Over the past ten years, several reports and studies highlighted the pitfalls of over-reliance on GDP when assessing a country’s health and raised the question of whether economic (GDP) growth is the only appropriate measure and policy goal in the face of today's environmental, societal and economic challenges. The OECD, UNDP, and UAE Government have been promoting wellbeing as a holistic measure of development; yet, there is a need to pave the way for more integration when addressing both concepts (wellbeing and GDP) as they are mutually inclusive. The session will discuss the importance of wellbeing as a holistic measure of country development, beyond GDP; the metrics that this holistic measure should include to create wider societal wellbeing; and its implications on governance and policy development (fiscal, economic, etc.). It will also discuss the respective roles of international organizations and governments in promoting and measuring wellbeing.

This high-level panel builds on the discussions of the SDGs in Action event that took place pre-Summit. The speakers’ discussions will highlight the various topics that were brought to light during the event, as well as provide input and thoughts on SDG’s at the intersection of international organizations, private sector, and govern. ments efforts