For over a decade now, the OECD has been spearheading work on well-being measurement and policy, in line with its mission of promoting “Better Policies for Better Lives”. Many individuals and organisations around the world have also been part of a global call for better measures and policies for progress “beyond GDP”. The OECD Forums on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy have been important drivers of this agenda, providing a space for all kinds of practitioners to take stock of experiences, to learn from best practices, and to gain inspiration for further change.
Gradually, this work has led to a paradigm shift, one that puts people at the centre of public policies and collective action. In the process, the key question has evolved from “How do we measure progress?” to “How do we best put those measures into practice for policies aimed at improving lives?” At the 4th World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy in New Delhi in 2012, OECD Secretary-General put it like this: “We want to transform our notion of well-being from an implicit to an explicit goal that can be assessed across the whole spectrum of government policies, business strategies and individuals’ decisions.”
The 5th OECD World Forum, “Transforming Policy, Changing Lives”, will provide an opportunity to reflect and debate on actually achieving a people-centred, planet-sensitive agenda. It will also be an occasion to showcase concrete examples of the impact of policies, frameworks and institutions that are using new well-being measures around the world, and will explore how this accumulated experience can contribute to country-level action in the pursuit of a new set of universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are now being discussed in the UN setting.
The Forum will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, and we would like to encourage all people with an interest in well-being and sustainability to take part. It will bring together hundreds of experts from various backgrounds including government, international organisations, official statistical offices, civil society, business, and academia, to present successful practices and address a number of topics relevant to the SDG agenda.
This is the first time the OECD World Forum will be held in Latin America, an ideal choice for an event primarily focused on policy innovation and transformation, given the immense change the region has seen in recent decades. It will be co-organised with the Mexican National Statistical Institute (INEGI), which has played a vital role in the development of new measures of well-being.
In addition to the main programme, the Forum will also include an Exhibition space with the opportunity for NGO’s, governments, international organisations, researchers and the private sector to showcase their work. There may also be the possibility for selected projects from the Exhibition to be presented at special sessions during the Forum.
Useful links
You can view the preliminary agenda and other information at the Forum website: www.oecd-5wf.mx
Participation in the Forum is by invitation only and at your expense. You can request an invitation by writing to wellbeing@oecd.org, giving your name, email address, title/role, and organisation, along with 200 words explaining why you are interested in attending the Forum.
Win a paid trip to Guadalajara to attend the 5th OECD World Forum by entering the Wikiprogress Data Viz competition. Deadline is 24 August.
