Council of Europe

Why devise new indicators of progress and well-being when – particularly in the Western countries – we are plentifully supplied with statistics, and why do it with the populations concerned?

 

In this worldwide crisis which affects the whole population, the usual statistics no longer reflect what happiness means for citizens; happiness is not simply a matter of figures derived from a country's GDP. It is increasingly clear that it is up to citizens themselves to define well-being in their society.

 

In its strategy for social cohesion, the Council of Europe defines social cohesion as the capacity of a society to ensure welfare of all through the shared responsibility of its various stakeholders (public and private players, citizens). A link is established with sustainable development, through the inclusion of the welfare of future generations.

The implementation of the strategy requires:

1. The development of indicators to define and measure the well-being of all, in particular in co-operation with citizens themselves;
2. The sharing of responsibilities to ensure progress towards the well-being of all, including future generations;
3. Monitoring and evaluation of the societal progress achieved.