Preventing and reducing inequalities within and between countries: A call for decisive multilateral action

Key considerations for WSSD2

• The 2025 Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) is a crucial moment to shape the global discourse and drive global action on inequalities. Reducing inequalities within and between countries as foreseen in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10 is crucial for social cohesion, poverty reduction, and sustainable and inclusive economic growth, especially amid multiple transitions, crises and conflicts.
• Decent work deficits fuel inequalities. As labour income is the main source of income for most households, work-related inequalities shape broader social and economic inequalities, which in turn influence inequalities in the world of work.
• In 2022 the ILO tripartite constituents, comprising governments and workers’ and employers’ organizations, adopted the ILO’s Strategy to prevent and reduce inequalities in the world of work. The ILO Strategy provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to tackling inequalities based on the Decent Work Agenda.
• Tackling inequalities demands a multidimensional approach and enhanced multilateral cooperation. Country- and context-specific approaches, supported by multilateral targeted collaboration involving the United Nations and international financial institutions, should address both distribution and redistribution policies, guided by robust data and inequality diagnostics.