The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been implementing a strategic foresight and horizon scanning approach to anticipate and address future uncertainties and disruptive changes. This initiative aligns with the broader UN reform agenda and the Secretary-General’s report, “Our Common Agenda,” which encourages UN agencies and member states to engage deeply in foresight practices to manage global systemic risks.
The culmination of this process is the report “Navigating New Horizons – A Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing,” developed by UNEP in collaboration with the International Science Council. The report highlights emerging challenges that could disrupt planetary health and human wellbeing, focusing on eight critical global shifts exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It identifies 18 signals of change, offering insights into potential global disruptions.
The report emphasizes the need for better decision-making through a new social contract, adaptive governance, and enhanced data accessibility. It warns that prioritizing short-term gains over long-term preparedness risks global prosperity and planetary health but also highlights the potential for human ingenuity to address these crises.
The findings will influence UNEP’s strategic planning, possibly shaping the next Medium-Term Strategy, and contribute to discussions at the upcoming Summit of the Future, particularly regarding environmental dimensions.
De Ruijter Strategy has been involved with the Navigating New Horizons project during the baseline report, the foresight methodology, the trend and scenario research and the clustering of information from questionnaires.
