The issue of long term governance is gaining attraction, with discussions taking place at international forums. In 2013 a report by the Secretary General, entitled Intergenerational Solidarity and the Needs of Future Generations, recommended the establishment of an office of the Commissioner of Future Generations. A novel feature of the role is linking the needs of future generations to existing sustainable development goals and embedding such thinking into existing treaties, declarations, resolutions and intergovernmental decisions.
One country has taken this a step further and introduced national legislation to embed long term governance into its existing decision making process. Wales recently enacted the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The aim of the Act is to strengthen existing governance arrangements for improving the well-being of Wales, and to ensure that present needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
In launching the Act, the Welsh Government identified the following as some of the chief benefits of the Act:
The Act also demands that each public body takes all reasonable steps to realise these goals, and makes public statements and annual reports on the progress.
It is envisaged that the Future Generations Commission will act as a guardian for the interest of the future generations, and support the public bodies listed in the Act to achieve the set Well-Being Goals. The Commissioner will carry out research, conduct reviews into how much bodies are taking into account the long-term impacts of their decisions, and make recommendations. Also, one year before Assembly elections, the Commissioner is to publish a report assessing the improvements public bodies should make to achieve the Well-Being Goals.