A UN expert on Friday warned of the threat to human rights posed by growing economic inequality between the North and South, in a meeting at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council.

The independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, George Katrougalos, stated that “structural inequities remain embedded in the global order,” such as “asymmetries in trade, finance, technology and governance.” He further said that “[w]ithout systemic reforms, the promise of multipolarity risks being undermined by fragmentation.”

The remarks follow the release of a UN report assessing the “impact of current geopolitical trends on the North-South divide.” The analysis pointed to the role of the US as a factor in widening global inequality, including the impact of its “territorial ambitions” and the global tariffs imposed in April 2025.

The report moreover identified four drivers of structural inequality: an international economic order favorable to the North, the misuse of environmental resources, the “interplay of the debt and climate crises,” and the digital divide. The report recommended greater inclusion of the global South in international bodies, such as expanding participation in the Security Council to “India, Africa, Latin America, and the Muslim world,” restructuring global debt and climate financing, and making digital access more equitable.

The UN mandate for promoting a democratic and equitable international order was established by Resolution 18/6 in 2011, as a means for enabling the “full realization of human rights for all.” The requirements for such an order include the right to “equitable participation of all…in global decision-making,” “a healthy environment” and “equitable access to benefits from the international distribution of wealth.”