UN General Assembly
2022

Even as we grapple with those new long-term shifts, we remain beset by an unresolved problem, the inequalities and inequities that persist within and among countries, and that continue to demand urgent action. Therein lies our fourth transcendent challenge. That injustice was evident during the pandemic, when the richer nations immediately received vaccines at the expense of the have-nots. We see, for example, similar dangers lurking in the persistent digital divide and in ballooning debt burdens. As we awaken from the economic stupor caused by the pandemic, we must reinvigorate the world economy. We must use public and private resources to encourage the expansion of trade, investment and technology transfers to accelerate development. Knowledge and intellectual gains must flow freely to allow those lagging behind to catch up. Sustainable development will be hampered to the detriment of all if existing structures in the global economy remain unreformed.