Category: Global

2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: Empowerment, Inclusion, and Equality

From Tuesday, July 9th to Thursday, July 18th, members of the United Nations (UN) met in New York City for the 2019 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development. Every year, a thematic review of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is conducted where member states can submit voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to stimulate … Continue reading 2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: Empowerment, Inclusion, and Equality →

Toward Better Data for the Social Progress Index

The Social Progress Index (SPI) is a unique measure that allows users to gain a better understanding of how their country or region is doing on social progress. The index relies on publicly available, high-quality data that is accurate, measured consistently across most countries, and updated frequently. Each year, we conduct a rigorous review of … Continue reading Toward Better Data for the Social Progress Index →

G20 Osaka Summit: Using the Social Progress Index to Measure the Sustainable Development Goals

On June 28th and 29th of 2019, leaders of the G20 countries met in Osaka, Japan for their annual summit. The G20 is comprised of the most advanced and emerging economies in the world and works to ensure global economic stability. The Summit’s ensuing official declaration also emphasized the need to make progress towards the … Continue reading G20 Osaka Summit: Using the Social Progress Index to Measure the Sustainable Development Goals →

Countries must emulate New Zealand’s new wellbeing budget and move beyond GDP

It isn’t news that when it comes to the state of our societies, GDP doesn’t tell the whole story. It captures economic growth, but it also counts bombs, prisons, and cleanup of environmental disasters as progress. And yet for most countries, GDP remains the ultimate benchmark of success. It remains the measure countries use to … Continue reading Countries must emulate New Zealand’s new wellbeing budget and move beyond GDP →

Partnering to Strengthen Impact

By Wade Warren, Chief Strategy Officer for International Development, Deloitte Consulting   In April 2019 at the What Works Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel focused on the challenges inherent in partnerships and on a tool to help partners set priorities. During my time at USAID, one of the biggest difficulties … Continue reading Partnering to Strengthen Impact →

Thanks for a Great What Works Summit!

We are extremely thankful for all of our summit participants, speakers and sponsors. What Works 2019 was a truly engaging and inspirational conference! A few highlights include: Deloitte’s Wade Warren, IQbusiness’ Sally Jansen, UNDP’s Simon Zadek discuss how businesses can contribute to social progress, and why they must. Özlem Cekic, Association of Bridge Builders and … Continue reading Thanks for a Great What Works Summit! →

What Works 2019 kicks-off today!

The Social Progress Imperative is thrilled to be back in Iceland for a third year to host the What Works summit, the premier global event focused on advancing social progress, with our Icelandic partner Cognitio and in partnership with The World Bank. Policymakers and social innovators from more than 30 countries are meeting this week … Continue reading What Works 2019 kicks-off today! →

Iceland’s trailblazing journey to close the gender pay gap

According to the 2018 global Index, Iceland received an overall Social Progress Index score of 90.24 points, ranking second in the world. In specific dimensions, Iceland scored 97.51 points in Basic Human Needs, 91.81 points in Foundations of Wellbeing and 81.39 points in Opportunity. The country achieved 81.19 points in the Inclusiveness component and 87.53 … Continue reading Iceland’s trailblazing journey to close the gender pay gap →

Board of Directors Meeting

On February 11th, our Board of Directors met in London. We welcomed two new board members: Jose Viñals and Silvana Koch-Mehrin. They are joined by David Cruickshank, Michael Green, Brizio Biondi-Morra, Sally Osberg, Matthew Bishop, Álvaro Rodríguez Arregui and Roberto Artavia Loría. As the group chairmen of Standard Chartered PLC, Jose Viñals’ expertise on political … Continue reading Board of Directors Meeting →