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

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

I recognise the significant challenges that the Welsh Government has faced in the past year, and it is positive that the draft budget for 2021-22, published in December 2020, emphasises the importance of a green and just recovery.

Art is good for mental well-being

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.

This specification is open to anyone interested in an opportunity to work with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales (FGCW), to provide economic and analytical support for our work on a green, equal and just recovery from the pandemic.  

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

A future-fit curriculum for our children, solar panels saving a hospital £1m a year in electric bills, a road building freeze and hundreds of people receiving a basic income – these are just some of the changes Wales is making thanks to its world-leading Well-being of Future Generations Act.

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

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... 

Recently the BBC announced the identity of the 13th Doctor Who, to be played by actor Jodie Whittaker. Within seconds of the announcement, scores of people took to social media to voice their opinions, with reactions ranging from optimistic delight at this progressive decision to outrage at the role being given to a woman.

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.

“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."

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.

“When I look at my life it feels like I really take after my mother."

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

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.

Working in collaboration with Cardiff University, the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has undertaken research and a Section 20 Review, to establish the extent to which the Act has been informing procurement decisions across the public bodies in Wales since 2016 (when the Act came into force).  

During the Summer, we hosted our first event at the National Eisteddfod in Cardiff Bay. The subject of debate was, 'Should robots speak Welsh?' Here are the reflections of Meilys and Indeg who sat on the panel. 

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.

I am calling on the Welsh Government to launch a shorter working week trial.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.]

Here, he explains the next steps and why he believes Cymru Can use the Well-being of Future Generations Act to make Wales a better place to live for now and future generations.

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.

The importance of mental health for our future generations

Should robots speak Welsh?

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.

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.

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

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.

“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.

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

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

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.

Resources that can help you think in the longer-term and act today for a better tomorrow.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, in collaboration with Literature Wales and Wales Arts International, is announcing an exciting opportunity for an emerging poet to bring the Well-being of Future Generations Act to life.

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.

The best business is when people, planet and profit intertwine

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

"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

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.

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.

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. 

Just over a year ago, not long after taking up my post as Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, I was approached by the American Embassy to ask if I would be interested in participating in their International Visitor Leadership Programme.

If the UK Government were bound by the Well-being of Future Generations Act, would the EU Referendum have gone ahead?’ Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner reflects on what the Brexit result means for Wales’ future

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.

International Women’s Day and what it means for the well-being of future generations of Wales

“What role do you think young people could play in shaping Cardiff Capital Region?” I asked twelve of the city region’s leaders and chief executives in my research interviews.

The purpose of our work is to estimate the total funding needed for the decarbonisation of homes in Wales, identify funding gaps and suggest approaches to addressing these gaps.

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.

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

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

From farm to fork, food is critical to achieving Wales’ well-being goals for the health of our people and our planet.

Guest blog on planning

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

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

“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.

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.

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.

Ten years ago the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) launched a pioneering report – Zero carbon Britain – showing that we have the technology and solutions to reduce our carbon emissions down to zero.

The first major report on current and future well-being in Wales by Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is published Tuesday, 25th July 2017.

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

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

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

My experience as an apprentice with the Office for Future Generations Commissioner

And although many things have changed since growing up as a mixed-race kid in Cardiff in the 80s, I feel there is a great deal to improve upon - and this is a job that we can all get involved in together.

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.

The Future Generations Commissioner is calling for a Creative Universal Basic Income to pay artists a basic living allowance and help Wales recover from the pandemic

The events throughout June have highlighted just what can happen when people make their voices heard about what matters to them. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to raise your voice for future generations.

As the First Minister highlights, this is an opportunity to take a new approach. I am encouraged the Welsh Government recognises the need for new ways of working to make the most of its contribution to improving the wellbeing of people – today and in the longer term

Friends of the Earth Cymru, Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales and other environment, development and trade union groups are calling on all public sector bodies in Wales to stop investing in climate-wrecking fossil fuel companies. 

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.

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015) requires Public Services Boards to publish a local assessment of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.

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

Proposals to build a £1.1bn road to ease congestion on the M4 fail to set out how it will meet the needs of our future generations who will be burdened with paying for it,” says Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

In my role as the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, I have found an increasing interest over the last 6 months, from different sectors and indeed different countries to the Well-being of Future Generations Act and the work of our Office.

Given the unprecedented challenges we’ve faced over the past couple of years, I want to acknowledge the commitment Public Services Boards (PSBs) have demonstrated in working together to prepare their 2022 well-being assessments.

What I’ve learnt about climate change since becoming Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, earlier this year, is quite simply frightening. There is no doubt that it’s the greatest challenge facing future generations and action is urgently needed across the public sector to reduce our emissions and its impacts.

As a country not only have we led the way by becoming the first Fair Trade nation the Well-being of Future Generations Act make us the first nation to legislate and place the sustainable development principle at the heart of decision-making to improve our economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being. 

