Working together to build the Wales we want
2/4/19
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.
In 2015, Wales became the first and only country to legislate for future generations, when the National Assembly for Wales passed the ground-breaking Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales).
The Act is about improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of the people in Wales. It places a legal duty on the Welsh public sector to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
We think that to bring about organisational change at scale in Wales, it would need a cross sector movement, where public, third and private sector organisations, strive towards a shared vision which is long term, responsible and collaborative.
This is not an easy journey. And that is why we view it more of an expedition.
We also realise that different organisations are at different stages in their views and practices around sustainable development and social responsibility in Wales.
There are some real champions and there are also many who haven’t yet considered the part they could play. And the difference it could make to Wales.
We are forming a strategic partnership with Business in the Community Cymru. They are the Prince’s Responsible Business Network in Wales – a business-led membership organisation made up of progressive businesses of all sizes from all over Wales who understand that the prosperity of business and society are mutually dependent.
In collaboration with the Welsh Government Business Wales, we want to understand the appetite for harnessing the collective energy and drive of the private, third and public sectors to join our journey towards a more sustainable and socially responsible Wales and work on potential approaches for doing this.
We want to establish the awareness, understanding and practice of sustainable development and socially responsible practices in Wales and find out the readiness for joining the journey.
We really believe in involvement and that’s why we think it is important to have your thoughts and considerations as we begin a conversation about how we could work together to build the Wales we want.
One last thing, please bear in mind, this survey is designed to cater for the whole range of understanding of sustainable development and socially responsible practices.