Secretary-General: Top 1% Holds 43% of Global Financial Assets
Summary
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered remarks to the Founding Committee for an International Panel on Inequality in Johannesburg on 24 April 2026. The Secretary-General cited that the top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets, and that the richest 500 individuals added $2.2 trillion to their fortunes in the prior year. He framed inequality as an 'Inequality Emergency' eroding trust, deepening polarization, and destabilizing economies, calling for a global response through a proposed International Panel on Inequality.
“The top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets.”
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GovPing monitors UN Secretary-General Statements for new government & legislation regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 8 changes logged to date.
What changed
This document is a statement by the UN Secretary-General to a committee discussing a proposed International Panel on Inequality. It does not introduce new regulations, amend existing rules, or impose compliance obligations. The Secretary-General calls global inequality an 'emergency' and commends South Africa for leadership in addressing the issue. The document is primarily rhetorical and advocacy-oriented, setting forth observations about wealth concentration and a vision for confronting inequality rather than establishing binding policy frameworks.
For compliance and legal professionals, this document does not create immediate compliance obligations or regulatory requirements. It does, however, signal growing international institutional attention to wealth concentration and inequality, which may inform future policy discussions or voluntary frameworks. The proposed International Panel on Inequality, if established, could eventually produce guidance or recommendations affecting financial services firms and investors.
Scheduled event
- Date
- 2026-04-24
- Location
- Johannesburg South Africa
Archived snapshot
Apr 25, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
24 April 2026
Johannesburg South Africa
Secretary-General's message to the Founding Committee for an International Panel on Inequality
Statements | António Guterres, Secretary-General
Excellencies, dear friends,
I send my warm greetings as you gather in Johannesburg to further discuss a proposed International Panel on Inequality.
I commend South Africa for its leadership in spotlighting the global Inequality Emergency.
Around the world, inequality is driving so many of today’s crises – eroding trust, deepening polarization, and destabilizing economies.
Consider the facts.
The top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets. And last year alone, the richest 500 individuals added $2.2 trillion to their fortunes.
Increasingly, we see a world where the ultra-wealthiest and the companies they control are calling the shots like never before.
They are wielding outsized influence over economies, information, and even the rules that govern us all.
But let’s be clear: Inequality is not only about income or wealth.
It is about power: who holds it, who is denied it, and how it shapes every chance in life.
We face a world in which billions lack the basics, while a few reap extraordinary gains.
A world where unfair global rules trap countries into patterns of vulnerability and dependence.
A world where unequal outcomes today lock in unequal opportunities tomorrow – in education, in health care, in every aspect of life.
And emerging technologies are accelerating the divide.
It does not have to be this way.
We can – and we must – confront the injustice of inequality.
It is essential for a future of dignity and sustainability for all.
Thank you for your commitment to that vital mission.
Multimedia
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Statements on 24 April 2026
Statements on 24 April 2026
- Secretary-General's remarks to the Informal Meeting of the General Assembly Plenary on the Implementation of the Pact for the Future
- Secretary-General's remarks to the Commemorative Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in Observance of the 40th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Disaster
- Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – regarding the extension of the cessation of hostilities
- Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the death of a peacekeeper in Lebanon
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