The corporate takeover of government power is nothing new. Yet, an Oxfam Intermón report presented at the United Nations General Assembly warns that the influence of the global oligarchy has skyrocketed and is shaping the rules of the game in its favour, at the expense of the rest of the population.

Some data presented in Oxfam’s report, ‘Multilateralism in an Age of Global Oligarchy’, is alarming: the richest 1% of the world’s population accumulates more wealth than the other 95%, owns 43% of all global financial assets and two multinationals own 40% of the world’s seed market.

Based on data from UBS, the study finds that more than a third of the world’s 50 largest companies have a billionaire as a CEO or major shareholder and that the total market capitalisation of these companies is $13.3 trillion. Moreover, the three big asset management corporations- BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard- collectively own 89% of the S&P 500 and manage $20 trillion in assets, nearly one-fifth of all investment assets worldwide.

This extreme concentration of wealth and economic power in the hands of a few individuals and corporations not only gives them disproportionate influence over governments and policy decisions on a global scale, but also fuels inequality both within and between countries.

‘The shadow of the global oligarchy hangs over the UN General Assembly. The ultrarich and the mega-businesses they control are shaping the rules of the game in their favour, at the expense of the rest of the population. The UN is losing its capacity to act in the face of the growing power of the billionaires,’ says Franco Cortada, director of Oxfam Intermón.

The need for a shift towards multilateralism

This new model of government – whereby power and decision-making are not in the hands of democratic governments but of large corporations and a small economic elite – forms the basis of a corporatocracy that has become globalised and where the interests of large corporations and the wealthiest are often prioritised over the collective welfare.

In this context, public policies are geared towards deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy and big business, while investment in social services, education, and healthcare are put on the back burner. According to Oxfam, it is estimated that trillions of dollars in tax revenues are lost every year due to tax evasion and avoidance. This loss of public revenue directly affects governments’ ability to fund essential services.

‘In recent years, the ultrarich and the most powerful corporations have used their enormous influence to block efforts to solve major global problems, such as tackling tax evasion and avoidance, ensuring that vaccines against HIV/AIDS are accessible to all people, or cancelling the unsustainable debts of countries in the global south,’ said Cortada.

That is why Oxfam is calling for joint, multilateral action to push for a new international tax framework, public debt cancellation and new intellectual property laws in the face of future pandemics.

At the very least, the NGO director makes it clear that the current economic system is not sustainable and that ‘only a multilateralism based on equity and justice can reverse the intensification of the power of a global oligarchy’. It adds that ‘some world leaders are showing awareness of this and have stepped up their efforts against inequality. But they need to do more and with greater force’.

If you want to discover the best option to protect your savings, enter Preciosos 11Onze. We will help you buy at the best price the safe-haven asset par excellence: physical gold.