Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations
extent of inequality within and between countries. Other factors that might be considered in ascertaining overall levels of equity and equality include the distribution of assets, the distribution of opportunities for independent work and remunerated employment, the distribution of access to essential public social services, the distribution of possibilities for political participation, and the distribution of human security. It is impossible to offer any verifiable general conclusions, given the lack of systematic inquiry into these aspects of equity and equality; however, various facts suggest that the overall trend towards rising income inequality has not been offset by greater equality in other domains. Evidence that inequality persists at multiple levels can be found in the continued failure of developing countries to achieve a greater say in the management of the world economy and greater control over private global economic and social forces. The preceding paragraphs have focused on various aspects of "vertical" inequality, which is measured using a scale based on income or any other variable applicable to all the members of a defined group (such as the entire population of a country or the entire membership of the United Nations). Developments with regard to "horizontal" inequality, measured by comparing separate, identifiable groups, offer a somewhat brighter picture. Especially noteworthy are the advances made in the pursuit of equity and equality between women and men. Progress, while often slow and uneven, has nonetheless been steady in this critical domain. Various initiatives undertaken within the United Nations, such as the creation of a forum for indigenous peoples and the various agreements and activities focused on disabled persons, suggest that inequalities associated with some forms of discrimination presently have a better chance of being addressed (if not redressed) than do inequalities associated with the functioning of the economy. The current international focus on poverty eradication and the identification of the poor as a group towards which public programmes ought to be targeted proceed from the same logic. Absolute or extreme poverty is obviously a concept incompatible with the notion of inequality, as its measurement does not involve comparison but rather the use of a threshold, such as a poverty line. However, relative poverty is by definition a comparative measure and is therefore consistent with the concept of inequality. The World Summit for Social Development addressed the issue of poverty from both perspectives. Discussions relating to the present thematic focus prompted the following questions: Is the spread and apparent deepening of various forms of inequality a product of the fundamental transformation that has taken place in the economy and society over the past several decades, or is it mainly the result of the current domination of identifiable political forces and ideas? Is there a theoretical basis