OECD World Forum on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies - Istanbul 27-30 June 2007

14/05/2007 - How can societies better measure their progress or setbacks? The question lies at the heart of a long-term OECD project to explore how the effective use of information can benefit democracy, empower individual citizens and stimulate a global debate on what progress means.

The OECD’s second World Forum on "Statistics, Knowledge and Policy" to be held in Istanbul on 27-30 June 2007 will bring together more than 900 experts from over 100 countries representing governments, academia, business, civil society, the arts and the media. The Forum will aim to improve the development and dissemination of social, economic and environmental indicators. Under the spotlight too will be how statistics are used and misused.

Organised in cooperation with the European Commission, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference,  the UN, the World Bank and in partnership with Turkish government's State Planning Office, the sessions will cover a broad range of themes: from migration to urban development; from climate change to innovation and from culture to happiness.

The issues will be addressed by more 200 speakers. Among them will be Joaquín  Almunia,  European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs; François Bourguignon, Chief Economist, World Bank; Margaret Chan, Director General, World Health Organisation; Kemal Dervis, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; Nick Donofrio, Vice- President, IBM; Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey; Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland; Angel Gurría, Secretary General, OECD and José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.

The overall project, Measuring the Progress of Societies, emerged from the first World Forum on "Statistics, Knowledge and Policy" held in Palermo, Italy in November 2004. This ground-breaking conference signaled the central role that key indicators can play in underpinning democracy and effective government policy-making. 

All sessions of the Forum will be open to the media. Separate press briefings will also take place during the event. Journalists wishing to register for the Forum are invited to contact the OECD Media Division (tel: + 33 1 4524 9700).

Further information about the Istanbul World Forum on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies, is available on the OECD website at http://www.oecd.org/oecdworldforum or from the OECD Media Division.