The primary goal of the initiative is to bridge the "science-policy nexus" by ensuring that qualitative and contextual knowledge, often found in the humanities, is translated into actionable wisdom for global leaders.
This year-long global effort is rooted in a series of expert workshops and consultations taking place throughout the first half of 2026, hosted by BRIDGES and a consortium of partners, supported by the wider coalition and the BRIDGES global hubs.
The UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition is entering a transformative phase, moving toward sharper strategic definition and a more visible role in global policy, specifically within the MOST Intergovernmental Council (IGC).
These sessions will bring together academics, policymakers, and civil society leaders to bridge the gap between humanities-based knowledge and practical policy implementation. The consultations are leading to the development of a suite of "guiding instruments" to help UNESCO Member States apply humanities insights to policy formulation.
Building on key recommendations generated at the BRIDGES-led side event ‘From Idea to Action and Impact: Mobilizing the Outcomes of the Summit of the Future’ (20 September 2024), vital work continues in the form of a series of activities and events organized in 2025-26 with partner organizations from the SOTF. This programme of activities will deliver a suite of instruments to the MOST Intergovernmental Council (IGC), including a policy framework, toolkit for policymakers and a manifesto.
The aim is to establish a coherent approach and shared tools to enable knowledge and expertise from the humanities, arts, educational sciences and local, traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems to be integrated in the science-policy interface on the most pressing 21st century challenges.
In 2025, several activities advanced the outcomes of the Summit of the Future.
▪ A full-day Futures Lab held in March at the Learning Planet Institute brought together students and educators with a strong intergenerational focus. This event was co-organized by the BRIDGES Directorate, UNESCO Futures Literacy Team, BRIDGES Cologne Hub, and a BRIDGES Humanities Lab coordinated by the ASU Flagship Hub and G-FORCES, in collaboration with LPI and the School of International Futures. Read the outcome report of this Futures Lab: 'Reworlding Planetary Governance'.
▪ In June, many SOTF partners reconvened at the 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, with side events co-organized by BRIDGES, the Vice Presidency of the MOST Intergovernmental Council, the Kingdom of Thailand (in partnership with the Republic of South Africa), Chulalongkorn University, ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, The Club of Rome, World Academy of Art and Science, and Globethics.
▪ In 2026 a series of consultations, labs and workshops with diverse actors and communities will take place around the world to gather insights, cases and recommendations that can feed into the suite of instruments to be delivered to UNESCO Member States and the MOST IGC at Extraordinary Session of MOST in October.
On 18 March 2026 a public consultation was held with researchers at the University of Iceland.
This session produced a deeply valuable dialogue centred on how we can best mobilise humanities expertise in a rapidly changing world. The insights gathered from the Icelandic research community are directly informing the core of the international initiative: "Building Bridges from Knowledge to Policy Formulation and Impact." As a vital consultation in this series, the University of Iceland provided a crucial foundation for translating academic meaning into actionable governance.
Building directly upon the success of the Icelandic session, the conversation moved to Mação, Portugal, during the 12th APHELEIA International Seminar (18–27 March 2026), which was themed 'Imagination and Landscaping: Represent, Experiment, Play, Perform, Transform’.
On 22 March 2026, BRIDGES hosted a dedicated preparatory workshop and consultative discussion. Chaired by Steven Hartman and John Crowley, the session allowed international participants to expand on the framework established in Iceland. By integrating APHELEIA’s focus on landscaping and imagination, the discussion further refined how humanistic perspectives can shape global strategic outputs.
In late March 2026, the BRIDGES network extended its consultation series to Morocco, following catastrophic flooding that impacted northern and central regions in February 2026. This initiative provided a profound look into the agency, diversity, and vital importance of local knowledge holders during times of climate-induced crisis.
Facilitated by the Tamkeen for our Humanity Foundation – Mirror Of A Humanising Society, these consultations enabled deep engagement with the inhabitants of the most affected towns and villages, uncovering a powerful narrative of resilience, community cohesion, and collective action.
The co-reflections gathered during the Morocco consultations highlighted how different sectors of local society seamlessly converged to manage the crisis and safeguard their heritage.
Youth & Civil Society as First Responders: Self-organized youth networks and civil society organizations took immediate, decisive action on the ground to protect lives.
Educational Institutions as Anchors: Local schools and universities provided critical stability, resource distribution, and localized leadership.
Collaborative Governance: Local authorities worked in direct tandem with residents, prioritizing the preservation of traditional lifeways and cultural heritage while restoring hope.
Core Lesson: In times of immense crisis, the intentional building of trust between communities, institutions, and leadership is the single most critical element for recovery.
The lessons emerged from these Moroccan communities do not stand alone. They are directly informing how global climate frameworks are designed and implemented.
As BRIDGES advances its 2026–2028 Strategy, the data and stories gathered throughout the March consultations will feed into the wider initiative "Building bridges from knowledge to policy formulation and social impact: Mobilising humanities expertise in a rapidly changing world," The goal is to bridge the gap between high-level global policy and the lived human experience, ensuring future climate adaptation strategies are grounded in local reality.
From 12 to 14 May 2026, a global delegation of experts, sustainability advocates, and international facilitators gathered at the Sigtuna Foundation in Sweden for a series of intensive consultative workshops. Organised by the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition and ASU's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, this event marked a significant "return to the roots", returning to the historic site where BRIDGES was established seven years ago, to transition from foundational planning to concrete policy frameworks.
Part of the broader initiative, "Building bridges from knowledge to policy formulation and social impact: Mobilising humanities expertise in a rapidly changing world," the Sigtuna assembly focused on ensuring that human stories, culture, and values are deeply woven into global decision-making.
Supported by THE BRIDGES Coalition and the ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, in close collaboration with the UNESCO-MOST programme and The Club of Rome, the three-day assembly united a diverse collective from the BRIDGES Hubs, Governing Council, and broader network. Participants included representatives from The International Science Council, UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, Civil society leaders, academics, social innovators, and policy advisors.
By integrating the perspectives of systems thinkers, cultural advocates, and ethics experts, the collaboration advanced the coalition’s core objective: sustainability science deeply rooted in community experience and informed by the humanities.
The assembly featured a dynamic blend of presentations, collaborative discussion groups, and forward-looking exercises. Led by BRIDGES' Executive Director Steven Hartman, the agenda focused on five critical areas:
The Science–Policy Interface: Strategies to make public decision-making more sensitive to human, social, cultural, and ecological complexities.
Artificial Intelligence: Examining "human readiness" in an age of rapid technological transformation.
Inclusive Governance: Centring underrepresented communities and indigenous knowledge in global sustainability efforts.
Futures Literacy and Foresight: Exploring probable, preferable, and reframed futures to escape dominant narratives and embrace new possibilities.
The Crisis of Trust: Addressing the erosion of meaning and institutional trust in a rapidly changing world.
These workshops serve as a vital component in developing a suite of guiding instruments—practical toolkits designed to help UNESCO Member States translate qualitative, context-specific knowledge into actionable wisdom.
The outcomes from Sigtuna will directly inform the coalition’s four core strategic priorities for the coming years:
Empowering youth
Addressing climate risks in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Strengthening local research capacity in Africa
Centring marginalized voices in global sustainability
What's Next: The momentum generated in Sweden will culminate in Paris between late September and early October 2026, where the policy instruments are scheduled for official launch during the next Extraordinary Session of the MOST Intergovernmental Council and the MOST Forum at UNESCO headquarters.
