How do public services support people and keep them well at home?

My role is to act as a guardian for the interests of future generations in Wales. I will challenge and support public bodies to think about the long-term impact of the things they do. My draft strategic plan sets out how I intend to do this.

Recently the Future Generations Commissioner called for the Welsh Government to instil the value of “kindness” at every level of government and public policy in order to meet the requirements of the Well-being and Future Generations Act.

Currently in Wales we have a major skills gap. This is only going to widen as we move to green technologies and green jobs. We know that if Wales is to be prosperous, we need our workers to have the skills for the jobs of the future.

The best business is when people, planet and profit intertwine

We have been working with the Welsh Government to develop a practical tool to help people working in public services to apply the Well-being of Future Generations Act ways of working to the design and delivery of services.

Speaking at the Wales Audit Office conference ‘Finance for the Future’, Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner said:

Art is good for mental well-being

Guest blog on planning

Since the bike-sharing scheme launched in Cardiff earlier this year, I was one of the people that took advantage of the scheme and began travelling using the nextbike for my everyday travels across the city. After using them a few times, I started raving about it to my friends and family, or anyone who would listen, and getting them to use it too.

We have the opportunity to create a better Wales for current and future generations.

The deadline for responses to the Welsh Government on the status of the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification is TODAY and you can find more information here.

My wife and I drove UP to the Farm Shop for breakfast in Cross Hands- half the charge had gone-will we be able to get home.... What have I done?

As I write, President Trump looks set to pull the United States of America out of the Paris global climate agreement. Climate change denial is gaining traction and dismissing the views of experts and scientists who have studied these things for many years is common place.

“I grew up in Conway in St Lucia, and I had the most wonderful childhood - growing up in the Caribbean - playing ‘Ticky Tock’ with these nice little stones, going on the boats and by the beach."

‘the leaders, the people, they rolled over like spent dogs, yawned above the warnings’

Cardiff is a really exciting place at the moment. We have a young and fast-growing city, with jobs being created, houses being built and a billion pounds worth of regional rail infrastructure on its way. There’s a real buzz about the capital city.

A record number of online delegates joined the recent Cardiff Business School Breakfast Briefing to hear how the Well-being of Future Generations Act provides an opportunity to transform the way procurement is delivered in Wales. By moving towards an outcomes-based approach, we can ensure the £6 billion spent annually delivers the best outcomes across all four elements of well-being and helps to improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being for current and future generations.

I am pleased to be publishing the first Future Generations Report.

"Public Services Boards must rise to challenge of decision-making for future generations and the Welsh Government must raise their level of support and ambition for them to do so", said the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep structural inequalities in our economy and society including wage poverty, health inequalities, racial disparities, food poverty, job insecurity and imbalances in quality of housing. At the same time climate and ecological breakdown is escalating, and we risk exacerbating all of these challenges if we go back to the way things were.

A radical, ground-breaking culture change is essential if public bodies are going to provide better service provision, now and for future generations

“The issue of whether we have the Wales we want, has to be answered through a two-way dialogue with the public,” Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner has said at a speech at the Welsh Local Government Association Annual Conference today.

A radical, ground-breaking culture change is essential if public bodies are going to provide better service provision, now and for future generations. That’s the key message at a collaborative event hosted by Wales Auditor General and Future Generations Commission today.

Poverty in Wales would be halved if Welsh Government commits to a progressive Universal Basic Income (UBI), according to a major study commissioned by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe.

Wales should explore paying everyone a basic income to study how it could improve lives for generations in the future, the First Minister is being urged.

The pace of technological change is so fast it’s difficult to imagine what the world of work will look like for our children and future generations.

At this time of year, there is a lot of pressure on us to buy gifts for those that we love, and we want to make it special. But have you ever thought that when you are buying something, that there are two people in the transaction? The person you are buying it for, and the person you are buying it from - the producer, farmer or worker.

Education fit for the Future A White Paper For discussion Produced by Professor Calvin Jones in collaboration with the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales

I’m fortunate to have a job where I see lots of people doing lots of amazing things (occasionally the reverse too) but a project that I visited whilst in Austin Texas as part of the US Embassy’s International Visitor Leadership Programme last week has got to be up there with one of the best

After the success of the 2020 pilot academy, the Future Generations Leadership Academy has returned in 2021 to inspire the next generation of Welsh leaders.

Over the last few months, we have been collecting good case studies of how the Act is being implemented on the ground across Wales.

Last week saw the start of my six-month secondment with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. The aim of my time here is to build on some of the work I’ve been doing with the housing sector in Wales, as well as supporting some wider work of the team.

Public bodies in Wales spend over £6 billion each year procuring a range of goods, services and works; this represents nearly a third of total devolved Welsh annual expenditure, and it is estimated that over the next decade Welsh public services will spend over £60 billion.

