Iceland has taken a leading role in the global wellbeing economy movement, having introduced 40 national wellbeing indicators as part of government policy, aiming to strengthen societal resilience and improve overall quality of life in the face of modern challenges.

The forum is organized in cooperation with multiple national and international organizations, including the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Health in Iceland, the World Health Organization (WHO), OECD, UNESCO, Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo), Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), Festa – Center for Sustainability in Iceland, the City of Reykjavík, and the Association of Local Authorities in Iceland. The event is also part of the European project JA PreventNCD, funded by the EU4Health Programme.

The Forum's patron is the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, and Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir, Head of Public Health at the Directorate of Health, serves as Forum Chair.

The forum will explore how wellbeing-based approaches and metrics can be applied in government policy, public finance, and the private sector – shifting the focus from GDP alone to indicators that better reflect people’s real-life wellbeing. In addition to keynote addresses, the program will feature workshops and presentations of tools and practices from participating countries and organizations.

"The wellbeing economy is about putting people and the planet first and measuring what truly matters – like health, education, social security, and sustainability – rather than focusing solely on economic growth. We need to pay closer attention to the factors that directly affect people’s quality of life and the wellbeing of our communities. Major challenges such as climate change and population burnout demand that we reflect on the direction we are heading as a society. At the Forum, we ask how we can better embed wellbeing values into our economic systems so that growth becomes a means to greater quality of life – not an end in itself. This is the foundation of true wellbeing – for us today and for future generations," says Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir, Forum Chair.

Global Experts and Leaders Take the Stage

The forum features a strong lineup of international speakers and thought leaders in wellbeing policy and economics, including:

• Gary Gillespie, Chief Economist, Scottish Government

• Mariana Mazzucato, Professor and author of The Value of Everything

• Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics

• Romina Boarini, Director, OECD Centre on Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE)

• Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Chair of Earth4All and Ambassador for the Club of Rome

• Ilona Kickbusch, Founder and Chair, Global Health Centre

• Kira Fortune, WHO

• Stewart Wallis and Michael Weatherhead, Wellbeing Economy Alliance

• Patricia Scotland, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth

• Lorenzo Fioramonti, former Minister of Education, Italy

• Elva Rakel Jónsdóttir, CEO, Festa – Center for Sustainability

• Caroline Costongs, Director, EuroHealthNet

• Gustavo Merino, Director for Social Policies, UNESCO

• Government representatives from WEGo member countries: Iceland, Scotland, Wales, Finland, and others.

More information
Elín Hirst, Project manager - 899-9359
elin.hirst@landlaeknir.is