Wellbeing economy governments partnership: annual engagement report

1. Foreword

It is with great pleasure that the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) partnership publishes our second Annual Engagement Report.

WEGo continues to thrive as a collaborative network, bringing together governments committed to embedding wellbeing outcomes into the heart of policymaking. This year’s report shows the growing maturity of our partnership, with a rise in in-person engagement and on-going engagement with international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The OECD through the work of their Centre on Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equality (WISE) provides on-going evidence on data, measurement and policy. Whilst WHO have introduced a programme of work centred on Wellbeing Economy linking health and economy. Additionally, there are wider policy tools and evidence from civic organisations like Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEALL) which operate across countries.

WEGo focus is about collaboration and sharing insights from policy, or evidence and experience of implementing policy or legislative changes. There is much commonality in the issues we consider but often different approaches which provide valuable insights. The Finnish Government, for example, has a clear roadmap for how they bring this approach from a health context into wider policy, including sustainability and budgeting. Whilst the Welsh Government’s Future Generation Act 2015 provides a legislative framework for ensuring consideration of these issues supported by practical delivery. Further issues such as wellbeing and gender budgeting as well as early intervention frameworks continue to be important in this context as is measurement.

The OECD Rome conference brought a lot of the international experience together and the Reykjavik Wellbeing Economy conference had a strong focus on moving to impact. WEGo countries participated in both and also held an event in Brussels sharing our experience with the European Union and other countries. We also held policy labs on circular economy, community wealth building, as well as updates on the Welsh Future Generation Report 2025 and early intervention work from Victoria, Australia. All of which reflects the range of discussion and activity over the last year.

A personal highlight was attending the Berlin Global Solution Conference and speaking to their Young Global Change Leaders about Wellbeing Economy Approach for inclusion and sustainability. The conference focused on how to rebuild cooperation in an increasingly fragmented international landscape. Through discussions on multilateralism, green transition, and future growth models, participants explored what is needed to restore institutional trust and strengthen collective action. The sessions highlighted both the urgency of the challenges and the opportunities for renewed collaboration. Seeing the change projects being delivered globally by young leaders was inspiring and seeing those recognised was great.

The Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík convenes global leaders, scholars and practitioners to re-conceptualise economic systems so that they prioritise human and planetary wellbeing. The forum continues to grow internationally and WEGo, was honoured with the inaugural Wellbeing Prize. This recognition, awarded by the President of Iceland, for the group underscores the value of our shared efforts and the increasing global relevance of wellbeing-oriented governance.

Finally, as Chair of the WEGo Network, it has been a privilege to support this activity and to work with so many committed and inspiring people. WEGo is about improving outcomes, and our collaboration seeks to do this through our engagement. I look forward to continuing our work together, learning from each other, and advancing the wellbeing economy agenda.

Gary Gillespie, Chair of the WEGo Network and Chief Economist at the Scottish Government