Inclusive Wealth Report 2012 has been launched at Rio+20

The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) , hosted by UNU-ViE and UNEP, is proud to announce the launch of the Inclusive Wealth Report 2012 (IWR 2012), a new report that measures the wealth of nations, at the Rio+20 Summit on 17 June 2012.

The report presents a new economic index, which looks beyond the traditional short term economic and development yardsticks of gross domestic product (GDP) and the Human Development Index (HDI). The Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI) assesses changes in a country’s productive base, including produced, human, and natural capital over time. By taking a more holistic approach, the IWI shows governments the true state of their nation’s wealth and the sustainability of its growth.

Twenty countries were assessed in the IWR 2012 over a period of 19 years (1990-2008). Together they represent more than half of the world population and almost three quarters of world GDP and include high, middle, and low-income economies on all continents.

This is the first of a series of reports that will be published every two years to monitor the well-being and sustainability of countries.

The full report is publicly available for download on the IHDP website. Free digital copies can also be ordered by leaving your business card at the UNU booth at the Rio+20 conference. The IWR 2012 has been published by Cambridge University Press and hard copies are available for purchase on their website and on Amazon.com.

A Summary for Decision-Makers of the IWR 2012 is also available, print copies can be picked up at the UNU booth as well. Digital copies are available for download or email IHDP to order a print copy of the Summary for Decision-Makers.

The IWR 2012 is a joint initiative of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change hosted by the United Nations University and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and the Natural Capital Project.

For media inquiries, please contact Anne Kathrin Raab at raab@ihdp.unu.edu

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