Programmes
The programme for the Beyond GDP Conference is listed below. The Conference was preceded by a smaller Expert Workshop for leading academics, users and disseminators of indicators. Various indicator tools and results were on display at an Indicator Exhibition.
Conference Programme
Day 1 |
19 November 2007 |
| 14:00 |
Registration Welcome Coffee at the Indicator Exhibition |
Opening |
|
| 15:00 |
Chair: David Grant Lawrence (Director, European Commission, DG Environment) Opening Speech: The challenges of modern societies Environmental sustainability, new social risks, migration and security are key concerns for the 21st century and raise new challenges for societies and policy makers. The challenges increase the need for consensus on indicators that measure progress towards well-being and can complement economic indicators such as GDP. Speaker: José Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission) [speech] |
Session 1: Measuring progress, true wealth, and well-being |
|
| 15:15 |
Measuring progress, true wealth, and well-being While GDP is well recognised as the headline measure of economic performance, it is less obvious how to measure the other dimensions of societal progress. Indicators to capture those dimensions would greatly contribute to better policy making, to guide regional development and help address the new challenges. Speakers: Joaquín Almunia (Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs) [speech] ; Rui Baleiras (Secretary of State for Regional Development, Portugal, EU Presidency); Bruno S. Frey (Professor of Economic Policy and Non-Market Economics, University of Zurich) [slides] |
| 16:00 |
Communicating content: New communication tools for new measures Solid indicators and statistics can play a key role in policy making, press coverage and public debate, but often fail to get the attention they deserve. The public see only some of the facts and often fail to be engaged by the facts they see. There is a need for better communication - new tools can play an important role in informing and engaging the public. Speaker: Hans Rosling (Professor of International Health, Karolinska Institute, Sweden) |
| 16:30 |
Coffee Break |
| 17:00 |
Decision making beyond GDP: needs and a vision Although GDP growth is a key policy target, its relationship to well-being and quality of life is neither straightforward nor sufficient for decision making. Policy decisions need to better integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions. There is a need for a vision and practice that includes a more comprehensive measuring of progress that moves beyond GDP. Chair: Timo Mäkelä (Director, European Commission, DG Environment) Speakers: HE Chief Emeka Anyaoku (President, WWF) [speech]; Pervenche Berès (Chair EP ECON committee) [speech]; Pier Carlo Padoan (Deputy Secretary-General, OECD) [speech]; Giulio Santagata (Minister for the Implementation of the Government Programme, Italy) [speech, it]. |
| 18:30 | Cocktail Reception |
| 19:30 |
Conference Dinner Speaker: Anders Wijkman (Member of European Parliament) |
Day 2 |
20 November 2007 |
| 08:30 |
Welcome coffee at the Indicator Exhibition |
| 09:00 |
Address Major negative effects of globalisation such as climate change pose new risks not only to our eco-system but to our entire economies and eventually our societies as a whole. This is why new indicators of wealth are needed and the European Parliament can play a key role in helping to shape the required broad democratic consensus. Speaker: Hans-Gert Pöttering (President of the European Parliament) [speech, de] |
Session 2: Insights from Practice |
|
| 09:15 |
Insights from recent practice in policy and business Concrete examples suggest that there are opportunities and tools to improve our capacity of making decisions based on more refined measurement of progress, wealth and well-being. For example, policies for sustainable development are increasingly common and popular, while many leading companies & investors are incorporating social responsibility and environmental considerations into their business models and information tools. Chair: Hazel Henderson (Club of Rome) [slides] Panelists: Carole M. Laible (President and Chief Operating Officer, Domini Social Investments); Nicole Notat (President, Vigeo Group); Lothar Meinzer (Director, BASF) [slides]; Stephen Pursey (Director, Policy Integration and Statistics Department, International Labour Organization). |
| 10:30 |
Coffee Break |
Session 3: New Measures of Progress – Obstacles and Opportunities |
|
| 11:00 |
What do the measures say and where can they be useful? A range of measures (sets of sustainable development indicators, satellite accounts, Human Development Index, Ecological Footprint, Genuine Savings, Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare) is already produced and in use at various levels – from local to national and international. Although they already influence a range of decisions, the full potential of these decision-support tools needs to be further explored in a dialog among the indicators’ producers and users, including policy makers, civil society representatives and the media. Chair: Tony Long (Director of European Policy Office, WWF) Panelists: Kristalina Georgieva (Director, World Bank) [slides]; Patrick Viveret (Cour des Comptes, France); Pier Paolo Cento (State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Finance, Italy). |
| 12:30 | Lunch |
Session 4: The Way Forward |
|
| 14:30 |
The way forward: commitments, change and communication To move to a more balanced set of metrics, we need clearer policy commitments, improved measurement methods, changed decision making, and improved communication. This change requires the use of integrated economic, social and environmental statistical and analytical tools, a clearer communication to the public about key figures, the use of quantifiable policy commitments and the development of a culture of ex-ante and ex-post policy evaluation. Chair: Enrico Giovannini (Chief Statistician, OECD) Speakers: Ashok Khosla (Co-President, Club of Rome); Walter Radermacher (President, Federal Statistical Office, Germany) [slides]; Miloslav Ransdorf (Vice-Chair, EP Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy); Jerome Vignon (Director, European Commission, DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities) [slides]. |
| 16:00 | Coffee Break |
Session 5: Next steps & conclusions |
|
| 16:30 |
The European contribution to a global effort: next steps in measuring progress What are the concrete steps that Europe can undertake to improve the measurement of progress, co-ordinate with similar initiatives worldwide, and integrate these improved measures into decision-making? Speaker: Stavros Dimas (Commissioner for Environment) [speech] |
| 17:00 |
Closure of the day |
Watch the Conference
Also, the Beyond GDP trailer explores the key issues behind the conference
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