NEW YORK (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – The Group of Independent High Level Experts of the United Nations Secretary-General on the topic “Over GDP” today published a report that proposes the first global model to assess the progress of countries, integrating the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Group of Experts report presents a series of global indicators that provides a new compass to measure progress for the benefit of people and the planet.
“For decades – the UN explains in a note – GDP has led major political decisions at all levels around the world. Although it remains an essential measure of economic production, relying exclusively on GDP is likely to provide an incomplete picture of progress, in which the economy can grow even if critical dimensions of well-being, such as safety or environmental quality, deteriorate dramatically. The need for a wider understanding of progress has never been so urgent. People around the world are increasingly disillusioned with economic and political systems and environmental crises intensify day by day, while GDP continues to grow.”.
“GDP ignores inequality and poverty. It does not take into account environmental degradation. It leaves the non-monetary dimensions of well-being, such as health, education and peace,” says Nora Lustig, Co-President of the Group of high-level experts. Intitled “Contact what counts: a compass of progress for people and the planet”, the report responds to the mandate of the United Nations Member States, under the agreement of 2024 “Patto per il futuro”, to develop a limited number of national indicators, universally applicable, that integrate and go beyond GDP. “This report is a fundamental step to correct a long-term blind point in measuring progress: excessive dependence on GDP. Designed to be a narrow indicator of economic production, it became one of the most important data for international policies, which its creators had never predicted. This report makes concrete recommendations for complementary indicators that measure what matters most for people and the planet,” explains Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. At the heart of the report there is a concise and easy-to-use dashboard designed to display a complete evaluation of progress, including well-being, equity and inclusion, as well as sustainability. Based on the global indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and consolidated statistical systems, the dashboard allows governments to start using it immediately to direct their decisions. The report also draws attention to areas that determine progress but which are often neglected, such as cascading effects among countries, recognizing that the well-being of a country is often influenced by activities and decisions of other countries.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
