The official side event of the Summit of the Future Action Days brought together youth voices, policymakers, and changemakers to discuss one of the most urgent topics of our time: re-designing economic systems, including beyond GDP, to be inclusive, comprehensive, and inter-generationally equitable. The event was organized as part of the Beyond Lab’s “What’s Next” series and its “Youth Moving Beyond GDP” initiative, organized in partnership with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Rethinking Economics International.

Exchange Summary

Özge Aydogan, Director of the Beyond Lab, welcomed the numerous event participants and highlighted the urgency of moving beyond GDP as a primary measure of progress. She stressed the need to align how we measure progress with both human and planetary priorities and values. Ms. Aydogan pointed out that there is growing momentum around rethinking economic systems, while spotlighting on the exclusion of youth voices: “there's oftentimes a lack, at least even to a certain extent, I would argue an exclusion of youth voices, although they are the ones who are going to be impacted by the economic system that we have.”

To help break this inter-generational “glass ceiling” when re-thinking our economic system for long-term sustainability, the Beyond Lab, in partnership with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), represented by Giovanni Valensisi, and Lawrence Jones-Williams from Rethinking Economics International, launched the "Youth Moving Beyond GDP" initiative. This initiative aims to include young people in these critical conversations to help reshape how we measure progress. As part of the initiative, a youth essay competition was launched, which received over 600 responses.  At the side event, two of the competition winners, Felix Vicente and Rose holm took center stage to engage in a dialogue with Member States on how to move beyond GDP.  
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Key Highlights :

The event began with Kumi Naidoo, human rights and environmental justice activist, who remarked

“GDP is not just simply gross domestic profit. It's a gross domestic problem”

For Kumi, GDP as a limited measure of progress neglects human well-being and the environmental costs of economic growth.  As Naidoo put it, “GDP doesn't account for a mother who can’t breathe clean air while watching her children play, nor does it measure happiness.”

He called for system transformation and urged the audience to think beyond just recovery “I want to urge all of us here today to recognize that the moment of history that we find ourselves in is one that demand us to be about system innovation, system transformation and system redesign.” He urged us to embrace what he called "creative maladjustment," which advocates for a rejection of the status quo. Mr. Naidoo stressed on the importance of maintaining hope and action in the face of global challenges.  

“Pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford”

He said that despite the difficulties we observe and experience, our pessimism must be met with “the optimism of our action, our thought, our courage and our love for humanity.”

Building on Naidoo’s message, Giovanni Valensisi contextualized that the critiques of GDP are longstanding, even by its creator. He further discussed the ongoing UN efforts, co-led by UNDESA, UNCTAD, and UNDP to develop a dashboard of metrics that capture broader dimensions of well-being and sustainable development, such as unpaid work, inequality, and environmental impacts. He highlighted the necessity for alternative measures, explaining

“if you don't have a price for certain negative environmental effects, they won't be captured into GDP and CO2emissions are a very clear example of that.”

Mr. Valensisi emphasized the need to “change not just the narrative, but also the action” by involving the youth voices, particularly as these new frameworks will require both statistical capacity-building and innovation in data collection of measuring what truly matters.

The side event then shifted to an inter-generational dialogue on the values and principles of moving beyond GDP. Rose Holm emphasized the need to rethink growth in the Global North, advocating for a focus on sufficiency and a reevaluation of “our cultural narrative of what it means to live good lives.” Her perspective called for a deeper understanding of well-being that transcends traditional measures of success. She warned against merely expanding what we measure without questioning the underlying logic of constant growth. She called for “tough conversations that there are a lot of sectors in our society that we urgently and dramatically need to downscale so that others can have a right to some of those resources”.

Felix Vicente reinforced this by stressing on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. He explained, ”It’s common because we all have responsibilities in making this future, but differentiated responsibilities.” He stated that while the Global South shares the responsibility of creating a sustainable future, their economic and political circumstances, marked by debt, poverty, and instability, make it far more challenging to invest in the transition to green energy. He stressed the need for the Global North to acknowledge these differences when discussing solutions, ensuring that fairness is not just between generations but also between nations.

The perspectives shared by Ms. Holm and Mr. Vicente set the stage for Member State’s reactions and engagement: as Paula Fernandez-Wulff and Choolwe M. Chikolwa delved into the vital role that youth can play in shaping these discussions and driving transformative change. Ms. Fernandez-Wulff urged governments to not only involve youth in defining new measurements but also to rethink policy-making processes with their needs in mind. Ms. Chikolwa echoed this sentiment, stating that “young people should be placed at the center of deliberations and negotiations. They should be physically present in the rooms when we're having discussions.” Complementing this perspective, Ms. Chikolwa identified three key strategies for integrating youth perspectives into policymaking: listening to their perspectives and visions, learning by building mechanisms to harvest and incorporate youth insights into policy documents, and fostering collaboration through open dialogue to strengthen public policies and democratic institutions. She called on other policymakers, stating,

“We have to form formidable collaborations with youth on how to operationalize the views that we have harvested."

Ms. Chikolwa illustrated her points with successful examples from Zambia, such as the National Youth Endeavor and the Constitution Review process, demonstrating effective integration of youth perspectives in decision-making.
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Next Steps :

A key next step discussed was centered around the establishment of an independent high-level expert group to develop recommendations (Pact of the Future action 53) and how to ensure that they balance intergenerational equity with planetary needs. In addition, Ms. Holm and Mr. Naidoo underscored the importance of engaging local communities through participatory processes. Ms. Holm remarked on the unique power of youth in these efforts, stating, “I think that's also the power of youth because we are not yet representing a big organization. We are presenting ourselves”. By creating spaces for inclusive dialogue, especially at the grassroots level, these approaches ensure that those most affected by the current economic system have a voice in its transformation. Giovanni furthered this concept by highlighting concrete examples, “Think of low carbon mobility. Think about localizing SDGs’. Think about setting up a different system to effectively value the care economy. All these dimensions will entail a lot of local action,”.

Ms. Fernandez-Wulffand Ms. Chikolwa further advanced the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration in this transition.  Ms. Chikolwa reminded our participants that

“we are not starting from scratch. We need to make sure that we're building on the existing frameworks, but we're building on existing frameworks that are working”.

Bringing together nations, civil society, and youth in collaborative action to build upon what is already affective is key to fostering innovation that reflects basic rights and promotes intergenerational equity.

Mr. Vincente and Ms. Jones-Williams also called for reforms in economic education, advocating for a shift in how future economists are trained. This mindset change resonates with earlier discussions, as it calls for future economists to be equipped with a deep appreciation for inclusive dialogue and grassroots participation, ensuring that economic systems genuinely reflect and incorporate the voices of the youth and local communities. Özge Aydogan articulated this sentiment by stating,

“Theory also shapes thinking and thinking shapes action.”

The event concluded with a powerful call to action. Mr. Naidoo urged young people to reject the notion that they are simply the leaders of tomorrow and to take ownership of leadership today. He gave us a powerful reminder, “if you wait for tomorrow to take leadership. There might not be a tomorrow for you to take leadership, so push back against that and take leadership now “. This urgency was echoed by all participants, who acknowledged that we are at acritical point where the future of the economic system must be reimagined to meet planetary needs and ensure fairness to future generations.

The Beyond Lab with its partners UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Rethinking Economics International will continue to promote youth engagement to re-design our economic systems – stay tuned on the “Youth Moving Beyond GDP” initiative: https://www.thebeyondlab.org/initiative/whats-next-series

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