 1.0 took a page from the Trump election-denial playbook when he lost the election of 2022 to Lula. He was unable to get enough military commanders to support a decree to prevent Lula from taking office. The nation’s Supreme Court subsequently convicted Bolsonaro of leading an attempted coup.   The Brazilian “January 6” was on Jan. 8, 2023, when supporters of the defeated president vandalized Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court and demanded that the military intervene to overturn the election result.   Last year Mr. Trump tried to stop the trial of Bolsonaro by slapping Brazil with an additional 40% tariff. Most Brazilians rejected the economic collective punishment as an assault on their national sovereignty, electoral democracy and justice system—which it clearly was. Bolsonaro was convicted and sentenced to prison.   Almost every one of the democratically elected, social democratic governments in Latin America that came to power in the 21st century faced efforts from Washington to weaken, destabilize or remove it..   Most recently, Mr. Trump has increased economic sanctions against Cuba. Cuba’s infant mortality rate has increased 148% since the US began tightening its sanctions, which currently include a devastating cut off of fossil fuel and electricity.   In the most recent national elections in Colombia (June 21) and Honduras (last Nov. 30), Trump was seen as threatening economic harm (implicitly in Colombia and more explicitly in Honduras), if these citizens did not vote for his chosen candidate.   This is the recent and regional context of the fight for Brazil’s future. The Trump administration interventions, with the collaboration of the Bolsonaro clan, have made the Flavio campaign into another attempted US regime change operation. This should be defeated, for the sake of Brazil and the whole hemisphere.   * Mark Weisbrot is Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), in Washington, DC.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168395 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/24/trump-brazil-election-interference http://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/01/us-trump-rubio-meddling-brazil-election http://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva http://valorinternational.globo.com/politics/news/2026/09/30/us-interference-in-brazilian-elections-is-alarming-fgv-professor-says.ghtml http://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct8ml5 http://lucid.substack.com/p/rule-of-the-lawless-chiles-coup-the http://cepr.net/publications/the-social-and-economic-record-of-lula-da-silvas-third-term/ http://cepr.net/publications/colombia-under-petro-social-gains-amid-monetary-and-fiscal-constraints/ http://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tight-brazil-election-challenges-fragile-gains-for-amazon-conservation/ http://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/right-wing-leaders-could-rule-95-of-the-amazon-by-2027-experts-warn/ Visit the related web page
	Economic arrangements favour elites while leaving ordinary citizens behind by International IDEA, GCSPF, Lancet, Earth4All   Sep. 2026   Global Democracy Report 2026: Rule of Law weakens as the United States hits 50-Year Lows. (International IDEA)   Global deterioration in the Rule of Law and record declines in the United States are worsening prospects for democracy around the world, according to a report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).   Major indicators of US democracy from press freedom to judicial independence hit their lowest levels in 50 years, and this is reverberating worldwide. Washington’s retreat from the rules-based international order has weakened confidence in multilateralism and emboldened authoritarian leaders and populists.   The report, “The Global State of Democracy 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict,” warns that democratic regression is expanding the conditions for domestic and international conflict. Politically fragile countries that face further declines are especially vulnerable to this risk.   “For decades, the rule of law both domestically and in the international order has underpinned the resilience of democracies,” International IDEA’s Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora said. “Now, the rapid decline of democracy in the USA is weakening judicial independence and fragmenting the international system—threatening democracy around the world.”   Stagnating democratic performance was the most common trend in 2025. When change occurred, it was mostly negative. Around 57 percent of countries declined in at least one key indicator of democratic performance between 2020 and 2025. Rule of Law, Representation, and Rights all suffered broad deterioration.   This global democratic decline was concentrated in many fundamental building blocks of democracy: Judicial independence hit a 36-year low. Credible elections fell to a 30-year low. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and access to justice were also at their worst in over three decades.   The year 2025 was the 11th consecutive year with more countries showing a net decline rather than improvement in overall democratic performance, the longest consecutive fall since International IDEA’s records began in 1975, according to the report.   Nearly half of the 30 indicators International IDEA uses to measure US democracy fell to their lowest levels since the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) dataset began in 1975, including Access to Justice, Economic Equality, Effective Parliament, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, and Judicial Independence.   The report warns that this erosion—driven partly by concentration of executive power—is weakening checks and balances in the US while damaging confidence in multilateralism and international rule of law globally.   In a special section on violent conflict, the report finds that a recent decline in the number and quality of democracies threatens the “democratic peace” produced by decades of democratization. Weakening democratic performance has increased the number of countries that have some democratic procedures but lack real political competition or enforceable rights, and the data show that these countries are at especially high risk of conflict.   The report says governments should treat democracy support abroad as a national security priority because stronger democratic systems can help reduce conditions leading to conflict. Even small investments in democracy support can deliver significant peace and governance gains, at a lower cost than military responses.   “Democracy’s decline is no longer just about our national political rights; it is reshaping the conditions for peace and security around the world,” Casas-Zamora said. “Investing in democracy is also investing in peace.”   The report also highlights positive developments, especially in countries in political transitions, such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Syria. Although improvements remain fragile, public mobilization and civil society have helped democratic renewal.   In Syria, which saw improvements in Rights, Rule of Law and Participation, gains in indicators for civil society were especially large. While there are still serious challenges regarding security, rights, and centralization of power, stronger respect for freedoms of association and expression helped widen space for these groups to operate.   Among the Key findings:   Rule of Law was the weakest-performing category overall, with 71 countries, or 41 percent of those assessed (out of a total of 173), in the low-performance band. It also recorded more declines than any other democratic performance category, with 29 countries, or 17 percent, registering downturns. Judicial independence was among the worst hit.   Under the category of Rights, Freedom of Expression saw the most widespread decline, falling in 42 countries, or 24 percent of all countries assessed. Freedom of the Press also deteriorated sharply, declining in 23 percent of countries. Access to Justice fell in 18 percent of countries, underscoring pressure on core democratic rights and protections.   Representation remains democracy’s strongest-performing category globally, but its overall trend is still negative, recording 17 declines and only four advances between 2020 and 2025—reflecting deterioration in both electoral integrity and legislative oversight.   Credible Elections deteriorated in nearly one in five countries worldwide (32 countries or 18 percent), while Effective Parliament deteriorated in 33 countries (19 percent).   African and European countries accounted for the largest shares of deterioration (33 and 27 percent of all declines respectively), while Asia and the Pacific led on improvements.   # The GSoD 2026 Report ranks countries in four major categories of democratic performance rather than one overall classification. These four categories are:   Representation—such as credible elections and effective parliamentary oversight. Rule of Law—such as judicial independence and the degree to which people are free from political violence. Rights—such as freedom of expression, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly. Participation—such as how involved citizens are in democratic expression during and between elections. These four categories are divided into 17 factors, such as credible elections or judicial independence.   http://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/html/global-state-democracy-2026-democracy-age-conflict http://www.idea.int/news/global-democracy-report-rule-law-weakens-united-states-hits-50-year-lows http://www.idea.int/blog/cracks-bedrock-lessons-2026-global-state-democracy   Sep. 2026   "Across different political systems, cultures, and income levels, large majorities share the belief that current economic arrangements favour elites while leaving ordinary citizens behind". (Earth4All, IPS UN Bureau)   An international survey released by Earth4All has found a growing crisis of trust in governments, widespread anger over inequality, and strong public support for major economic reforms, suggesting that many people across the world believe current political and economic systems are failing to serve ordinary citizens.   The report, Rebuild Trust: Rigged Economies, Fractured Societies and the Case for Change, surveyed people in 17 countries representing 58 percent of global GDP, 38 percent of the world’s population, and 37 percent of global carbon emissions. Its findings paint a picture of societies that feel increasingly divided, economically insecure, and disconnected from political institutions.   Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believe their country’s economic system is “rigged” to benefit the rich and powerful. Seven in ten said there is too much economic inequality in their country, while 69 percent called for major changes to economic systems to improve life for most people.   “The survey results show a mismatch between public support for economic change and what mainstream political parties are willing to offer,” the report’s authors, Owen Gaffney and Kate Pickett, write.   They argue that the findings reveal an opportunity for governments to build new social contracts based on fairness, economic security, and long-term wellbeing.   The survey comes at a time when many countries are grappling with rising living costs, political polarisation, climate pressures, and growing public frustration with institutions.   One of the report’s most striking conclusions is that many people feel their societies are becoming more fractured.   Across the 17 countries surveyed, 67 percent said their country is more divided today than it was a decade ago. More than seven in ten respondents reported serious tensions between supporters of different political parties. Nearly two-thirds saw conflict between rich and poor, while similar numbers perceived tensions between immigrant and native-born populations.   The authors argue that these divisions are linked not only to economic conditions but also to a broader erosion of trust.   “Societies feel themselves coming apart. There is a trust deficit at the heart of societies,” reads the report.   Only 31 percent of respondents said they trust their governments to make decisions that will benefit the majority of people 20 or 30 years into the future. This was one of the lowest-rated measures in the survey.   The report also highlights a less visible issue. Many people feel they are not treated with respect and dignity. Across all surveyed countries, only 41 percent agreed that people like them are treated with respect and dignity. The authors note that feelings of disrespect and humiliation can fuel political alienation and social resentment.   “A society in which one in four people feel they do not receive respect contains significant combustible material,” the report states. “Many people feel unseen, believe the system is rigged and do not experience their society as a collective enterprise.”   