Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund, delivered the 2014 Richard Dimbleby Lecture on 4th February 2014. 

In her speech she highlighted the importance of economic sustainability and the need for us all to work together to address current and future challenges across the globe.

"In the past, economists have underestimated the importance of inequality. They have focused on economic growth, on the size of the pie rather than its distribution. Today, we are more keenly aware of the damage done by inequality. Put simply, a severely skewed income distribution harms the pace and sustainability of growth over the longer term. It leads to an economy of exclusion, and a wasteland of discarded potential."

She ended with a call to action:

"Our forefathers vanquished the demons of the past, bequeathing to us a better world-and our generation was the main beneficiary.

We are where we are today because of the foundation laid by the generation before us.

Now it is our turn-to pave the way for the next generation. Are we up to the challenge? Our future depends on the answer to that question."

The speech is excellent - plain-speaking yet charismatic and I would highly recommend it.

If you missed the original programme you can watch the Richard Dimbleby lecture or read Christine Lagarde's speech on the IMF website.

Sarah Green