Challenging and supporting those in power to make good decisions today for a better tomorrow.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is Derek Walker.

His independent role, under the Well-being of Future Generations Act, is to support and challenge Wales to make decisions in the best interests of people who aren’t born yet.

In law, his duties are to:

• Promote the sustainable development principle, in particular to act as a guardian of the ability of future generations to meet their needs and encourage public bodies to take greater account of the long-term impact of the things they do.
• Monitor and assess the extent to which well-being objectives set by public bodies are being met.

About Derek

Derek Walker is the second ever Future Generations Commissioner, having started the role on March 1, 2023, when he called for ‘urgent and transformational change’ in Wales, later launching his seven-year strategy, Cymru Can.

Four other things about the commissioner:

• He spent 12 years as chief executive of Cwmpas, the UK’s largest co-operative development agency, working to support people and communities to create jobs and strengthen communities. Derek changed the organisation’s focus to development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.
• He began his career as policy officer for London Councils, in London and Brussels and has worked as Head of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund (Wales), as Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Wales TUC and was the first employee of Stonewall Cymru.
• Derek grew up on a farm near Cwmbran and is a keen runner and tennis player, loves to read and is a Welsh learner. He now lives in Cardiff with his partner Mike and has two grown-up children.
• His ambition while at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School was to be a journalist and he has a Masters degree in International Journalism from Cardiff University. He’s happy how life has turned out and says being a guardian of the interests of people not yet born is the greatest privilege.

What the commissioner can do

• Provide advice to public bodies including Welsh Government, local councils, health boards, national organisations and Public Services Boards.
• Carry out reviews into how public bodies are taking account of the long-term impact of their decisions.
• Provide advice or assistance to a public services board in relation to the preparation of its local well-being plan.
• Provide advice or assistance to any other person who the commissioner considers is taking (or wishes to take) steps that may contribute to the achievement of the well-being goals.
• Encourage best practice amongst public bodies in taking steps to meet their well-being objectives in accordance with the sustainable development principle.
• Promote awareness amongst public bodies of the need to take steps to meet their well-being objectives in accordance with the sustainable development principle.
• Encourage public bodies to work with each other and with other persons if this could assist them to meet their well-being objectives.
• Seek the advice of an advisory panel in relation to the exercise of any of the commissioner’s functions.
• Undertake research into the extent to which the well-being goals and national indicators are consistent with the sustainable development principle, as well as the extent to which the sustainable development principle is taken into account in national indicators set out by the Welsh Government.
• Conduct formal reviews to provide insight on how public bodies apply the Act, and make recommendations to advise on how the public body should apply the Act in the future.

What the commissioner can’t do

• Conducting a review does not allow the commissioner to overturn specific decisions that have already been made.
• Intervene in planning decisions.

Reviewing how public bodies protect future generations

Section 20 of the Well-being of Future Generations Act gives the Future Generations Commissioner one of their strongest powers.

The commissioner can conduct a review into the extent to which a public body is safeguarding the ability of future generations to meet their needs when carrying out sustainable development.

There is a duty on public bodies to follow our recommendations and respond to the review in writing. The commissioner’s office follows a set of criteria upon deciding how best to conduct a Section 20 review.

The commissioner worked in collaboration with Cardiff University on a Section 20 Review into how the Future Generations Act informs spending decisions across public bodies since 2016, when the Act came into force.

The Report ‘Procuring well-being in Wales’, asked senior leaders to review their procurement approaches and lead to a new procurement centre of excellence in Wales.

Between January 2022 and 2023, the commissioner reviewed how Welsh Government applies the Act and meets their duties within the machinery of government, in A Government Fit for Future Generations. The Section 20 Review, which identified good practice and areas for improvement, involved extensive research, including evidence gathering, interviews with ministers, civil servants, and other public bodies, and a detailed analysis of Welsh Government processes.

Key findings emphasised the need for clearer leadership, better communication, and continuous review to strengthen how the Future Generations Act is applied across government. The report was structured around three main areas: People and Culture, Process, and Public Sector Leadership. It found that while there is pride in the Act, there remains a gap between enthusiasm and practical application.

Following the review, Welsh Government developed the Continuous Learning and Improvement Plan (CLIP) to address the report’s recommendations.

Public bodies are now using an interactive Ways of Working Progress Checker, produced by the commissioner’s team, to help their progress.