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Scoop
09-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
UN Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Expert Group On Beyond GDP
The Secretary-General has today appointed an independent High-Level Expert Group to develop recommendations for measures that complement or go beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The appointment of the Expert Group follows a request by Member States in the Pact for the Future and reflects a shared and long-standing goal. When adopting the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, Member States committed to the development of measures of progress that complement GDP by 2030. They did so in recognition that GDP, which is heavily relied upon as a gauge of prosperity and is the basis for government targets and rankings, provides an incomplete picture of the different dimensions of sustainable development. 'This initiative could not be timelier. Every day, we witness the consequences of our failure to balance economic, social and environmental dimensions of development,' the Secretary-General said. 'To achieve the progress we need, the well-being of people and the planet must be at the centre of what we measure and value. Measures that complement GDP can enable a paradigm shift in policymaking that refocuses efforts on sustainable development and prosperity for all,' he underscored. In Our Common Agenda and the supporting Policy Brief on Valuing What Counts: Framework to Progress Beyond Gross Domestic Product, the Secretary-General elaborated the case for this initiative. He emphasized the need to overcome a 'harmful anachronism' at the heart of global policy making, in which our current metrics overlook many aspects that contribute to human well-being, while at the same time valuing some activities that harm people and planet. Complementary metrics are therefore crucial to expand the data on which policy decisions and prioritizations are made. Ultimately, these metrics can drive behavior change in how societies think about and pursue progress. In the Pact for the Future, Member States recognized that 'sustainable development must be pursued in a balanced and integrated manner', and requested the creation of an Expert Group to identify complementary metrics. Today's announcement marks an important step in this endeavor. About the High-Level Expert Group The Expert Group will be tasked with elaborating a conceptual framework that identifies key dimensions of progress, and developing an initial list of corresponding country-owned, universally-applicable indicators of sustainable development to form a dashboard that equips governments with the information they need. In addition, it will provide guidance on the deployment of the dashboard to maximize its uptake, and on priorities for data collection and statistical capacity to operationalize the dashboard and indicators. The Expert Group will closely consult with Member States and key stakeholders throughout the process, taking into account the work of the UN Statistical Commission, and building on the global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. The High-Level Expert Group will present the outcome of its work during the eightieth session of the General Assembly, which will inform a subsequent intergovernmental process. The 14 members of the independent Expert Group represent eminent scholars and experts from various domains, as well as reflecting gender and geographical diversity. The Expert Group will be led by two co-chairs, Mr. Kaushik Basu and Ms. Nora Lustig, and be supported by a technical secretariat composed of staff from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG). High-Level Expert Group Members The High-Level Expert Group members – all working in their personal capacity – include:
Trade Arabia
13-03-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
UN adopts new tourism employment indicator to advance SDGs
The United Nations has taken a major step in recognising tourism's role in sustainable development by adopting a new tourism employment indicator as part of the official Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator Framework. Endorsed at the 56th session of the UN Statistical Commission, this landmark decision means that—for the first time—global data on tourism employment will be systematically monitored within the SDG monitoring process. It also increases the number of official tourism SDG indicators from two to three, raising recognition of the sector's global contribution to economic and social progress. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: 'What gets measured, gets done. As part of Goal 8, we strive for sustainable tourism that creates jobs. The new tourism employment indicator goes beyond GDP to enhance our understanding of tourism's potential for social progress. Policymakers will be better equipped to identify gaps, address inequalities, and maximise tourism's social and economic benefits—ensuring no one is left behind.' UN Tourism's most recent survey of Member States' priorities revealed a strong preference for the Organisation to work towards ensuring tourism contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. The new indicator, with UN Tourism as its custodian, delivers the evidence to advance on this priority. The indicator responds to a critical policy issue in many countries. Together with the existing SDG indicator on tourism's GDP, the new indicator offers a broader perspective on tourism's sustainability that better considers social progress. With this recognition, tourism employment will now be officially integrated into the deliberations of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals Report. The data will be available on the SDG Global Database, as well as on the UN Tourism