Terms of reference

The Welsh Government is committed to sustainable development as the way in which Wales can deliver for people now and leave a positive legacy behind for future generations.

The Well-being of Future Generations National Stakeholder Forum was established in 2021 to provide oversight and advice on the implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (WFG Act). Under the leadership of the Minister for Social Justice, the Forum complements other activities to involve people in actions to further the sustainable development agenda in Wales.

To bring together a diverse range of stakeholders from across different sectors to support and advise on the national implementation of the WFG Act and Sustainable Development Goals in Wales.

The objectives of the forum are to:

• gather stakeholder perspectives on key issues, opportunities, and barriers to the implementation of the WFG Act.
• share innovative practice from across Wales and outside of Wales.
• ensure effective dissemination and communication on the Well-being of Future Generations agenda between Government and stakeholders.

The meetings will be chaired by the Deputy Director for Sustainable Futures (Welsh Government). 

Whilst virtual meetings will be the expected mode of bringing the membership together, depending on the priorities and topics for discussion other mechanisms may be used to involve, gather views, and prompt discussion.

Secretariat for the forum will be managed by the Sustainable Futures Division in Welsh Government. The forum will meet every 2 months.

The terms of reference and operation of the forum will be kept under review. There was a formal review following the Senedd Cymru election in May 2021.

• Leading by example ourselves, with our practice, and striving to embody the spirit of the WFG Act in our organisations. 
• Putting the 5 ways of working into practice in this group. Demonstrate that the five ways of working can achieve, deliver, and implement things.
• Being together as an open learning group, transparent, supportive, and compassionate – shoulder-to-shoulder, looking towards the future.
• Raising awareness of the principles of the WFG Act. All of us can ask ‘what would a young person in 10 or 20 years say about that?’
• Finding a balance between going with the willing (to inspire others) and weeding out the nonsense.
• Vocal and visible leadership and think about how to incentivise people to engage with our agenda. 
• Developing a clear narrative that links to our collective identity and taps in to the political and national agenda. 
• Identifying and then addressing the barriers. Regular communication.
• Understanding our direction of travel. How do we align with the right trajectory? How do we ensure we have the right data to make decisions?
• Get a balance between encouragement and challenge. We can understand what it feels like to be challenged.
• Recognise that this is hard to do. Be honest about our failures and our learning – that’s how we can really learn and move forward. Make this a safe space to learn.