RECENTLY I was told the story of a woman who was so desperate to feed her family that she walked for eight miles to collect an emergency food parcel.

Oxfam is best known for responding to humanitarian crises worldwide, but this woman wasn't hungry due to the impact of a natural disaster, conflict or disease.

She had made her long journey here in Scotland because of poverty.

The woman arrived at one of the volunteer led outlets run by our partner the West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare wearing her daughter's shoes - they were three sizes too small.

In 2014, delivering greater social justice was a key theme in the run up to the independence referendum. In 2015, Scotland's politicians must come together to deliver it.

And a key opportunity for political consensus on this issue has emerged.

The two largest parties at the Scottish Parliament recently elected new leaders and, while there's much that divides them, they share a single stated objective: to address inequality.

Nicola Sturgeon declared it her "personal mission as your First Minister" with Jim Murphy, the newly installed Scottish Labour Leader, describing it as his "driving purpose".

It follows international calls for action from everyone from the Pope to the billionaire Warren Buffett and even the Head of the International Monetary Fund.

There's a growing recognition that the gap between rich and poor is extreme and damaging to us all.

Earlier this year, Oxfam revealed just 85 people have the same wealth as half the world's population.

Here in Scotland, despite shocking and rising levels of poverty, our estimates suggest just three families have the same wealth as the poorest 20 per cent of the population combined.

In 2015 our political leaders must reset their compass away from a narrow focus on economic growth and towards a new, shared prosperity - whilst listening to the voices of those in poverty.

We therefore welcome, pending more detail, the announcement by the Scottish Government of a new independent advisor to recommend measures to tackle poverty and inequality.

We know this task cannot be delivered by one Government department or minister - it must be about all of Government and be underpinned by cross-party support and scrutiny.

As such, any new powers over tax and welfare resulting from the Smith Commission on devolution must also be used to reduce poverty and inequality.

Because we believe extreme inequality is a barrier to poverty reduction.

At a global level, we have seen huge progress in the fight to end extreme poverty over the last two decades; around 150 million fewer men and women are going hungry every day.

Yet inequality threatens to undermine, and in some cases reverse, this progress and - from our work around the world - we also know the poorest are most affected by unforeseen crises.

As such, we cannot turn our backs on those who need our help right now.

In 2014 the suffering in Syria has continued to escalate with more than three million people forced to flee in one of the worst refugee crises of modern times.

Elsewhere, renewed conflict in the world's newest country - South Sudan - has made an already desperate situation worse and, in the coming months, 2.5 million people face severe food insecurity.

In Gaza, more than three months after a ceasefire ended the Israeli bombing, reconstruction has barely begun and people are still living in desperate conditions.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian catastrophe created by Ebola in West African continues.

Amid such suffering it is easy to feel despondent but such crises bring out the best in people too: just witness those putting themselves at risk to help those affected by Ebola.

And such solidarity exists here in Scotland too.

Back at the Foodshare in West Dunbartonshire, a man - who just a few months ago needed food support himself during a period of financial struggle - returned recently.

This time, instead of asking for a food parcel he handed over a financial donation of his own.

In 2015, such solidarity should inspire us all.

* Jamie Livingstone is Head of Oxfam Scotland.