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The Wellbeing Economy Forum brings together leaders, thinkers, and communities to explore pathways toward a sustainable and equitable economy that supports human and planetary well-being. Since its inception, the forum has convened stakeholders from across sectors to share insights, develop strategies, and inspire collaborative action. Below is a look back at the impactful sessions, speakers, and activities from the past two years.
2024 Forum Highlights
Theme: Building Sustainable Economies Through Community Wellbeing
The 2024 Wellbeing Economy Forum emphasized the role of community-driven well-being and sustainable economic practices in fostering healthier societies. The forum included a range of sessions designed to address current challenges in economic policy, public health, and global governance, with partnerships from leading organizations.
Speakers: Live Presentations
Speakers: Online Presentations
groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, transformative research which continues today as the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world. Jane’s work builds on innovative science, growing a lifetime of advocacy particularly through her global organization the Jane Goodall Institute, founded in 1977. Her trailblazing efforts advance community-led conservation through JGI’s Tacare approach empowering local communities to own the process of sustainable development and conservation, care and concern for orphan chimpanzees in two sanctuaries in Republic of Congo and South Africa and through Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots. Roots & Shoots is a global environmental and humanitarian program empowering young people of all ages to become involved in hands-on projects of their choosing to benefit the community, animals (including domestic animals) and the environment and is active in nearly 70 countries (www.janegoodall.global, www.rootsandshoots.global). Today, Jane continues to connect with worldwide audiences during her global tours and through ‘Virtual Jane’ including remote lectures, recordings, and her podcast, the “Jane Goodall Hopecast.” Jane has received countless awards and hon. degrees and is the author of many books for adults and children including the latest “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times.”
2023 Forum Highlights
Theme: Laying the Foundations for a Wellbeing Economy
The inaugural 2023 forum set the stage by examining foundational elements essential to establishing a wellbeing economy. Sessions addressed topics like equitable governance, welfare, and measurements of well-being, alongside discussions on how policies impact public health and quality of life.
Speakers: Live Presentations
Katrín governs in a coalition with the conservative Independence Party and the centrist Progressive Party.
Prior to his appointment as Minister of Health, Þórsson served as chair of the Budget Committee from 2017 – 2021 and as Deputy Speaker of Althingi 2019–2021.
In his current role, Þórsson has been instrumental in implementing policies aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare in Iceland with increased focus on both public and mental health.
Richard is an economist who thinks there is more to happiness than just the economy. In 2005 he wrote the best-selling book Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, translated into 20 languages.
He has had huge influence on making psychological therapy more widely available in Britain’s National Health Service, and in 2014 co-authored Thrive on how we can secure a better deal for mental health. In 2018 he co-authored The Origins of Happiness – an analysis of what determines our happiness, based on a range of longitudinal datasets.
Richard’s latest book Can we be happier? The evidence and ethics for better lives explores how teachers, managers, health professionals, couples, community leaders, economists, scientists, politicians, and we as individuals can create a happier world.
Following the legislative elections in 2018, Paulette Lenert joined the government as Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action and Minister for Consumer Protection. In February 2020, Paulette Lenert was appointed Minister of Health as well as Minister Delegate for Social Security. Additionally, as a result of a cabinet reshuffle in January 2022, Paulette Lenert was nominated Deputy Prime Minister.
In her position as Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert believes in equitable access to healthcare for all and opposes the privatisation of the healthcare system.
Member of the Icelandic parliament Althingi for Southwest Iceland since 2003, Bjarni Benediktsson has been leader of the Independence party since 2009. He was minister of finance and economic affairs from April 2013 to January 2017 when he became prime minister.
Alma has been clinically active until she took on the current office as the Director of Health in 2018, the first woman to serve since the office was established in year 1760. She has previously worked at the University Hospital in Lund Sweden and as a chief and senior executive of both Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavík.
Having worked with intensive care patients during her professional life, Alma emphasizes the importance of promoting public health in meeting the challenges facing health and health care services.
Þorsteinn’s educational background includes an MSc in Strategy, Organization, and Leadership, complemented by a BSc in Business Administration and Philosophy. His passion for sustainability and corporate responsibility is evident through his diverse roles and commitment to making a positive impact as board member of numerous sustainability related initiatives and academic roles focusing on teaching sustainability strategies.
He provides economic advice to the First Minister and Ministers across a range of strategic economic issues. He publishes regular assessments of the State of the Economy and analysis of key impacts (EU Exit, Covid, Supply chain disruption, inflation etc.) on changes in the Scottish and UK economies. He is a regular participant in economic discussion across Scotland, UK and internationally. He leads engagement on the Wellbeing Economy Government (WEGo) network which was instigated in 2018 and seeks to share best practise in delivering international change.
He was made an Honorary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University in January 2011 and was appointed to the role of Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde in 2015. He was also appointed a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2017.
Carrie is the overall editor for the How’s Life? series of reports, which provide an in-depth assessment of trends in well-being, inclusion and sustainability across OECD and partner countries. She is currently supervising research to monitor how the COVID-19 pandemic and rising living costs have affected people’s well-being; the economic, social, environmental and relational drivers of mental health inequalities - and integrated policy approaches for tackling them; how the built environment shapes people’s well-being; social connections data and its role in policy-making; new frontiers of subjective well-being measurement; and supporting governments in putting well-being metrics into policy action.
Previously based in the OECD Statistics and Data Directorate, Carrie has more than a decade of experience in developing and analysing WISE evidence. Prior to joining the OECD, Carrie worked as a policy advisor in the UK Civil Service, including roles in strategy, private office, higher education, research and science policy, and the Apprenticeships Unit. She holds a DPhil (PhD) in Experimental Psychology from Oxford University.
Additionally Inga is an active member in the Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Organisation and one this year's organisers of the Reykjavík Slut Walk. Previously she sat in the Student Council of the University of Iceland, as the President of the council's Academic Affairs Committee and before that as the Chairman of the Youth Council of the Icelandic Ombudsman for Children.
Through her activism career she has focused on the rights of children and youth, especially the right to be heard and also equality, quality education for all and climate matters.