UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon welcomes Future Policy Award

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, Trendspotting

 

 

Dear Friends of the World Future Council,

 

It’s time to realise the potential we have for creating a better world for all! There are solutions for halting climate change, ways to end hunger and poverty and good examples of peaceful conflict-resolution. With political will, these solutions can be implemented globally to make the world a better place for current and future generations. Nelson Mandela, whose passing we mourn, not only said but proved it: “It always seems impossible until it is done”.

That’s why we are working to spread proven policy solutions, advising policy-makers worldwide. For example, last August we took African decision-makers to Belo Horizonte in Brazil to give them a hands-on introduction to the city’s exemplary food security policies. In September, we brought together 150 international experts and policy-makers in Hamburg for an intensive three-day forum on how to make cities sustainable and regenerative. And in October, we once again promoted good policies globally with the celebration of our annual Future Policy Award at the UN Headquarters in New York.

You can help us build on these successes and spread successful policy incentives in 2014 and beyond by supporting our work. We are deeply grateful to our donors and wish you a healthy, happy and sustainable New Year.

With kind regards from Hamburg,


Jakob von Uexkull,
wfc Founder & Chairman

Alexandra Wandel,
wfc Director


News

UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon welcomes Future Policy Award

A grand entrance for the World Future Council into the heart of world politics: The Future Policy Award 2013, recognising the world’s best disarmament policies, was presented at UN headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a message of greetings, in which he emphasised that the prize paved “the way for sustainable global disarmament and a nuclear-weapon-free world.” The ceremony was webcast live on UN web TV. You can find an overview of the winning policies as well as the webcast and pictures here. Since 2009, the World Future Council’s “Oscars for innovative policies” have been awarded in a different policy field every year.

WFC supports “Orange Your World in 16 Days”

No Future Justice without justice for women and girls! To support the UN campaign “Orange Your World in 16 Days” to end violence against women and girls, WFC board and staff members spontaneously gathered all things orange while united for a seminar. You can see our newest staff member Karin Heisecke, who will coordinate the WFC project to end violence against women and girls, in the first row on the right.

Vote to end ecocide!

End Ecocide in Europe is a Citizens’ Initiative to make ecocide a crime. Ecocide is defined as the extensive damage, destruction or loss of ecosystems and covers most cases of environmental destruction. One million votes are needed. Add yours at www.endecocide.eu before 21 January!


Important recognition of WFC demand
Concerns about future generations make their way to the global political agenda, as the UN Secretary General’s report “Intergenerational Solidarity and the Needs of Future Generations” is widely discussed. The
 report outlines options for models to institutionalize concern for future generations at the UN level: The World Future Council’s key demand for a High Commissioner for Future Generations is at the top of the list.

Councillor Rama Mani receives German prize for peace studies
The prestigious Peter Becker Peace Prize was awarded to WFC Councillor Rama Mani on 22 November. Since 2005, the Peter Becker Prize is awarded every two years to promote the application of peace research to practical projects.

Councillor Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish receives Award
On December 3, WFC Councillor Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish received the “Award in Excellence in Positive Change” from the “Global Thinkers Forum”. GTF is a non-profit initiative and a platform to bring current and future leaders together to discuss governance, society, progress and the future. GTF takes place in various cities around the world.


Coming Up


International Parliamentary Forum  – 13-15/12
Dar es Salaam: Focusing on national policies to trigger investment in mini-grids, this forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania will bring together policy makers from less-industrialized countries with pioneering renewable energy practitioners. WFC Director Ansgar Kiene will present the findings of the World Future Council’s report “Powering Africa through Feed-in Tariffs”.

14th International Conference of Chief Justices – 13-17/12
Lucknow, India: Jakob von Uexkull founder of the World Future Council has been invited to give a keynote address at the 14th International Conference of Justices of the World (The World Judiciary Summit 2013). During the conference, students will present a petition on behalf of the world’s children, to safeguard their future and protect their rights.

ISEP Community Power Conference – 1-2/2
Fukushima: The WFC has been invited to Fukushima to co-host this international conference on nuclear threats and the future potentials of renewable energy, which is organised by the Japanese Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF) and the Institute of Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP).


Activities Update


WFC presents concrete suggestions on design of global Green Climate Fund

Warsaw: The WFC’s new repor“FIT for Renewables?”presented during a press conference at COP 19 in Warsaw, offers a timely and concrete contribution to the emerging design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The report emphasises that the funding for feed-in-tariffs for renewable energies (FIT) should be distributed only once renewable energy technology has started to provide electricity to communities. In 2010, more than 100 states agreed to establish an international fund to spur investment in renewable energy in developing countries to fight climate change.

Interview: Why positive stories can overturn resistance
At COP 19, WFC Policy Officer Anna Leidreiter seized the opportunity of an interview with Climate Change TV to argue very convincingly for the power of success stories in overturning resistance against necessary policy changes to stop climate change. For a lift of spirit, watch the 5-minute interview
 here.

Strong support for Arctic 30
Moscow: On November 10, 77 Right Livelihood Award Recipients and members of the World Future Council made a joint call upon the Russian authorities to immediately release the 28 Greenpeace activists and two journalists who had been arrested for their peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic and imprisoned since September 18. Since then, the 30 activists from 18 countries were granted bail and the 26 non-Russians are now applying for exit visa. The activists still face ‘hooliganism’ charges, which carry up to seven years in jail.

Unique Future Justice maps
The WFC’s Future Justice team has come up with a set of unique maps to illustrate the different mechanisms, national constitutions and general efforts under way to see where the rights of future generations are formally recognized. Please take a browse.

Inter-Parliamentary Hearing: Attracting Investment in Renewable Energy – 4-6/10
El Jadida, Morocco: Organised by the Climate Parliament, UNDP and the WFC this Inter-Parliamentary hearing united Parliamentarians from eight Asian and African countries to discuss what countries need to do to attract substantial investments in energy from sun, wind and water. In the resulting El Jadida declaration, the MPs argue that the only way to avoid the potentially mortal threat posed by global warming is for the whole world to shift away from fossil fuels and to renewable energy. The statement also recognizes the potential of renewable energy to generate employment, improve public health, reduce imports of fossil fuels, and create a stable supply of energy that will never run out.

5th African Renewable Energy Dialogue 2013 – 31/10 – 1/11
Johannesburg: Facilitated by the World Future Council, 20 energy stakeholders from 15 African countries strengthened ties to improve regional cooperation on the uptake of renewable energy on the African continent. Find out more by watching our short
 video.  

 


Let’s create a better future!

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