During Fairtrade Fortnight, we, sixth form pupils from Llanfyllin High School were the audience of a Fairtrade assembly ran by Ffion Storer Jones of Montgomeryshire Federation of Young Farmers Club (YFC) and Nimrod Wambette; a Fairtrade coffee farmer from Uganda.

When MAGOR was launched on 14th March 2013, the group realised from the outset the enormity of the tasks facing them. The first challenge was to get the walkway concept and business plans agreed and funded by governments and the rail industry.

“The increase in some intensive farming practices is one of many serious and direct threats to our rivers in Wales, which are deteriorating at an alarming rate; and a growing number of concerns have been raised with us from members of the public,” says Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

Supporting community climate action is essential if local councils are to help Wales cut climate-warming carbon emissions and reach net zero, the Future Generations Commissioner said today. [Tuesday, March 5.]

The world’s first Commissioner whose role it is to act as guardian for future generations, Sophie Howe (Future Generations Commissioner for Wales) will be highlighting how Wales’ is leading the way on safeguarding the interests of future generations when she addresses the United Nations High Level Political Forum in New York this week.

Wales must have full borrowing powers from Westminster to build a green recovery, says the Future Generations Commissioner.

At this year’s COP28, the world’s nations have for the first time agreed that we must all transition away from fossil fuels. While this is a historic moment for us as global citizens and for our planet, it has failed to capture the urgency of the situation. 

Over the last few months, the leaders of public services across Wales have been using the recently published local well-being assessments to understand how they can contribute to the social, environmental, economic and cultural well-being of people in their areas. 

More than two thirds of the public want the Government to consider future generations in policy-making – according to new research - and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is backing a campaign for a UK-wide law that protects tomorrow from the actions of today.

Involvement is at the heart of the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Since the creation of the Future Generations Commissioner in 2016, our office has involved thousands of people to support and inform our work. Some of the involvement projects we have undertaken to date include

People working for the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales will be able to receive cash support to escape an abusive relationship, it is announced today.

Wales’ political parties must act now on the urgent priorities of the nation’s young people, the world’s first Future Generations Commissioner has warned.

People making a positive difference to Wales’ present and future are being spotlighted by the first Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe, as she comes to the end of her seven-year term.

“The debate around the future of the chronically congested M4 has been too much about the needs of the car and not enough about the needs of the people of South East Wales and our environment.

Should robots speak Welsh?

The Future Generations Commissioner role, was established by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 - a pioneering piece of legislation which is unique to Wales

“All my life I have wanted to become a doctor, however in my second year of studies, when I started plugging myself in to different communities and meeting different people through networking, I realised there was so much to do. And impacts to be made in so many ways."

We will make it our mission to ensure all Welsh public bodies achieve their net zero and nature positive goals by 2030. As a result, public bodies are leading action on climate change including adaptation, in a way that reduces inequalities and maximises the benefits to people and communities across Wales.

The Well-being of Future Generations Act requires you to use the five ways of working to maximise your contribution to the seven well-being goals – a number of which relate to climate change and low carbon.

Wales is leading the way to protect future generations, the United Nations has said.

The Welsh Government has announced its objectives which it says will drive forward delivery of the well-being goals for Wales, as required by the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

In response to a British Medical Association survey that revealed that a quarter of GPs in Wales are considering leaving the profession.

For our younger generation, housing is undoubtedly one of the most difficult challenges they face.  

Fuel poverty could be eradicated in Wales by 2030 if Welsh Government commits to a long-term plan to improve the efficiency of our homes, says the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

As we celebrated our National Patron Saint’s Day last week, we were reminded of our country’s strong cultural identity and affinity with the arts

The announcement back in March this year that the UK was going into lockdown was a shock to us all and created significant challenges as we navigated a new world which largely required us to stay at home.

In collaboration with Literature Wales, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is proud to announce it is looking for a Future Generations Resident Poet; a new and exciting opportunity for an emerging poet in Wales to bring the Act to life.

We’re celebrating Black History Month #proudtobe with stories from Black people across Wales on lessons Black history can teach us about the future.  Here, Jessica Dunrod, 32, author, translator, and education and inclusion consultant, from Cardiff, talks about the importance of representation and why complacency is one of the biggest threats to future generations... 

April 1st marked the first anniversary of the Well-being of Future Generations Act coming into place.

Foresight and whether we could have predicted Brexit

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has welcomed plans to improve public transport to reduce traffic on the M4- but says more needs to be done to retain the numbers of people working remotely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted new challenges for the people of Wales. It has affected the health and well-being of individuals and communities and impacted on wider areas such as how we work and the availability of jobs. These impacts however have not been felt equally.

Imagine a person born 50 or 100 years into the future - how is their life going to be made worse or better by what you do today?

Wales’ new champion for the future of the nation is using his first day in the job to call for “urgent and transformational change” to improve people’s lives now and in the future.

