Inequity, both among people and nations, is one of the greatest challenges of our times. The global environmental change agenda can only be fully understood if these social dimensions are part of the analysis. While global equity can be easily understood as a general norm or guideline that steers our actions towards greater sustainability, specific obstacles that have to be overcome case by case often arise in attempts to ensure equity. Yet we can only move towards sustainability if equity is met at various levels.

As part of the IHDP Open Meeting 2009, this round table takes advantage of the presence of leading scientists and practitioners who strive for global equity including Ursula Oswald Spring of the Regional Center for Multidisciplinary Research at the National University of Mexico, Robin Mearns of the Social Development Department at the World Bank, Flavia Pansieri, from the United Nations Volunteers, and Hebe Vessuri, of the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Venezuela, and Konrad-Otto Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI.