FDSD trustees (and former Commissioners) Peter Davies and Sándor Fülöp kicked the event off with reflections on their own experience, with Andrea Westall (FDSD) and Victor Anderson (CUSP) broadening the debate to consider other options for challenging short-termism.
As always, we're bringing together rigorous thinking and practical examples in partnership with others to help inform and create change. Please get in touch at info@fdsd.org if you or your organisation would like to work with us, share inspirational examples, write reports or provocations, or comment on any of our pieces.
The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
- One Year On
Sophie Howe reflects on her first year in office in which engaging with public bodies and conversations with the broader public have been high priorities.
WWF Cymru worked hard to lobby for a commissioner with independence from Government. Anne Meikle, Head of WWF Cymru, reflects on the pros and cons of this novel institution.
FDSD trustee Peter Davies offers personal reflections on the development of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales – a journey that started with the duty to promote sustainable development in the Government of Wales Act.
Sándor Fülöp, FDSD trustee, argues for an independent, authentic voice for future generations to tackle imminent ecological crises and the failures of consumer society.
FDSD trustee Andrea Westall suggests that a Future Generations Commissioner can’t be considered in isolation but as one of a range of options for embedding governance for the long term.
Victor Anderson, Research Fellow at CUSP, explores the executive, legislative and judiciary options for safeguarding the interests of future generations within the UK political system.
On April 11th, we co-hosted an event to discuss the potential to establish a UK-wide Commissioner for Future Generations. A video of the presentations and responses to audience questions can be found here.
Visual minutes of the meeting were created by Raquel Durán.
An Office for Future Generations is an independent institution designed to promote long-term interests in the political process. A few examples of such an office exist in countries such as Hungary and Wales. This report by FDSD trustee Graham Smith, first published in 2015, supports the development of such offices, but stresses the importance of considering their democratic characteristics. Read more
What do the election manifestos and Queen’s Speech tell us about the state of the constitutional reform debate in the UK and its relationship to sustainable development? Victor Anderson summarises his findings.
