There are striking and disturbing differences in the life prospects of people living in different countries. Most alarming is the fact that many people in many countries are unable to meet their basic needs. In some cases basic physical needs are going unfilled. People lack a source of clean water, adequate medical care, a healthy diet, and so on. In other cases, the needs going unfulfilled are psycho-social needs. Many people do not receive a basic education. There is a moral gravity to situations in which people are unable to meet their basic needs. It is widely agreed that the better off have a duty of charity to assist those living in poverty. I believe, however, that there are duties that go beyond charity. Some differences in life prospects between people in different countries are to be expected, even in a fully just international order. But I believe, with qualifications, that there is injustice in the fact that some countries do not have the resources to enable their people to meet their basic needs while other countries have resources that are surplus to their people's basic needs.

In this essay, I work with a principle I have proposed before, according to which justice requires a state in favorable circumstances to enable its members to meet their basic needs throughout a normal lifespan (Copp, 1992 and 1998). I call this the “basic needs principle.”