Posted in Blog on Oct 01, 2024.
Author: Nsah Mala
In the past nine months, the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, including both the Executive Directorate, Cologne Hub, and other Hubs, has been significantly involved in many high-level, international and multilateral policymaking activities, especially in connection with the United Nations Summit of the Future (SOTF). In most activities leading up to and during the Summit, BRIDGES has been represented, among others, by Steven Hartman (Executive Director), Luci Attala (Deputy Executive Director & Director of the UK Hub in Wales), Joni Adamson (Director of the ASU Flagship Hub), and our University of Cologne Hub Coordinator Nsah Mala (born Kenneth Nsah), who also doubles as a Next Generation Foresight Practitioner (NGFP) Fellow at the School of International Futures (SOIF) in the UK.
Between 29 April and 1 May 2024, BRIDGES, represented by Steven Hartmann and Nsah Mala, took part in the Wales Future Generations Forum in Cardiff, Wales. The Forum, which was convened by the Office of the Commissioner for Future Generations in Wales and the School of International Futures (SOIF), led to the co-production of the Wales Protocol for Future Generations, aimed at helping with the implementation of the forthcoming UN Declaration on Future Generations. Nsah Mala facilitated one of the groups providing feedback on the Protocol in Cardiff.
After Cardiff, Nsah Mala was invited by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union to a conference entitled “#StrongerTogether: SSAH and the Future of Evidence-Informed Policymaking” from 6-7 May 2024 at the Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium. Nsah spoke in a session that focused on Cross-Disciplinary, Cross-Domain Policy Advice from Governmental and Transnational Bodies, where he highlighted BRIDGES policy-relevant work at both global and local levels, including our Hub work and engagements.
Thereafter, BRIDGES also participated in the UN Civil Society Conference that took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 9-10 May 2024, in preparation of the upcoming UN SOTF. In this event, BRIDGES was represented by Nsah Mala and Luci Attala. Luci and Nsah were involved in a side event entitled „Unheard Voices on the Futures,” co-organised by BRIDGES, Globethics and The Club of Rome. Nsah (through SOIF and African Working Group of the Pledge Network) also took part in the launch of the Kenya Senate Caucus on Future Generations, and other side-events, especially on African voices on SOTF.
While in Nairobi, BRIDGES became part of the ImPACT Coalition for Future Generations (which includes other partners such as SOIF, UN Foundation, Future of Climate Cooperation, etc.). The coalition is committed to championing the rights of future generations to inherit healthy and sustainable ecosystems through intergenerational equity, trust, and solidarity and ensuring no one is left behind. The ImPACT Coalition held a first meeting in Wales and was officially launched in Nairobi.
At the sidelines of the first BRIDGES Governing Council meeting at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 19 June 2024 (informally), and later on 6 September 2024 (formally), BRIDGES and other partners such as SOIF, Learning Planet Institute, and UNESCO organised consultations with youth from across the world to sample their opinions about the futures they want, especially regarding education, future generations, and multilateralism, ahead of the SOTF.
Meanwhile, Nsah Mala, acting on behalf of SOIF, The Pledge Network, Africa Working Group and BRIDGES, engaged with some governments in Africa, notably Chad, Madagascar, and Cameroon. This led to the organisation of a government-led Pre-Summit National Consultation in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in which Founding Director of SOIF Cat Tully and Nsah Mala took part and held high-level visits with CSOs, government officials, indigenous rulers, and diplomatic missions to discuss how to work together in promoting sustainability, long-term governance, and the wellbeing of present and future generations. While pioneer Future Generations Commissioner for Wales Sophie Howe (virtually) and Cat Tully (onsite) delivered keynotes on foresight and future generations governance around the world, Nsah (onsite) delivered a talk and facilitated a foresight exercise on how to promote the interests of future generations through foresight and planetary wellbeing. Prior to the event, Nsah facilitated foresight workshops on #CongoBasinFutures and #RoyalAnimalsFutures in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
From 19 to 25 September 2024, Joni, Nsah and Steven were in New York for the SOTF and took part in many BRIDGES and SOIF co-organised side events, including the Building Hopeful Futures Festival on 19 September, a high-level event on mobilising the outcomes of the Summit (led by BRIDGES and sponsored by South Africa and Thailand) which was broadcast on UN WebTV (with Nsah in an intergenerational conversation with UNESCO Assistant Director-General Gabriela Ramos and Future Generations Commissioner for Wales Derek Walker) on 21 September, and the launching of the SOIF Handbook on Implementing the DFG where Nsah read a poem on peace on 22 September.
The Summit culminated in the adoption of three key international policy documents to which Member States, BRIDGES, SOIF and other stakeholders had contributed. These groundbreaking policy documents –aimed at reinvigorating multilateralism, overcoming short term thinking, promoting long-term governance, pursuing sustainable development, regulating technological innovations, and ensuring the wellbeing of present and future generations, among others – include the Pact for the Future and its two annexes: Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations (DFG).
Finally, SOIF and BRIDGES are finalizing plans to support the global implementation of the SOTF outcomes, especially DFG leveraging the Wales Protocol and SOIF Handbook. BRIDGES intends to continue in the process and to submit a report to UNESCO-MOST in 2025. As an award-winning foresight practitioner, Nsah will play a key role in the implementation phase, especially in Cameroon and Africa.