We are very pleased to see the Welsh Government publish this important report today accepting the recommendations of the Roads Review Panel which we supported. We thank them and Dr Lyn Sloman for their evident commitment to transforming the way we will move around Wales.  

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.

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.

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.

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

“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.

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.

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.

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 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.

“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."

“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."

A key part of the Well-being of Future Generations Act established Public Services Boards (PSBs) to make sure that local organisations work together to improve the well-being of their area for current and future generations.

We are all devastated by the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine and it’s imperative we do everything we possibly can to help those that have been put in such a perilous and heart-breaking situation. 

In collaboration with the New Economics Foundation and building on research undertaken by the Wales TUC, I have published analysis showing the potential of investment in green jobs and skills for a prosperous, green and equal recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales says the Climate Change Committee’s findings that Welsh Government is not on track to meet its climate emissions targets make ‘urgent’ reading.

Sometimes when we talk about housing, we get very caught up in the technicalities, the regulations, planning and specifics, that we forget that we're really talking about is home.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has called on the Welsh Government to launch a shorter working week trial.

It is therefore incredibly important that the Welsh Government release a Future Trends Report, as they did this week.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, has asked Welsh Government to explain how decisions are being made on Wales’ road-building freeze exemptions.

Preventing adverse childhood experiences is everybody’s business and the Well-being of Future Generations Act provides real opportunity to change the way we do things, says Sophie Howe, Commissioner for Future Generations

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

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

The UK’s first 'guardian of the not-yet-born’ is encouraging other countries at COP27 this week to protect future generations from the climate, nature and cost of living emergencies by law. 

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.

However, one small action as simple as switching off your lights for one hour can help reduce the impacts of climate change on the planet, its wildlife and future generations.

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.

As the summer holidays begin and many of us look forward to spending time with our own future generations, we’re reminded of just what well-being really means; spending time with loved ones, a bike-ride in the sunshine, or simply taking a well-earned break, it’s important to take stock of what’s already been a busy 2019.

On the week of the Homeless World Cup in Cardiff, we’re celebrating how sport can bring together people of all ages, from all backgrounds.

11 years……. 11 mlynedd……. That’s the amount of time that the intergovernmental panel on climate change have estimated we have to change our ways to prevent a potentially catastrophic global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees.

The interconnections of people and planet: health depends on nature.

This paper is one of a series of reports being launched as part of the IWA’s ‘Re-energising Wales’ project, which in early 2019 will deliver a plan to enable Wales to meet its projected energy demands entirely from renewable sources by 2035. The report highlights a number of practical steps that can be taken to overcome Wales’ challenges.

A catalyst for wellbeing of future generations in Wales - a special report by Wildlife Trusts Wales

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.

Sophie Howe, will join Prince William, Pope Francis, Al Gore, and over 50 notable speakers at the first ever free TED conference this Saturday.

Young leaders from all over the world will come together in London this week to discuss some of the biggest global issues facing future generations. From climate change to education inequalities, the future of work and media freedom.

We provide advice, assistance and support to people on the Well-being of Future Generations Act in a variety of ways.

We will make it our mission to facilitate a transformation in the way we keep people healthy, with a greater focus on prevention and the long term. As a result, public bodies are working together to tackle the root causes of ill health and addressing health inequalities.

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.

We will make it our mission to help transition Wales to an economy that puts people and planet first. As a result, governments at all levels, communities and business are making this happen.

We will make it our mission to ensure the Well-being of Future Generations Act is applied effectively and with ambition in a way that improves the lives of the people of Wales now and in the future.

This report sets out my assessment of progress made in implementing the Act within the first reporting period, i.e. the last three years

In response to Cardiff Council's Transport Green Paper, published Wednesday, 21 March and the start of a city-wide conversation on big ideas that could shape the future of Cardiff's transport system.

Sophie Howe says we have  a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reset Wales’ economy and is calling for “visionary ideas and transformative investment” in the nation’s recovery plan. 

For centuries we have learnt and understood the world around us through the ancient art of storytelling.

On a sunny day in June 2018, I was privileged to be invited to attend the Inaugural EU Cities Fair and Ethical Trade Award Ceremony, in Brussels along with representatives from 15 other EU countries.

Our younger generations are calling out the failures of past decisions, and sadly, often decisions in the continuing present that fail to take into account their futures – embarrassing, perhaps, but necessary.

Should your organisation do it and, if yes, how?

The work we do in Wales continues to inspire organisations and governments internationally.

In response to a BBC Wales story on the numbers of Welsh women in prison for non-violent offences, Sophie Howe commented on how the impact on children and young people and contributes to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

To mark International Women’s Day, Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has announced a new staff policy that provides support and paid leave to staff who are victims of domestic abuse so that they can leave the abuse and secure safe accommodation.