World Future Council

The World Future Council (WFC) is an independent body formally founded in Hamburg, Germany on 10 May 2007.[1] "Formed to speak on behalf of policy solutions that serve the interests of future generations",[2] it includes members active in governmental bodies, civil society, business, science and the arts. The WFC's primary focus has been climate security,[3] promoting laws such as the renewable energy Feed-in tariff.[4] The World Future Council has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.[5]

Annual General Meeting 2011

History

The World Future Council was founded by the Swedish writer and activist Jakob von Uexkull.[6] The idea for a global council was first aired on German radio in 1998. In October 2004 the organisation began in London with funding from private donors in Germany, Switzerland, USA and the UK. Since 2006, the organisation headquarters is based in Hamburg, where the World Future Council is politically independent and operates and is registered as a charitable foundation. Further offices are located in London, Geneva and Windhoek.[7] The Council meets once a year at the Annual General Meeting.[8]

The Hamburg Call to Action

The Hamburg Call to Action was unanimously agreed upon by all Councillors present at the Founding Ceremony of the World Future Council, 9–13 May 2007.[1] It calls for the preservation of the environment and the health of communities, the promotion of "systems and institutions based on equity and justice", safeguarding traditional indigenous tribal rights, the protection of present and future generations from war crimes and crimes against humanity, a sustainable production, trade, financial and monetary system, the revival of local democracies and economies, and a universal ban on nuclear and depleted uranium weapons, cluster ammunition and landmines. It aims to generate governmental support for renewable energy technologies, the protection of forests and oceans, secure healthy food and water supplies, environmental security, healthcare, education and shelter, and a strengthened United Nations.[8]

Activities
Future Policy Award

Future Policy Award

The Future Policy Award (FPA) celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. The aim of the award is to raise global awareness for these exemplary policies and speed up policy action towards just, sustainable and peaceful societies. The Future Policy Award is the first award that celebrates policies rather than people on an international level. Each year the World Future Council chooses one topic on which policy progress is particularly urgent. In 2009, the Future Policy Award highlighted exemplary policies foro food security. In the International Year on Biodiversity, the Future Policy Award 2010 celebrated the world's best biodiversity policies.[9] In the International Year of Forests, the Future Policy Award 2011 celebrated successful policies that protect, enhance and sustainably utilize forests for people, and thus contribute to a better world.[10][11] In 2012, the Future Policy Award celebrated the world's most inspiring, innovative and influential policies on the protection of oceans and coasts.[12] In 2013 the question was which existing disbarment policies contribute most effectively to the achievement of peace, sustainable development, and security?[13] In 2014the Future Policy Award was dedicated to policies that address one of the most pervasive human rights abuses that humanity is facing: violence against women and girls.[14] The Future Policy Award in 2015 committed to policies that contributed to protecting and strengthening the rights of boys and girls.[15]

The 2017 Future Policy Award was dedicated to policies that effectively addressed land and soil degradation, and the related risks to food security and livelihoods, and help secure a sustainable and just future for people living in the world's drylands.[16] In 2018, the FPA – often referred to as the "Oscar on best policies" celebrated the world's best policies scaling up Agroecology[17]; the Indian state Sikkim was awarded Gold.[18]

FuturePolicy.org

The website futurepolicy.org website presents political solutions and assists decision-makers in developing and implementing future just policies. It is an online database designed for policy-makers to simplify the sharing of existing and proven policy solutions to tackle the world's most fundamental and urgent problems. It now contains policies, for example on renewable energies, energy efficiency, sustainable cities and food production in the era of climate change, that have been promoted in WFC publications, films and hearings.[19]

Zanzibar International Children Rights Conference

From 28-30 November 2017, the World Future Council hosted an international child rights conference in Zanzibar to explore the positive impacts of Zanzibar's Children's Act and share success stories on child protection, children friendly justice and participation from around the world. The Zanzibar Children's Act had received the Gold Future Policy Award in 2015.[20] Across three days, over 100 participants took part in a varied schedule of workshops, presentations and field visits looking at how to translate child rights laws onto paper into national and location programmes that improve the experiences of children and young people on the ground and effectively tackle child abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The conference was convened with the support of Janina Özen-Otto, the JUA Foundation, and the Michael Otto Foundation.[21] The conference closed with the Zanzibar Declaration on Securing Children's Rights, signed by over 50 representatives and policymakers from Ghana, Indonesia, Liberia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zanzibar, as well as experts on children's rights and representatives from civil society, including Gertrude Mongella and Auma Obama.[22]

