By Hajra Atiq and Livia Bizikova, IISD

Mandated in the outcome from the Summit of the Future (SoF), the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP appointed by the UN Secretary-General is focusing on a consultative process to develop recommendations that will help countries and institutions adopt more comprehensive measures of sustainable development progress beyond traditional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) metrics.

This edition of the ‘Beyond GDP’ summarizes recent publications and brings together developments from high-profile conferences and side events, insights from experts, regional perspectives, and various offshoots seeking to reach beyond GDP. It aims to connect the various thematic layers stemming from such efforts with happenings in the international arena while considering on-the-ground reflections from some of the most vulnerable regions of the world.

Intergenerational equity, financing gaps, and systemic disparities on the global ‘Beyond GDP’ stage

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville, Spain, was considered pivotal in reinvigorating the political will to move beyond GDP. The FfD4 outcome document highlights the need for a framework that includes alternative, country-owned indicators beyond GDP, aligning with the upcoming recommendations from the UN High-Level Expert Group. The recommendations from the outcome document build the case for development partners to double support to developing countries by 2030, aligning this aid with alternative, sustainability-focused metrics beyond GDP for monitoring and evaluation to gauge effectiveness of current policies and development cooperation strategies.

The financing gaps referenced in the FfD4 outcome document have also been referred to in a commentary about on-the-ground realities of small island developing States (SIDS) by Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda. The Prime Minster highlights the lead role of SIDS in spearheading climate solutions while also facing an unprecedented level of climate risks despite their negligible share in global carbon emissions. He calls for equitable climate finance and a true spirit of multilateralism that delivers on its promise of fairness, resilience, and global solidarity.

Side events at FfD4 also illuminated various themes of the Beyond GDP agenda such as ‘Youth Moving Beyond GDP: Intergenerational Equity to Finance What We Value’ and ‘New Approaches for a Renewed International Cooperation: Coalition of the Willing on Beyond GDP.’ The former event concluded with the official launch of a new platform – Youth Network for Beyond GDP. During the latter side event, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), highlighted African innovation as the continent transitions from post-colonial legacies and African nations are pioneering post-GDP development strategies, positioning Africa as a laboratory for new indicators.

During the July session of the 2025 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP organized a side event themed, ‘Towards Measuring What We Value.’ The Group outlined its work plan, highlighting that it would elaborate a conceptual framework, identify indicators, assess data and capacity needs, and advise on how to maximize the uptake of the indicators. The Co-Chairs of the Group identified questions they are addressing, including the optimal number of indicators and what dimensions need to be measured. Representatives from the Like-Minded Group of Middle-Income Countries highlighted that the process should not be viewed as simply a technical discussion of indicators, but as part of a political discussion on reshaping development.

These events highlighted the need to move beyond GDP by promoting intergenerational equity, sustainability, and values-driven finance as well as the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration especially through youth engagement and international coalitions to reshape economic frameworks around what truly matters.

Social protection, human health, and wellbeing linkages to Beyond GDP

Human health and well-being are at the core of the World Health Organization (WHO) global framework on well-being, adopted by Member States at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA). A practical guidance on ‘Implementing the Global Framework on Well-being at Country Level’ seeks to support ministries of health in translating the vision of well-being societies into concrete policy pathways with a focus on the Earth and its ecosystems, social protection and welfare systems, access to health coverage, equitable economies, and digital systems. Shifting toward well-being societies demands a new way of measuring progress – one that moves beyond GDP and prioritizes health, inclusion, and sustainability, according to the report.

A call for well-being societies that prioritize human and planetary health, equity, and sustainability over narrow economic growth metrics also features in an interview with Professor James K. Boyce, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a keynote speech by Maria Fernanda Espinosa during the Berlin Forum on Global Cooperation 2025. In both instances, the main argument was that GDP was not designed to measure human welfare and hence, an alternative conceptual framework is urgently needed, one that recognizes the Earth’s life systems to account for air, water, biodiversity, and pollination integrated into the measurement of societal progress.

These calls from international leaders and academics have also resonated at the regional level. Reflecting on its work in the region to address challenges of Middle-Income Countries (MICs), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) notes that despite significant economic development in the region, MICs still face barriers to overcoming poverty and inequality. The 2025 High-Level Conference on Middle-Income Countries in Manila, Philippines, highlighted social protection as a critical investment in long-term resilience and inclusive growth – and not a cost for MICs. The outcomes of the conference will inform the development of the Strategic Plan of Action for MICs. Through its Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection, ESCAP also facilitates South-South exchanges, policy simulations, and the development of monitoring indicators beyond GDP.

While the publications highlighted in this issue showcase the growing recognition of the need to adopt a more inclusive system for measuring societal progress, significant challenges remain. The work of the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP on country-owned collaborative indicators as well as global events in the second half of the year are expected to sustain the momentum on beyond GDP efforts. One such effort will be organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the UN University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR): a virtual discussion during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week to engage with Expert Group members and other leading voices to explore the road to a new intergovernmental process on Beyond GDP. Event and registration details can be found here.

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This Update is part of a series that seeks to raise awareness of efforts to advance metrics that go beyond GDP, focusing primarily on publications produced by international agencies, peer-reviewed journals, and news stories. By highlighting topics of theoretical and conceptual significance, including suggestions and applications of specific indicators and indices to complement GDP, the series aims to inform and support sustainable development decision makers in their efforts to go beyond GDP. This project was made possible through financial support provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).