Plenary Session and Closing - Regional Forum 2026.

Plenary Session: Driving Sustainable Futures: Integrated and Innovative Solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals.

The plenary session will explore how integrated, cross-sectoral approaches and innovative solutions can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will discuss how to scale these solutions to drive transformative, long‑term sustainable development outcomes, taking into account brief key messages from the peer learning round tables that will be introduced at the outset.

A moderated multi-stakeholder panel discussion on Beyond GDP will be at the centre of the session. While Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains the primary indicator for tracking development progress within and between nations, it offers only a partial view of the many facets that make up sustainable development. A broader set of metrics to assess progress and inform policymaking has been under development.

The panel discussion will provide a regional perspective on the measurement and policy implications of Beyond GDP, reflecting the views of governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society, youth and academia and taking into account global processes such as the work of the Secretary General's High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP.

The panel discussions will have two themes:

Theme 1: Defining and Measuring What Counts

This segment will explore how progress should be defined and measured beyond GDP. It will examine competing approaches to capturing wellbeing, sustainability and equity, as well as efforts to consolidate indicators into coherent and policy-relevant frameworks. The discussion will consider the role of data systems, NSOs and trust in producing robust, inclusive and credible measures of progress.

Theme 2: From Metrics to Policy and System Change

This segment will focus on how "Beyond GDP" metrics can influence real world decisions. It will explore how alternative measures are being integrated into policy processes, including fiscal frameworks, investment decisions and development cooperation, and what barriers remain. The discussion will also address the broader political economy of moving beyond GDP, including whether this implies a shift in how growth itself is understood and pursued.

Moderators:

• Mr. Paul Ladd, Director, Sustainable Development and Population Division (UNECE)

• Ms. Özge Aydoğan, Director, Beyond Lab

Welcome:

• H.E. Mr. László Borbély, State Secretary, Government Councillor and Head of the Sustainable Department of the Government of Romania, Co-Chair of the Regional Forum

Setting the scene: The Imperative of Moving Beyond GDP

• Professor Enrico Giovannini, University of Rome; Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS); and member of the UN High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP

Panelists:

• Ms. Anu Peltola, Director, UNCTAD Statistics, Data and Digital Service

• Mr. Peter Benczur, Scientific Officer, EU Joint Research Centre

• Mr. David Perejil, Director General for the 2030 Agenda, Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and the 2030 Agenda, Spain

• Mr. Florian Brod, German UN Youth Delegate for Sustainable Development, Youth Network on Beyond GDP

• Representatives from civil society and youth

Closing:

• Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)

• Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECE

• H.E. Mr. Dushko Uzunovski, Ambassador, Chargé d'affaires a.i. Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva

• H.E. Mr. László Borbély, State Secretary, Government Councillor and Head of the Sustainable Department of the Government of Romania, Co-Chair of the Regional Forum

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