The Future Generations Commissioner has warned political parties that the needs of future generations cannot be ignored.
As parties gear up for the Senedd elections in May, Derek Walker has urged them to properly address the “enormous challenges” the nation faces environmentally, in the economy, the NHS and elsewhere.
Mr Walker was appearing before the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee to deliver evidence on the state of Wales’s well-being and the need for long-term policy leadership ahead of the election in May.
He argues that the people of Wales need politicians to work with urgency or the worsening damage will be left for future generations to repair.
In his evidence, the Commissioner also called on the Senedd and newly elected members to establish a Committee for the Future, to strengthen scrutiny and raise public understanding of future-focused governance across Senedd and government business, based on similar bodies in Finland, Lithuania and other global legislatures.
Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, said:
“From the cost of living crisis, to entrenched inequalities across Wales, from a health service forever teetering on the brink, to an environment facing cataclysmic climatic change – all these things have major consequences for the future.
“Elected members don't just speak for the three million people living in Wales today, they speak for the millions of people not yet born. Around 360,000 people, around the size of Cardiff, will be born in the next 20 years alone. The choices we make now will shape their lives, and their needs must guide how we respond to the economic, environmental, health and cultural crises of our time.
“Even with the Senedd moving to a shorter four year term, political leaders must keep their eyes on the future, honouring the promises we owe to our children, our grandchildren, and those yet to come.
“I see a hopeful vision of Wales for the future, but it is one that can only be achieved if all parts of society, led by our elected officials in Cardiff Bay, work together and understand just how urgent that action needs to be.
“Future generations don’t have a vote. We can’t leave them to repair damage we can fix today.”
Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act. Progress on the law’s well-being goals are measured by national indicators including around healthy life expectancy and air pollution. The commissioner highlighted in the Senedd that while some indicators show promising direction, the pace of progress remains slow and uneven.
The commissioner asked political parties to ensure their manifestos respond to both current and future challenges from climate and nature emergencies, health inequalities and economic pressures.
