October 2012: The Initiative for Equality has released the preliminary results of its 2012 Equity and Field Sustainability Field Hearings. A total of 34 communities across the world were surveyed using paper or online questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, or open public meetings.

The Initiative for Equality, a global network of advocates for social, economic and political equality, carried out the hearings with the aim of: channeling the voices of disempowered communities into the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) dialogues and other multilateral processes; and gathering input to inform the writing of a global civil society Equity & Sustainability Treaty and PostRio Action Plan for Equity.

Some of the key findings include that: poverty is much more than income alone, as well-being is multi-dimensional; insecurity has increased, and violence is on the rise, both domestically and in the society; the poor feel they have been bypassed by new economic opportunities; gender inequity is widespread; loss of traditional roles is traumatic for both genders, and family breakdown, domestic violence and increased alcoholism among men are often mentioned; corruption is as a key poverty issue; health care is unavailable or too expensive; education received by young people is inadequate; and NGOs are seen as important but many unaccountable. [Publication: Waiting to be Heard: Preliminary Results of the 2012 Equity & Sustainability Field Hearings. Occasional Report]