Who Speaks for Tomorrow? Analysis April 15, 2026 Marek Grzegorczyk
The increasing need to consider long-term implications in government is gaining traction, though experiments to date have yielded mixed results. The Welsh government’s Future Generations Commissioner publishes an annual report, the 2025 edition totaling 147 pages.
It addresses issues including climate targets, biodiversity loss, healthcare spending, food security, and mental health, alongside cultural funding and circular economy principles. The Commissioner’s role is to act as a guardian for future generations, a concept considered a “world first” by the Welsh government. Traditional governmental structures, focused on managing the present through short-term budgets and election cycles, often struggle to prioritize long-term investments.
Politicians frequently prioritize immediate gains over sustained, future-oriented strategies. This tendency leads to underinvestment in preventative measures and a focus on visible, short-term projects, sometimes at the expense of long-term environmental or social well-being. Several countries have attempted similar initiatives.
The UAE appointed a Minister of State for Government Development and the Future in 2020, while Hungary and Israel established commissions for future generations, though both ultimately faced challenges in maintaining their influence. The Welsh model, created in 2015 under the Well-being of Future Generations Act, has persisted through design, primarily through advisory and challenging roles for the Commissioner. However, its power is limited by a lack of veto authority and judicial skepticism.
The Welsh report highlights the inherent difficulties of standard governmental processes when dealing with issues spanning decades. The significant expansion of the NHS budget in Wales, coupled with a lack of investment in preventative healthcare programs, exemplifies this challenge. Similar issues arise across various sectors, including nature recovery funding and cultural budgets.
Several nations, including New Zealand, Scotland, Iceland, and Finland, are experimenting with “wellbeing budgets” to address this systemic problem. These initiatives aim to shift how governments measure and prioritize outcomes, recognizing that long-term planning is crucial for effective governance. The question remains: who can truly speak for tomorrow, and whether democratic systems can adapt to prioritize the needs of future generations.
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