The global development model has lifted many out of poverty over the past decades, but its economic and social benefits have been unequally distributed and have come at great cost for the environment. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights affirmed that  “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…,” a principle re-affirmed in the ICPD Programme of Action, yet severe inequalities in income and wealth, economic, social and political empowerment and participation, and lack of access to quality education and health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, preclude equitable development and prevent large sectors of the population, in particular women and young people, from rising out of poverty, exercising their human rights, and contributing fully to society. This Issue Brief highlights the far-reaching impact of inequalities and the need to eradicate poverty and break the cycles of exclusion and inequality to ensure a sustainable future.