Analysis | A Shift from Consultation to Partnership: How the Youth Network on Beyond GDP Shaped the Elements Paper

The strong alignment between the Youth Network's Contribution and the Elements Paper is an encouraging milestone. Following its continuous engagement with the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP, particularly its contribution to the final report published on May 7, 2026, the "Youth Moving Beyond GDP" initiative has once again contributed to advancing intergenerational policy making. The reflection of youth priorities in the Elements Paper demonstrates that the perspectives of young and future generations are increasingly being recognized as part of the global conversation on how progress should be defined, measured and governed. We are excited to see how the Youth Network will continue to contribute constructively to the Intergovernmental Process on Beyond GDP and remain at the very forefront of the movement towards multidimensional development governance.

Context

Representing more than 1,000 participants from over 90 countries, the Youth Network submitted its Contribution to the Elements Paper alongside its Policy Recommendations in response to the Call for Contributions issued by Spain, the appointed co-facilitator of the Intergovernmental Process on Beyond GDP and supported by the Interagency Secretariat (comprising DESA, UNCTAD, UNDP, and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General).  The Elements Paper is an important component of the Intergovernmental Process, consolidating perspectives of Member States and various stakeholders and will serve as the basis of the Member State negotiations to follow.  

The consultation for the Elements Paper revealed a wide range of views across political priorities, conceptual approaches, national implementation, and international policy applications. In its contribution, the Youth Network advanced four priorities aimed at supporting both effective national implementation and coherent international cooperation:

• Establishing a coherent framework that balances global comparability with national ownership;
• Aligning public planning, resource allocation, and international support with multidimensional well-being;
• Institutionalizing inclusive data governance and co-design processes; and
• Fostering iterative learning, piloting, and global solidarity.

The Youth Network remains fully committed to ensuring that the valuable and often-underrepresented perspectives of young and future generations are meaningfully reflected in the Intergovernmental Process on Beyond GDP. Learn more about the full Youth Network's Contribution to the Elements Paper here!

Key Youth Inclusions in the Elements Paper

A comparative analysis between the Youth Network's Contribution, its Policy Recommendations, and the Elements Paper reveals significant areas of alignment, showing that key Youth Network priorities are considered fundamental for the upcoming negotiations. The Elements Paper strongly reiterates the three guiding principles of the Youth Network's Policy Recommendations for a Beyond GDP framework:

1. Human Rights: A human rights-based approach is explicitly recognized as a foundational principle of sustainable development and an overall pillar of the Beyond GDP agenda. This reflects a shared understanding of development being inherently multidimensional and demonstrates continuity with the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group’s final report. ‍
2. Intergenerational Justice: The Element’s Paper consistently identifies young people as key stakeholders whose perspectives should not only inform but need to be systematically included in the Intergovernmental Process, with them being “treated as partners rather than consultees”. To do so effectively, the Elements Paper points to the necessity to establish a continuous consultative mechanism. This signals a shift and important opportunity to move youth participation from consultation toward partnership. ‍
3. Country-Owned yet Globally Relevant Indicators: This guiding principle is closely mirrored in the Elements Paper through the proposed "common core, flexible periphery" approach which balances global coherence through a shared core of indicators, while country-led implementation allows for flexibility considering individual national circumstances.

Several substantive priority domains brought forward by the Youth Network in its Contribution to the Elements Paper, and Policy Recommendations also feature prominently in the document. These include:

• The integration of planetary boundaries and environmental sustainability into measures of progress:
• Consideration of cross-border spillover effects;
• Greater visibility of inequalities through disaggregated data and distributional analysis; and
• Recognition of local and regional realities beyond national aggregate statistics.

Beyond conceptual alignment, several of the Youth Network's actionable proposals on National Implementation and International Policy Applications were also reflected in the Elements Paper:

• Beyond GDP as a Policy Tool: The Elements Paper suggests that Beyond GDP metrics could play a greater role in informing policy and financing decisions. This reflects the Youth Network's emphasis on ensuring that measurement frameworks serve as practical tools for decision-making rather than purely statistical exercises. ‍
• Learning through Practice and Experience-Exchange: The Elements Paper also recognizes the value of peer-learning platforms, experimentation, and national pilots. This reflects a shared understanding that implementation should be iterative, adaptive, and informed by practical experience.

The inclusion of these themes signals broad alignment with what the Youth Network identified as essential dimensions of a future-oriented Beyond GDP framework.

Taken together, nearly all substantive elements put forward in the Youth Network’s five-page contribution are reflected in the Elements Paper, with two exceptions: institutional models for National Statistical Office engagement and co-design, and political objectives guiding, rather than prejudging, technical work. Overall, this demonstrates a high degree of alignment between the Youth Network’s contribution and the Elements Paper, with the large majority of the Youth Network’s proposed priorities and considerations represented in the document.  

Importantly, this convergence sits within a much broader consultation involving Member States and diverse stakeholders. This alignment indicates that priorities identified through a global youth process resonate and advance issues emerging across the wider Intergovernmental Process.  

A Milestone for Intergenerational Policy Involvement

The Youth Network's contribution to the Elements Paper serves as a prime example of how youth-led advocacy can help shape international policymaking on some of today's most pressing global development challenges. More importantly, the Elements Paper shows growing recognition that young people have a role to play not only in commenting on policy proposals but also in informing their development. The emergence of language around partnership and continuous youth participation signals a clear willingness to engage the perspectives of young people more actively in the Intergovernmental Process on Beyond GDP, suggesting that the conversation on intergenerational engagement is moving beyond consultation towards co-creation.  

As Member State negotiations start, maintaining this momentum will be critical. The next phase will require navigating different national priorities and realities, while identifying common ground for a meaningful and implementable Beyond GDP framework. Thus, the Youth Network remains committed to continuing its engagement with the Intergovernmental Process with the same passion and dedication that have brought intergenerational perspectives to the forefront of the Beyond GDP agenda. Its ongoing engagement can help bring the intergenerational perspectives into the search for consensus, around a Beyond GDP framework that is country-owned and universally applicable and responsive to the people whose future it seeks to improve.  

The Youth Network's continued involvement will be essential in holding the international community accountable to its commitment to build consensus around a Beyond GDP framework that is actively co-created with and supported by young people. A truly balanced and integrated approach to measuring progress can only be achieved if it is developed in partnership with those who will ultimately inherit its outcomes.