Media Advisory
UN to unveil first global dashboard to measure progress beyond GDP
New York, 4 May 2026 – The Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP will present their report to Member States at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, 7 May 2026 at 3:00 pm EDT, outlining recommendations for a country-owned, and universally applicable set of indicators that go beyond GDP to guide policy and decision-making.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed the independent High-Level Expert Group in 2025 to develop recommendations for measures that complement or go beyond GDP following a request by Member States in the Pact for the Future.
The world is facing a paradox: despite decades of GDP growth, people are feeling disenchanted with economic and political systems, and the planet is experiencing mounting crises.
The report titled “Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet” offers the United Nations’ first global framework for moving beyond GDP, proposing a wider set of measures to guide economic policy toward human well‑being and environmental sustainability.
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WHAT: Presentation of the Report of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Beyond GDP: Counting what Counts: a Compass of Progress for People and Planet
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WHO:
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Opening and Remarks by the Co-Facilitators of the Intergovernmental Process, H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana) and H.E. Héctor Gómez Hernández (Spain)
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Remarks by the 80th President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Annalena Baerbock
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Remarks by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres
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Presentation of the final report by the Co-Chairs of the High-Level Expert Group, Mr. Kaushik Basu and Ms. Nora Lustig
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Remarks from the floor by Member States
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Remarks by the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed
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Closing remarks by the Co-Facilitators
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WHEN: Thursday, 7 May 2026, 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. EDT WHERE: Conference Room 2, UN Headquarters, New York Watch live on UN WebTV |
Embargoed Background Press Briefing
WHAT: Report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Expert Group (HLEG) on Beyond GDP: Counting what Counts: a Compass of Progress for People and Planet
WHO: Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
WHEN: Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 10:00 A.M. EDT (all information shared in the briefing is embargoed until 7 May, 3:00 p.m. EDT)
WHERE: Videoconference; link to be provided upon RSVP
Media contacts
Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications | E: birchs@un.org
Helen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs | E: rosengrenh@un.org
