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Among most vital issues in global and national politics are wellbeing and security: the former is managed by the national growth pattern (reflecting measures to overcome modern challenges), the latter is guided, generally, by the international factors and efforts. However, in the wellbeing approaches both dimensions are important…
Background
Among international organisations, the OECD World Forum on Wellbeing with a subtitle on “strengthening well-being approaches for a changing world” occupies a prominent place; it was taking place in Italy at the end of November 2024 under the seventh OECD forum umbrella on well-being issues. Representatives from national governance, academia and business community formulated a roadmap for inclusive and sustainable well-being.
Over three days, more than 500 of the world’s leading experts and practitioners from governments, business, academia and civil society were discussing the ways “to centre people’s well-being in public policy and societal action to ensure thriving societies presently and in the future”. A mix of high-level panels, parallel sessions, technical workshops and interactive discussions allow participants to acquire actionable knowledge to assist in “driving international agenda on inclusive sustainable well-being”, noted the OECD’s website.
More in: https://www.oecd.org/en/networks/oecd-world-forums-on-well-being.html
Issues discussed
The Forum’s plenary sessions were devoted to discussing the enabling environments and broader strategic overview of main challenges and opportunities for mainstreaming wellbeing data and approaches in policy and practice.
The discussions revolve around the following themes:
= Strengthening well-being approaches to economic policy making;
= Next frontiers for wellbeing measurement and data;
= Centering inclusive wellbeing in climate change action;
= Harnessing technology and artificial intelligence for inclusive, sustainable well-being; and
= Featuring next steps for strengthening wellbeing approaches in a rapidly changing world.
The parallel sessions were concentrated on “specific measurement and statistical issues” concerning policy and practice implementation; the following themes have been under discussions:
= Embedding and implementing well-being policy approaches;
= Linking data for more integrated analysis on wellbeing, inequalities and poverty;
= Centering social connections and community wellbeing in policy;
= Technical advances in wellbeing policy appraisal, design and evaluation;
= Co-producing data and analysis on wellbeing, inequalities and poverty;
= Centering wellbeing, equity and poverty reduction in climate and sustainability transitions;
= Climate change, health and wellbeing;
= Innovations for more timely and granular data and analysis on wellbeing, inequalities and poverty;
= Impact valuation and investment decision-making for long-term wellbeing, equity and poverty reduction;
= Ensuring safe, fair and inclusive AI development;
= Ensuring well-being of ageing populations; and
= Monitoring and predicting wellbeing outcomes with machine learning.
Wellbeing in modern challenges: national initiatives
Achieving sustainability, viewed as balancing social, economic, and environmental goals over time, requires transformative change. Current trajectories of change across these goals are rushing the planet and its people headlong towards biodiversity loss, climate change, socio-political polarization, and pollution.
However, these negative outcomes are not inevitable: there are new facets in national political economies that allow for changes in power structures in order to ameliorate or reverse threatening consequences.
Thus, presently, there are definite actions and choices fit for a different future stemming from the individual and societal levels both in the short- and longer-term perspectives. For example, the US 2nd annual national sustainability society conference in October 2025 is expected to contribute to most effective solutions and formulate some “transformative changes” for a just and sustainable future.
Reference to: https://www.nationalsustainabilitysociety.org/meetings/south-bend-2025
Other international efforts: “United in Diversity Foundation”
Another international activity is within the Tri Hita Karana Forum which aims at accelerating global action for the SDGs by mobilizing private funds with the use of public and philanthropic funds through innovation and blended financing solutions.
Based on a Balinese philosophy, Tri Hita Karana Forum seeks to align global and local policy-makers, corporate structures, financial institutions, philanthropic foundations, think tanks and academia to drive collective actions and forge new collaborations.
Under the umbrella of Tri Hita Karana Forum some remarkable initiatives emerged, like the G20 Bali Global Blended Finance Alliance (GBFA), which is a new international organization designed to unlock investment in climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs by helping scale and replicate blended finance solutions for the developing countries, including the least developed states and small island developing countries.
Started in 2019 and supported by Packard Foundation, the “United in Diversity Foundation” program engages a wide range of stakeholders-including community groups, activists, academics, businesses, indigenous peoples, government representatives and the media.
The foundation includes the Center for Future Knowledge Happy Digital Transformation (CFK-HDT) is a platform that provides various services to assist leaders across sectors and across governments to implement digital transformation in their respective areas to create social-ecological-spiritual balance and harmony through social innovation.
CFK-HDT has already implemented multiple programs such as Leadership Education and Action Foundation for Sustainability (LEANS) aiming at delivering lifelong learning education to strengthen the consciousness of the leaders, and Happy Digital Cities Forum (HDCF) aiming at manage the platform that provide spaces for dialogue across sector, generation and science discipline.
More in: https://www.thkforum.org/
OECD: Sixth edition of “How’s Life”
The Sixth OECD Report is the flagship publication that charts the state of wellbeing in OECD countries along the key dimensions that matter to people, taking account of both current outcomes and resources for the future.
It shows that while government interventions to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have contributed to the resilience of average incomes and employment outcomes, cost-of-living pressures as evidenced by housing costs and people’s self-reported financial insecurity remain significant for many households.
At the same time, there are warning signs in critical non-economic aspects of wellbeing: i.e. most notably in health, subjective wellbeing and social connectedness. Much stronger actions are also needed to maintain today’s well-being for future generations, particularly when it comes to combating climate change.
More on report in: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/how-s-life-2024_90ba854a-en.html?utm_campaign=OECD-Well-Being-News-November-2024&utm_content=Read%20the%20report&utm_term=wise&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra
New OECD Digital Well-being Hub
Digital technologies affect many aspects of people’s well-being, from health, education, social connections to participation in the public and civic space.
New challenges require greater policy attention on how to protect people’s digital well-being. Thus, the OECD’s new Digital Well-being Hub, developed in collaboration with Cisco, enables to explore the benefits and risks of digital technologies and share insights on the new wellbeing concept – the digital wellbeing. The OECD efforts aimed at contributing to building stronger evidence to help policymakers better understand and enhance wellbeing in a rapidly evolving digital world.
The Digital Well-being Hub combines the most urgent aspects of “digital life” coped with modern science achievements and data. Besides, the interactive Digital Well-being Explorer shows the benefits of new technologies for the human wellbeing.
Source: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/tools/digital-well-being-hub.html?utm_campaign=OECD-Well-Being-News-November-2024&utm_content=OECD%20Digital%20Well-being%20Hub&utm_term=wise&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra