Counting What Counts: Implementing beyond GDP metrics

As countries prepare for the anticipated adoption of a United Nations Beyond GDP framework at the United Nations General Assembly, there is growing recognition that traditional economic indicators, particularly GDP, are insufficient to capture the full picture of progress. While GDP remains an essential measure of economic activity, it overlooks critical dimensions such as inequality, environmental sustainability, and well-being.

The recent report of the UN High-Level Expert Group (HLEG), Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet, marks a significant milestone by proposing a practical, globally applicable framework that complements GDP with a dashboard of indicators capturing well-being, equity and inclusion, and sustainability. This signals a clear shift in the global conversation from recognizing the limitations of GDP to advancing the implementation of multidimensional measures of progress. The emerging framework is closely linked to key international processes, including the Pact for the Future, financing for development, and the 2030 Agenda, with implications for how countries design policies, allocate resources, and assess long-term development pathways.

In this context, there is a timely opportunity to move from global recommendations to practical application by supporting countries in integrating Beyond GDP metrics into national policy, planning, and statistical systems. This event will provide a platform to:

• highlight the key messages and policy relevance of the HLEG report and the emerging global Beyond GDP framework;
• facilitate dialogue among senior policy-makers, statistical leaders, and experts on practical pathways for implementing Beyond GDP metrics at the national level;
• share country experiences and emerging practices in integrating well-being, sustainability, and equity into decision-making systems;
• identify opportunities for international collaboration and support to advance the implementation of Beyond GDP approaches; and
• position Canada and partners as active contributors to shaping and operationalizing the global Beyond GDP agenda.

Co-hosted by Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), this event builds on the ongoing work of IISD and IDRC to support countries in advancing practical, policy-relevant approaches to measuring progress beyond GDP.

Agenda

8:30 a.m. | Doors Open

9:00 a.m. | Welcome

Khalil Shariff, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada

9:10 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Opening Remarks

• H.E. Muhsin Syihab, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Canada and Permanent Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization
• Julie Delahanty, President, International Development Research Centre

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Localizing Beyond GDP Efforts

Livia Bizikova, Lead II International Environmental Governance, IISD

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Linkages Between GDP and Beyond GDP Efforts

Alessandra Alfieri, Assistant Director, International Monetary Fund

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Proposed Indicators and Approaches to Move Beyond GDP

Prof. Naila Kabeer, Emeritus Professor of Gender and Development, London School of Economics and Political Science

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Break

11:30 a.m. – 12.45 p.m. | Roundtable

• Moderator: Bhim Adhikari, IDRC
• Jennifer Withington, Assistant Chief Statistician, Economic Statistics Field, Statistics Canada
• Anu Peltola, Director of Statistics, Data and Digital Service, United Nations Trade and Development
• Andres Velez-Guerra, Executive Director, Results Division, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
• Jane Mariara, Executive Director, Partnership for Economic Policy, Kenya

12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Networking Lunch