Welsh Government welcomed to Dubai Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe, the world’s only Future Generations Commissioner. With a remit set out in law, Sophie’s role is to act as a guardian of the interests of Future Generations in Wales.
Sophie was invited to speak as a panel member at events taking place during Expo’s Climate and Biodiversity Week where she discussed the ground-breaking Well-being of Future Generations Act, its links to sustainability and healthy living, and climate change. During the events, Sophie highlighted, small nations and countries like Wales are leading the way with big ideas and ambitions because of their ability to innovate, communicate and collaborate.
During Sophie’s visit to the UK Pavilion, the word ‘hopeful’ chosen by The Youth Climate Ambassadors of Wales, was donated to become part of a collective poem displayed on the façade of the Pavilion.
Sophie visited the Ireland Pavilion at Expo where she met with Pat Hennessy, Commissioner General and former Ambassador of Ireland to the UAE and Anita Kelly, Deputy Commissioner General and Deputy Ambassador to the UAE to share progress on well-being and shared learning on the importance of international collaboration, creativity, and the power of communities. A tour was provided of the German Pavilion to learn about the innovation ongoing in Germany to address climate change.
Ireland and Germany are important partners with whom Welsh Government and the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales hold long-standing and established relationships.
Sophie also visited the United Nations (UN) Hub at Expo where she met with Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach in the UN Department of Global Communications, and the Commissioner-General of the UN at Expo 2020 Dubai along with Dena Assaf, UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE, and Deputy Commissioner General for the UN at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Outside of Expo Sophie joined the CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, H.E. Khalfan Belhoul, for a fireside chat and met separately with H.E. Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs and H.E. Minister Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, around implementing similar frameworks to those set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act to improve the environment, economy, society, and culture. Sophie also met with members of the newly launched “Futureneers” initiative, a national platform that brings together young Emirati talents to design ideas and solutions to enhance the UAE’s readiness for the future.
Sophie’s visit to the UAE aligns with Welsh Government’s International Strategy, and the ambition set out in the Soft Power Action Plan to establish Wales as Globally Responsible Nation.
On-demand Recordings
If you missed the live events, the on-demand recordings can be accessed through the links below:
- People’s Promise for Climate Impact (Timestamp: 02:31:36)