43.    Growing inequality is being manifested in many ways:

(a) Despite the considerable and consistent growth of some developing countries, disparities between the GDP per capita of developed and developing countries have risen over the last decade. Efforts to address these disparities will be an important component of sustainable development;
(b)    Inequality has grown even more markedly between the top and bottom quintiles over the past 10 years, both globally and within most countries (though Brazil and Turkey are important exceptions);
(c)    In spite of progress in gender equality in some areas, women still face too many barriers to participating fully in the economy, including in terms of access to jobs, markets, credit and property. Removing these barriers can unleash women’s potential and contribute to social stability, economic growth and sustainable development;
(d)    In spite of some improvements in social equity, vulnerable groups and minorities (among others, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, undocumented immigrants and people discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity) are still often subject to stigma and unequal rights, opportunities and income in much of the world;
(e) Perhaps most importantly, critical questions about equity and mutual interdependence will also increasingly arise given current rates of natural resource depletion and ecosystem degradation — as they already have in contexts such as global climate policy.

44.    While the principle of equity remains fundamental to sustainable development, disputes about how to apply it in practice mean that it has often been a stumbling block in international relations rather than a core principle for sustainable institutional design in an interdependent world.

45. We also live in an age when authorities at all levels are encountering new challenges from citizens who question whether they are acting in the long-term public interest. Sustainable development demands substantially increased levels of accountability — not only for results in the short term, but also for the long-term consequences of our actions, both for today’s generation and for those who will inherit the world we have left for them.

46.    Global poverty is a remaining major challenge. More than a billion people still live in poverty. Ending poverty is fundamental for building a more equitable and sustainable world. Governments and international organizations need to scale up their efforts to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 1, to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty.