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? In Wales, that’s a question everyone who works for councils, Welsh Government, health boards and other public services is obligated to consider as part of their decision-making process.
In 2015, we became the first country in the world to legislate to protect the interests of future generations with the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
As the second ever Commissioner, I’m charged with making sure our public bodies are doing the best they can to make joined-up, long-term decisions, so that we live better lives and leave a livable planet behind. I’m essentially the guardian of a law in Wales that protects our environment and our children and grandchildren.
It’s already begun to yield positive results for us. It helped to create a 10-year national healthcare strategy, focusing on preventative measures like social prescribing (connecting people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing).
It has influenced a revamp of GCSEs, and a new purpose-driven curriculum that has an emphasis on mental health and developing ethical, well-rounded young people, who are taught eco-literacy from an early age.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3Lnqpnm5%2BifK21xZ6qrbGcmnyou9WeqaellaPBcLLUrayrnV2csq%2Bx0ZqroqeeqHqku8ymoKyrmaS7pr4%3D