Economists Urge World Leaders to Back New Panel on Inequality

More than 1,500 academics and economists from over 100 countries have signed an open letter urging global leaders to support a new initiative aimed at combating extreme inequality, according to the Guardian.

The letter, released ahead of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next week, calls on world leaders to back the International Panel on Inequality (IPI), a proposed body intended to address the widening gap between the world's richest and poorest populations.

Signatories of the letter argue that the current levels of inequality are not an inevitable outcome of economic forces, but rather "a policy choice that can be reversed," according to the Guardian's report.

The open letter, signed by economists and academics spanning more than 100 countries, comes as global leaders prepare to convene for the annual UN General Assembly, where issues of economic disparity are expected to feature among discussions.

Further details on the specific structure, funding, or mandate of the proposed International Panel on Inequality were not included in the available excerpt of the report.