As part of an international agreement with Welsh Government, Future Generations Cymru (FGC) participates in and contributes to Welsh Government’s dedicated “In Years” which targets efforts to strengthen relationships, promote trade, deepen cultural ties and enhance Wales’ presence in specific countries.

These programmes are also an opportunity to showcase the Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFGA) as a model for sustainable development.

FGC has actively participated in various “In Years” to promote sustainable development and future generations governance. During Wales in Germany 2021, FGC engaged with the State Minister of Baden-Württemberg to discuss sustainability, youth leadership and governance, and featured in a TV documentary for German broadcasting agency ZDF, sharing Wales’ pioneering work on safeguarding the interests of future generations.

In Wales in Canada 2022, FGC briefed Canada’s federal government on the WFGA’s role in shaping sustainable policies and built connections with diverse stakeholders, including government representatives, First Nations, and academic institutions.

Wales in France 2023 resulted in the signing of a letter of intent between FGC and French think tank France Villes et Territoires Durables to collaborate on shared sustainable development goals and the facilitation of a Cardiff-Nantes exchange to tackle climate and nature challenges.

As part of Wales in India 2024, FGC supported the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in developing their Future Generations Bill which was tabled in June. Looking to Wales and Japan 2025, FGC plans to highlight the WFGA’s leadership in sustainability during SDG Week in EXPO. Through these initiatives, FGC continues to support the positioning of Wales as a global leader in sustainable development, fostering international cooperation and inspiring innovative policies to safeguard the interests of future generations.

FGC has facilitated and participated in a number of learning exchanges enabling public bodies and the Future Generations Leadership Academy Alumni to meet their international counterparts and bring back examples of best practice to Wales.

Recent and current examples from 2024 include:

• Supporting Cardiff Council’s Parks and Recreation team to visit Nantes in France, one of Europe’s leading green cities, for a good practice exchange in using parks and recreation policy to tackle climate change and enhance nature.
• Policy exchanges with the Irish Government, which has developed a well-being framework, on how to align well-being indicators with national budget processes – allowing government and wider stakeholders to track investments in well-being outcomes.
• Worked with Public Health Wales (PHW) on a learning exchange with Finland in collaboration with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Public Health Wales engaged with Finnish leaders around a well-being economy, futures and long-term thinking and sustainable development – learning about successful integration of social services with health services and pioneering health prevention measures particularly in food and population health. PHW (which has a similar remit to THL’s role in Finland) built their understanding of how THL provide recommendations to the government to improve their well-being frameworks with prevention measures at its core.
• The Future Generations Leadership Academy Alumni visited Brussels to meet with a range of organisations working on long-term thinking, horizon scanning, sustainable development and future generations – enabling them to bring back learning to their organisation. The European Union in 2024 announced the appointment of an EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, allowing the Future Generations Leadership Academy to share 10-years’ experience of implementing the Well-being of Future Generations Act in Wales.