Despite widespread frustration with governments and economic systems, the survey found continued support for democracy. Overall, 68 percent of respondents said democracy remains the best way to govern their country.   However, support was not universal. Forty percent also agreed that their country would be better off with a strong leader who does not have to worry about parliament or elections.   The authors describe this as a warning sign rather than a rejection of democracy itself.   The report warns that declining trust in institutions can create openings for anti-democratic movements if governments fail to address public concerns about fairness and economic opportunity.   Despite growing economic anxieties, the survey found continued support for climate action. More than half of respondents said governments should take strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even if it leads to higher prices.   Support was strongest in middle-income countries and weaker among lower-income households and politically conservative respondents. The authors argue that climate policies are more likely to succeed when paired with measures that address economic inequality and social insecurity.   Public resistance to climate action often grows when people believe they are being asked to bear unfair costs while wealthier groups benefit from the existing system, the report suggests.   Kate Pickett, one of the report’s authors and a well-known researcher on inequality and social wellbeing, has long argued that unequal societies tend to experience weaker social cohesion and lower levels of trust. The findings of the new survey appear to reinforce that argument.   Beyond questions of trust and politics, the survey highlights persistent worries about basic economic security. Across the countries surveyed, 41 percent of respondents said they were concerned about having enough money to cover their basic needs during the coming year.   Economic anxiety was particularly high in countries facing inflation and financial instability. Even in wealthier countries, concerns about inequality remained widespread.   The authors argue that economic growth alone is no longer enough to reassure citizens. Instead, people increasingly judge systems based on fairness, opportunity, and whether prosperity is shared.   * The Earth4All initiative was launched by organisations including the Club of Rome, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the Norwegian Business School. It seeks to identify pathways toward sustainable prosperity and social wellbeing.   The report’s authors say the findings should serve as a wake-up call for political leaders. Rather than viewing public frustration as a temporary reaction to economic shocks, they argue that governments should recognize it as evidence of deeper structural problems.   The survey reveals what the authors call a “near-universal diagnosis”. Across different political systems, cultures, and income levels, large majorities share the belief that current economic arrangements favour elites while leaving ordinary citizens behind.   http://earth4all.life/news/people-want-economic-system-change/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/global-survey-finds-deep-crisis-of-trust-as-majority-say-economic-system-favours-the-rich/   Sep. 2026   UN Global Risk Report: Geopolitical tensions, war and a weakening of the rule of law headline risks. (UN News)   Drawing on responses from more than 1,300 people across government, business, and the United Nations system, the second edition of the United Nations Global Risk Survey presents a viewpoint of today’s global risk landscape and the forces reshaping it.   The findings are sobering. Political risks have moved centre stage. The prospect of large-scale war is seen as far more important and far more immediate than it was two years ago. At the same time, the institutions expected to respond are seen as less able to act, especially in areas like artificial intelligence, where innovation is outpacing the capacity to govern it.   Yet one conviction holds firm: respondents still see joint action between governments as by far the most effective means of prevention.   Large-scale war and geopolitical tension now rank among the top 10 threats in every one of the seven regions the survey covers, and in the top five in six of them. Two years ago, these same risks made the top five in just one region.   Weapons of mass destruction also broke into the top 10 in Central and Southern Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. In Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, worries grew over a possible global financial crisis, the downsides of artificial intelligence, and the growing power of technology companies. AI-related risks also entered the top 10 in Europe and North America.   No risk exists on its own, the report argues. Of the 705 connections between risks that the survey identified, the link between geopolitical tension and war was the strongest.   Concerns about Artificial intelligence, other frontier technologies and the concentration of power they enable have grown sharply in two years – even as respondents say the multilateral system is the least prepared to handle technological threats.   Climate change, meanwhile, has not gone away: inaction on it remains the single risk rated most important overall, and it ranks high in every region.   The report’s authors caution that other environmental risks slipping down the list does not mean they have become less dangerous – only less visible. And visibility matters: issues that draw less attention often lose funding.   The UN frames the report as a snapshot of perceptions rather than a prediction.   