Global Policy Action Plan

The Global Policy Action Plan (GPACT) is a set of 22 interlinked, proven policy reforms that together, build sustainable, peaceful, and just societies and help to realise international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The "best" policies identified by the World Future Council are those that meet the seven Principles for Future-Just Law-Making. A coherent best policy guide that brings together working innovative policy solutions and forward-thinking practical tools.[23]

Implementation of Feed-in Tariff Laws

Feed-In Tariff (FIT) laws to speed up renewable energy production have been introduced in several countries e.g. the UK, Australia, several US states, among them California, as well as in Ontario (Canada), with the support of the World Future Council. In establishing the Alliance for Renewable Energy, the World Future Council has created a coalition to spread renewable energies and contributed to the implementation of Feed-in Tariffs in the United States.[24]

Campaign for Ombudspersons for Future Generations

The WFC has embarked on a Campaign for Ombudspersons for Future Generations on all governance levels. For the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or 'Rio+20' in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012 the WFC was calling for the establishment of Ombudspersons for Future Generations, as a concrete solution under the second theme of the Summit 'Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development'.[25]

Councillors

The World Future Council (WFC) consists of 50 eminent global change-makers from governments, parliaments, civil societies, academia, the arts, and the business world. Together they form a voice for the rights of future generations on all five continents.

  • Cherie Nursalim
  • Ms. Sirpa Pietikäinen

Honorary Councillors
  • James R. Mancham (d. 2017)
  • Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella
  • Pauline Tangiora
  • Michael Otto

Research and publications
  • Miguel Mendonça, David Jacobs and Benjamin K. Sovacool (2009). Powering the Green Economy: The Feed-In Tariff Handbook, Earthscan, ISBN 978-1-84407-858-5
  • Herbert Girardet and Miguel Mendonça (2009). A Renewable World: Energy, Ecology, Equality, Green Books, ISBN 978-1-900322-49-2
  • Herbert Girardet (editor) (2008). Surviving the Century: Facing Climate Chaos and Other Global Challenges, Earthscan, ISBN 978-1-84407-612-3
  • Herbert Girardet (2008). Cities People Planet: Liveable Cities for a Sustainable World, Wiley, ISBN 0-470-85284-4
  • Miguel Mendonça (2007). Feed-in Tariffs: Accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, Earthscan, ISBN 978-1-84407-788-5
  • Jakob von Uexkull and Herbert Girardet (2005). Shaping our Future: Creating the World Future Council, Green Books / World Future Council Initiative, ISBN 1-903998-46-8
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References
  1. "Vandana Shiva elected to World Future Council", Boloji.com
  2. ECI Congratulates the World Future Council
  3. "WFC accuses industrial nations of putting brakes on climate talks", People's Daily Online, 8 December 2007
  4. "Klimaschutzfinanzierung: IWF greift Vorschlag des World Future Council auf", Oekonews.at, 2 June 2010
  5. "Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Recommends Status for Nine Entities, Defers 33", un.org, 22 May 2014
  6. "We are taxing the lives of future generations" Deutsche Welle, 5 October 2007
  7. "Contact Us". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. "The World Future Council". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. Watts, Jonathan (25 October 2010). "Costa Rica recognised for biodiversity protection". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. "World's best forest policies crowned | UN DESA | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs". Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. "2011 Future Policy Award: Celebrating the world's best forest policies | Video of the Day". Victory Over Violence. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. "Future Policy Award celebrates solutions to save oceans and coasts | International Coral Reef Initiative". www.icriforum.org. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  13. "2013: Disarmament". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  14. "2014: End Violence against Women & Girls". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  15. "2015: The Rights of Children". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  16. "2017: Desertification". World Future Council. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  17. "2018: Agroecology". World Future Council. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  18. "Sikkim becomes world's first organic state, wins Oscar for best policies by UN". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  19. "Database of policy solutions". futurepolicy.org. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  20. "2015: The Rights of Children". World Future Council. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  21. Petersen, Miriam (10 January 2018). "Policymakers gather to share child rights best practice on protection and participation in Zanzibar". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  22. "Zanzibar Declaration on Securing Children's Rights". World Future Council. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  23. Council, World Future (17 June 2016). "Global Policy Action Plan (GPACT)". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  24. Council, World Future (28 November 2007). "World Future Council: Feed-in Tariffs the only way out of the global energy and climate crisis". World Future Council. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  25. hannahrenglich (22 June 2012). "The World Future Council's Bread Tank Project". PeaceMeal Project. Retrieved 5 June 2019.

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