Global Risks Forum 2025

Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight to Safeguard Future Generations

Summary

The side-event will explore how integrating futures thinking and strategic foresight into decision-making processes can enhance governance and support policymakers in building a more anticipatory multilateral system fit for future generations.

Description

At a moment of increasingly complex and complicated sets of risks affecting our societies and a rapid pace of change that is fundamentally challenging our governance systems, the UN Futures Lab and the OECD will host a high-level side event to share important lessons learned and forward-looking considerations for the development of world-class foresight ecosystems.

The event will demonstrate the importance of collaboration and exchange of experiences as a crucial way to strengthening anticipatory approaches and using strategic foresight as a critical tool for effective decision-making and action. Strategic foresight is a structured and systematic way of using ideas about the future to anticipate possible opportunities and challenges and better prepare for change.

Futures thinking and strategic foresight also play a significant role in promoting inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism championed by the UN system and the OECD. By fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including Governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, strategic foresight can encourage a holistic understanding of global challenges through an inclusive approach that ultimately delivers better outcomes for people and the planet. 

Side Event organized by: Side Event organized by: The UN Futures Lab and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in partnership with the Kingdom of Spain and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

***

To generate additional opportunities for the engagement of all actors, the Secretary-General of the United Nations is convening the Summit of the Future Action Days on 20 and 21 September 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Bringing together representatives from Member States, civil society, private sector, academia, local and regional authorities, youth, and many more, the Action Days will provide an opportunity for broad engagement and inclusion. These stakeholders have all played a key role in shaping the Pact for the Future and will be critical to its implementation.

Side events provide further insights and opportunities for multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Related Posts