This week, Reykjavík will host the Wellbeing Economy Forum 2026, bringing together leaders and experts from across government, academia, civil society, international organisations and business to explore how economic success can be understood beyond GDP.
Taking place at Harpa Conference and Concert Hall on 16–17 April, with pre-Forum events on 15 April, the Forum is organised by the Icelandic Directorate of Health and is a key event within JA PreventNCD.
Held under the theme “The Power of Wellbeing: Redefining Success,” the Forum comes at a time of growing international attention on the need to measure progress in ways that better reflect people’s lives, social equity, sustainability and long-term resilience. For JA PreventNCD, the event offers an important opportunity to connect public health and prevention with the wider economic, social and environmental conditions that shape wellbeing.
The week begins with the Forum’s pre-event programme on Wednesday 15 April, including a conversation between Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, and Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia, during President Pirc Musar’s official visit to Iceland. This sets the tone for a week of international dialogue on wellbeing, leadership and the future of our societies.
The main Forum programme on 16–17 April includes several high-level conversations and keynote sessions. Among the highlights are a discussion between President Halla Tómasdóttir and Jesper Brodin, Chair of The B Team and former CEO of Ingka Group, on leadership in the age of AI, as well as a dialogue between Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Nicola Sturgeon, two of the political leaders closely associated with the development of the wellbeing economy agenda in recent years. The programme also features sessions on future generations, Arctic geopolitics, inequality, and new policy thinking, including the launch of a new EU-OECD policy brief, Healthier Lives, Stronger Societies.
The Forum will also bring in youth perspectives through the JA PreventNCD Youth Advisory Group, whose representatives will contribute across different sessions of the programme. Their participation reflects the importance of ensuring that younger voices are part of discussions on wellbeing, equity and the future.
Ahead of the public programme, JA PreventNCD teams will also gather in Reykjavík on Wednesday for a series of internal thematic meetings. These meetings will allow colleagues from across the Joint Action to connect in person, exchange updates and strengthen collaboration ahead of the Forum itself. This creates a valuable bridge between the project’s internal work and the broader international conversation taking place at Harpa later in the week.
As a key event within JA PreventNCD, the Wellbeing Economy Forum reflects an important principle of the Joint Action: health outcomes are shaped not only by healthcare systems, but also by the policies, environments and economic choices that influence daily life. By placing wellbeing at the centre of discussion, the Forum helps underline why prevention must be linked to wider cross-sector action if Europe is to make lasting progress on non-communicable diseases.