http://www.un.org/en/global-risk-report http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-09-22/secretary-generals-address-the-opening-of-the-general-debate-of-the-81st-session-of-the-general-assembly http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168392 http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168395 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/whats-new/international-call-for-enhanced-control-of-ai-development/id3173324/ http://www.government.nl/documents/2026/09/22/a-call-for-control-of-frontier-ai-models http://una.org.uk/una-uk-head-of-campaigns-reports-back-from-geneva-meeting-on-laws/ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/22/un-chief-climate-crisis-capitalism-reasons-hopeful-antonio-guterres http://www.actionaidusa.org/news/climate-vulnerable-countries-spend-nearly-25-times-more-on-debt-than-on-climate-action/ http://actionaid.org/publications/2026/debt-fuels-climate-crisis http://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/86026/enough-2-million-petition-signatures-unga-make-polluters-pay/   Sep. 2026   Wealth redistribution policies to mitigate the impact of development assistance defunding: a retrospective evaluation and forecasting analysis up to 2030. (The Lancet Medical Journal)   The ongoing decline in funding for humanitarian and development assistance stands in stark contrast to the global rise in wealth concentration and widening socioeconomic inequalities.   This study aimed to assess whether the implementation of wealth redistribution policies—proposed in recent high-level international agreements to support development—could mitigate the health impact of the current official development assistance (ODA) defunding crisis.   The world is experiencing extreme levels of inequality, which is manifested across multiple dimensions and has worsened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Today, the top 10% of the global population owns approximately 75% of global wealth, while the bottom 50% holds only 2%, with absolute income inequality steadily increasing over the past three decades.   Moreover, the wealthiest 0·002% of the global population—corresponding to 92,140 centi-millionaires—controls an estimated US$37·1 trillion in global wealth, surpassing the gross domestic product (GDP) of the world's largest economy—the USA ($31·1 trillion).   In parallel, the world's 3028 billionaires collectively hold $16·1 trillion in wealth, and this extreme concentration of wealth is continuing to accelerate.   In stark contrast, the world's poorest populations are facing one of the most challenging periods in recent decades. Poverty rates have increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 808 million people living in extreme poverty (below $3 per day) and 3·5 billion people living in poverty (below $6·85 per day) in 2025.   Recent estimates show that a quarter of low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) still have per-capita incomes below 2019 levels, with the worst stagnation in low-income countries, where the COVID-19 pandemic erased all previous development gains..   Our study provides evidence that implementing wealth redistribution policies proposed in recent high-level international agreements to support development could save up to 30 million lives by 2030.   In a world marked by extreme and widening inequalities and an unprecedented concentration of wealth, our results show the potential of wealth redistribution policies to mitigate the negative impacts of ODA defunding. Such policies could save millions of lives and substantially advance progress towards the health-related UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.   http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2826%2900975-X/fulltext   Sep. 2026   Strengthening Social Protection Financing through Tax Justice - Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors   Tax systems and policies are not merely technical fiscal tools for generating revenue. They are foundational to the core objectives of social protection itself: for the management of risks over the life course, preventing poverty, and reducing inequality.   Tax revenue in many low-income countries (LICs) remains persistently low — often below 15% of GDP. Tax avoidance and evasion by multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) cause serious harm to jurisdictions seeking to build progressive fiscal systems.   Transfer pricing and profit shifting fuel a “race to the bottom” in tax competition and erode tax sovereignty. It is estimated that the global revenue loss for 2024 reached US$492 billion: US$347 billion lost to corporate tax abuse and US$145 billion to offshore wealth in tax havens (Tax Justice Network 2024).   The consequences for social protection are severe: tax abuse by global multinational corporations causes revenue losses equivalent to 45% of health expenditure in Latin America and 53% in Africa (Tax Justice Network 2025). In South Africa alone, the annual tax loss could fund direct cash transfers sufficient to lift over 3 million people out of poverty.   These dynamics deprive states of the resources needed to realize human rights — including the right to social security — and systematically undermine national social protection floors.   The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors emphasizes the importance of progressive tax-transfer systems. Regressive tax systems that rely heavily on indirect taxes undermine poverty reduction by placing a disproportionate burden for financing the common good on those with the least resources. They also disproportionately burden women, who tend to have lower incomes and have to spend a higher share of their earnings on consumption.   Well-founded proposals for structural reform towards tax justice are already on the table. The negotiations on the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation represent a critical window of opportunity to create a supportive environment to securing the domestic resources necessary to realize the right to social security everywhere, particularly in the Global South.   Adequate social protection cannot be financed without sufficient and fairly collected public revenue. This requires appropriate tax rates, progressive taxation, effective collection and action to prevent revenue losses caused by tax evasion and avoidance.   National Governments should shift the tax burden towards progressive income tax, direct taxes on corporate profits and dividends, inheritance taxes and wealth taxes, and ensure that tax-transfer systems reduce poverty and inequality.   The international community needs to ensure the UN Framework Convention includes a guiding principle that commits governments to mobilize public funds, reduce fiscal inequalities and advance access to human rights — including health, education, housing, social protection and care. Social protection must be treated not as a discretionary expense but as a core state function supported by the tax system..   http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2026/09/statement-strengthening-social-protection-financing-through-tax-justice/
	View more stories