Statistics Database website. The indicator was jointly advanced under the leadership of Austria, Spain, Saudi Arabia, CARICOM, ILO and UN Tourism. It is fruit of extensive research and development through consultative and intergovernmental processes over several years. The inclusion of the tourism employment indicator is one of three new indicators endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission as part the second, and last, SDG Indicator Framework review within the 2030 Agenda's time horizon. Thanks to a partnership between UN Tourism and ILO, the new indicator leverages on both organisation's data reporting mechanisms, maximising prior statistical investments at national and international levels, while minimising reporting burden on countries. Between 2015 and 2023, tourism accounted for 5.6% of global employment. In 2023 alone, 127 million persons were employed in tourism worldwide, based on data reported by 89 countries and comprising 68% of the world population. Tourism offers employment and income opportunities in developed and developing countries alike, even in remote areas. Tourism plays a particularly crucial role in employment in the 'Small Island Developing States' (SIDS), where on average it accounted for 12.9% of the total number of employed persons. The new indicator, derived from the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism, tracks all persons of working age with paid employment and self-employment. It can be expressed as a share of total employed persons and can be disaggregated by male/female, employee/self-employed, and by the 10 tourism industries. This enables a comprehensive measurement of the number of persons employed in the tourism sector in each country, as well worldwide. -TradeArabia News Service
Tourism Breaking News
12-03-2025
- Business
- Tourism Breaking News
UN adopts new tourism employment indicator to guide efforts towards the SDGs
Post Views: 78 The United Nations has taken a major step in recognizing tourism's role in sustainable development by adopting a new tourism employment indicator as part of the official Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator Framework. Endorsed at the 56th session of the UN Statistical Commission, this landmark decision means that—for the first time—global data on tourism employment will be systematically monitored within the SDG monitoring process. It also increases the number of official tourism SDG indicators from two to three, raising recognition of the sector's global contribution to economic and social progress. What gets measured, gets done. As part of Goal 8, we strive for sustainable tourism that creates jobs. The new tourism employment indicator goes beyond GDP to enhance our understanding of tourism's potential for social progress UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: 'What gets measured, gets done. As part of Goal 8, we strive for sustainable tourism that creates jobs. The new tourism employment indicator goes beyond GDP to enhance our understanding of tourism's potential for social progress. Policymakers will be better equipped to identify gaps, address inequalities, and maximize tourism's social and economic benefits—ensuring no one is left behind.' UN Tourism's most recent survey of Member States' priorities revealed a strong preference for the Organization to work towards ensuring tourism contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. The new indicator, with UN Tourism as its custodian, delivers the evidence to advance on this priority. The indicator responds to a critical policy issue in many countries. Together with the existing SDG indicator on tourism's GDP, the new indicator offers a broader perspective on tourism's sustainability that better considers social progress. With this recognition, tourism employment will now be officially integrated into the deliberations of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals Report. The data will be available on the SDG Global Database, as well as on the UN Tourism Statistics Database website. The indicator was jointly advanced under the leadership of Austria, Spain, Saudi Arabia, CARICOM, ILO and UN Tourism. It is fruit of extensive research and development through consultative and intergovernmental processes over several years. The inclusion of the tourism employment indicator is one of three new indicators endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission as part the second, and last, SDG Indicator Framework review within the 2030 Agenda's time horizon. Thanks to a partnership between UN Tourism and ILO, the new indicator leverages on both organization's data reporting mechanisms, maximizing prior statistical investments at national and international levels, while minimizing reporting burden on countries. Tourism represents 5,6% of total number of persons employed Between 2015 and 2023, tourism accounted for 5.6% of global employment. In 2023 alone, 127 million persons were employed in tourism worldwide, based on data reported by 89 countries and comprising 68% of the world population. Tourism offers employment and income opportunities in developed and developing countries alike, even in remote areas. Tourism plays a particularly crucial role in employment in the 'Small Island Developing States' (SIDS), where on average it accounted for 12.9% of the total number of employed persons. The new indicator, derived from the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism, tracks all persons of working age with paid employment and self-employment. It can be expressed as a share of total employed persons and can be disaggregated by male/female, employee/self-employed, and by the 10 tourism industries. This enables a comprehensive measurement of the number of persons employed in the tourism sector in each country, as well worldwide.