As we start the new school year, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a very special upcoming date in the global calendar, which will provide you with an opportunity to introduce the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to children and young people and unite them in action with others around the globe

We will make it our mission to reinforce the positive impact of cultural well-being. As a result, public bodies are making the urgent changes needed to promote culture and creativity, enhance the fabric of communities and promote multi-culturalism and the Welsh language.

Refugee Ali joins Wales’ leaders of tomorrow as he graduates from Future Generations Leadership Academy   A former asylum seeker will become one of Wales’ leaders of tomorrow after graduating from a transformative programme run by the Future Generations Commissioner.   Ali Al-Anbaki, 27, from Cardiff, said he wants to raise awareness of the mental health struggles of people seeking sanctuary, after completing the Future Generations Leadership Academy, which supports young people to bring about lasting social change under the Well-being of Future Generations Act.  

Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner is visiting Dublin, Ireland, this week as both countries share learnings on protecting future generations by law.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is pleased to announce the names of the first cohort of young people to participate in the Future Generations Leadership Academy.

Since April 2017, councils, health boards, national parks, fire and rescue services, Welsh Government and national organisations, such as Natural Resources Wales and Sport Wales, have been working towards a collective 345 objectives.

In response to the Welsh Government’s detailed draft budget published today, Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales said:

Can you help the Commissioner review and develop her communications approach to fit with her forward looking agenda?

The links between tackling our housing crisis and the nation's health are growing.

The Commissioner is required to monitor and assess the extent to which such public bodies are meeting their well-being objectives are being met. This duty seeks to ensure public bodies are moving closer to their objectives and contributing to the national well-being goals. Every five years, the Commissioner must publish an overall assessment and recommendations for improvement in a Future Generations Report.

The Cardiff based social enterprise coffee shop that provides employment opportunities to the homeless has been chosen by the team members of the office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales first official annual charity.

Wales urgently needs a Universal Basic Income to help the country deal with the effects of COVID-19, Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe says.

Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has welcomed the new Planning Policy Wales, which she along with her team worked with the Welsh Government to ensure that the policy embodies the Well-being of Future Generations Act and contributes to each of the seven well-being.

The Commissioner has also published advice to Welsh Government with 10 recommendations for they should build on the progress they have made in the draft budget this time around to take more ambitious and transformational steps from 2019 onwards.

Cymru Can: Here's why we think it will... Rob Ashelford, Head of Nesta Cymru, on why 2024 might be the year Wales shifts towards real change that benefits people now and protects the future.

A new easy-to-use guide will help public bodies to think and plan better for the long-term, by keeping a clear vision and taking future trends into account.

To nurture a tree, is to nurture your own sense of environmental responsibility, whilst reconnecting us to our immediate natural environment, wildlife, nature, and to all future generations.

Having spent over 40 years as a local government planner, I am now a planning director in my own consultancy practice.

Like many parents, I supply my family with vitamins as we try to prevent the inevitable latest strain of winter cold or even flu. GP waiting rooms fill up and media outlets report the annual surge in waiting times or demand for hospital beds.

“Welsh Government’s new Programme for Government is a reminder of the severe inequalities and injustices facing current and future generations, exacerbated by key events of the last year."

A new transport vision for Wales’ future that prioritises public transport and active travel is a positive step towards shifting the nation’s travel habits, says Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe.

The forthcoming budget is a defining moment for the Welsh Government.

People in Wales should be able to access nature four minutes from where they live, the Future Generations Commissioner is announcing during National Tree Week.

This Sunday my daughter and I will be taking part in something significant. We will be joining thousands of women across the country marching to commemorate the brave women who came before us 100 years ago who marched, campaigned, starved and even died to get us the vote. 

In 2018/19, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales trialled a method of monitoring and assessing progress towards the well-being objectives set by public bodies – one of her duties according to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

At Nesta we have spent a lot of time over the last few years thinking about the future of the world of work.

This tendering exercise is open to anyone interested in an opportunity to work with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and who can help us consider what a national governance system fit for the future should look like.

One of the early conversations I had when I first joined Samaritans was with an organisation with which we were working in partnership to train staff and raise awareness.

Stronger, more focused action is needed to protect communities in Wales from the risks of Climate Change, says Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

The Well-being of Future Generations Act gives us the encouragement, the permission and the statutory obligation to make the changes needed to improve our social, cultural, environmental and economic well-being

The late and pioneering Arfon Rhys is to be thanked for introducing me to the Scharmer U Theory in 2007. Broadly speaking, this theory of ‘change’ states that individuals, who are responsible for introducing change, must take a number of mental and preparatory steps before they are in a position to implement new strategy to its full potential.

Thousands of new ‘future-fit' jobs could be created if the new Welsh Government embraces a radical vision for Wales, according to the Future Generations Commissioner.

Wales has a huge story to tell at COP26 – our Well-being of Future Generations Act.

“I’ve always had a love for nature, and I gravitated towards it. Nature taught me what society wasn’t willing to."