Winnie Byanyima Quotes

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Winnie Byanyima

Profession : Politician

Birth : January 13, 1959

We need to tackle extreme inequality because it is morally indefensible and socially corrosive - undermining our health, affecting our well-being, and undermining peaceful societies.

Winnie Byanyima

Rule of law, access to justice, and financial transparency happen by design, not accident.

Winnie Byanyima

Inequality, climate change, and conflict are evicting millions from their homes. But these perils are being met with 'anti-answers' such as nationalism, closed borders, lies, and hatred.

Winnie Byanyima

The extremely wealthy have disproportionate influence on policies that impact us all. This corrupts our politics and leads to poorer people being denied the economic opportunity to flourish in life.

Winnie Byanyima

High corruption and the influence of big business and the wealthy elite keeps the poorest Nigerians trapped in poverty and cut off from the benefits of economic growth and basic services. Some people - searching for the means to survive - became vulnerable to groups like Boko Haram.

Winnie Byanyima

The move to a zero-carbon future is unstoppable.

Winnie Byanyima

The proud fight against colonialism is one that should be consigned to history.

Winnie Byanyima

Wealth does not trickle down to the poor. Oxfam knows this, the IMF knows this, the World Bank knows this. Poor people have always known this.

Winnie Byanyima

Developing countries can make great strides towards more progressive and effective taxation and spending through action within their own borders. But the damage caused by exemptions, loopholes, and tax havens requires action beyond national borders - it requires international action and cooperation.

Winnie Byanyima

Wealth is used to entrench inequality, not to trickle down and solve it.

Winnie Byanyima

A tax system is important because of what it can pay for, but also for how it works. When we pay taxes, we expect something back from the state; it strengthens the relationship and accountability between us and our governments. It also pays for what private finance shouldn't: our needs for healthcare, education and social security.

Winnie Byanyima

Without women's equal access to positions of decision-making power and a clear process to get there, gender equality, global security, and peace will never be realized.

Winnie Byanyima

Cutting down a forest for timber adds to GDP, but what we don't record is the loss to our wealth in terms of natural resources.

Winnie Byanyima

If the civil society is not transparent, honest, and accountable, then you cannot be a champion of social justice.

Winnie Byanyima

Poverty is a result of lack of opportunity. Lack of opportunity is about being without power, without being in a position to make choices.

Winnie Byanyima

Extreme inequality is no temporary blip. It is hard-wired into our economies.

Winnie Byanyima

I don't think it's helpful to go dismantling the past, but you can refuse to honor aspects of it that you don't believe in anymore.

Winnie Byanyima

Leadership is so defined by men, and we need to revise that - we need to be able to say that the people we honor are not the conquerors but the peacemakers.

Winnie Byanyima

Economic inequality is a corrosive force that undermines economic growth, puts a brake on the fight against poverty, and sparks social unrest.

Winnie Byanyima

Our economic system has enabled companies and individuals to use their power and influence to capture and retain an ever-increasing share of the benefits of economic growth while the benefits for the poorest in society have shrunk.

Winnie Byanyima