Posted in Blog on Jul 31, 2025.
Earlier this month UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition came together in Swansea, Wales for the second General Assembly and third Governing Council meetings of the coalition.
On 16th July, at the Dylan Thomas Centre our public programme ‘“Bridging Futures: Connecting Today's Decisions to Tomorrow's Needs”’ kicked off three back-to-back days of exciting activities, public events, film screenings, lectures, panel discussions and participatory workshops, as well as planning and launching of new initiatives.
The coalition has come into its own and begun to build real momentum locally, nationally, regionally and globally as the humanities-led sustainability science coalition of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations programme. This was evident in the high quality and inspirational nature of the discussions that unfolded over the course of the General Assembly.
And in BRIDGES’ welcoming of eight new members into the coalition: Climate HUb Forum (Pakistan) University of Raparin (Iraq), The CIPSH Chair of Linguistics and Biodiversity (Ghana), VidyaDeep Foundation (India), New Zealand Centre for Global Studies (NZCGS) (New Zealand), Mapa das Ideias (Portugal), Tropenbos Ghana (Ghana), and International Association for Regenerative Economics - IARE (IAREC) (Switzerland).
The many sessions we offered drew together participants from all over the world, including BRIDGES’s founding partners UNESCO, CIPSH, and Humanities for the Environment (HfE) and existing coalition member organizations, hubs and close partners.
Highlights include a keynote lecture by former Wales Minister of Environment and Sustainability Jane Davidson, a fireside chat between Wales Future generations Commissioner Derek Walker and UNESCO Director of Social Policies Gustavo Merino; An enlightening intergenerational conversation, “Storying our Futures”, a Showcase of Projects Associated with BRIDGES Hubs and Strategic Partners, A Showcase of BRIDGES member institutions, their profiles and flagship projects.
An interactive Futures workshop, led by Petranka Malcheva from the Future Generations Office, and an interactive workshop delivered by Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museums Wales) - “Everyone has a right…” “Mae hawl gan bawb…”
A powerful cultural address and ritual delivered by Kogi Ambassador, Jose Manuel, and the breath-taking culminating public lecture by our Inaugural Bridging Futures Distinguished speaker, Kim Phuc Phan Thị, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace.
As we look back at these inspiring sessions, there is time for quiet reflection, as the days pass and thoughts gather and settle into recollection of vital conversation, fresh perspectives, inspiring initiatives making a tangible difference, and genuine sharing from the heart, about the heart of what matters. To us all. To future generations. To the planet we are blessed to call Home. To Nature. To the multitude of species we share Home with.
This collaborative event was a day woven with a continuous thread of ‘Thinking beyond Us.’
It was a coming together not only of a global coalition, individuals, and organisations, but there was a deep sense of a coming together as a global people, as a community, as one, to share and unite in building bridges towards a thriving planetary future for all.
The relationships we form are the bridges connecting all our efforts to create a flourishing future for people and planet.
“Bridging Futures: Connecting Today's Decisions to Tomorrow's Needs” was an event grounded in a visionary and pragmatic core rationale, namely, to address the urgency and opportunity of this moment in history by building relationships and connecting generations, sectors and ways of thinking to shape a more just, sustainable and compassionate future.
The day encouraged everyone to be bridge-builders, fostering connections in our shared endeavours, linking now to later, and exchanging wisdom to collectively shape systems that benefit all life.
Through the relationships we form we are building bridges towards fresh thinking, towards an evolving inclusivity, towards a responsive and impactful ethical leadership, and towards a thriving planetary future for all.
Visit the event page for further information on the Bridging Futures event.
The full programme can be viewed here.
Read more about the event here.
Co-sponsored by The Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition.
Thank you to all who joined us! Immense gratitude to all of our presenters and speakers. Thank you to our coalition members, representatives from our global hubs, members of our governing council, and our UNESCO colleagues. Diolch Dylan Thomas Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Catering, IT, Site Operations, Communications and PR, Design and Print services, and colleagues in the Institute of Education and Humanities, for your amazing support.
And to all who came together behind the scenes, and on the day, to help make this gathering happen.
Special thanks to our photographer, Betsan Haf Evans, Celf Calon. And to our videographer, Mike Harris, Optimwm.
