Welcome to the blog. This is the first in a series of posts from the Welsh Government on some of the steps we’re taking to improve the well-being of future generations in Wales and how you can be a part of this.

The aim of this blog is to share with you the work we’re doing on developing National Milestones, updating National Indicators and developing a Future Trends Report. These are three important parts of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 that tell us about the progress we’re making towards our well-being goals and any challenges we might face on the way.

Don’t worry if you’re not very familiar with these topics already – we’ll be explaining more about each of them in future posts. Or you could take a look at our Well-being of Future Generations page and the Essentials Guide, which is a good place to start.

In February 2021 the then Deputy Minister and Chief Whip introduced this work on milestones, indicators and trends in a Written Statement. She said:

The past year has been an unprecedented period of uncertainty and challenge, one which has impacted every aspect of our lives. Although the challenge of the pandemic remains it is important we begin to lay the foundations for a sustainable future. In particular, it remains crucial for us to continue to take an evidence based and long-term approach to leading Wales out of the pandemic.

Key to shaping Wales’ future is how we measure Wales’ progress through our National well-being Indicators, shape the future direction through the setting of National Milestones, and understand what might shape Wales’ future through a Future Trends Report for Wales.

Get Involved

During 2021 we will be setting National Milestones for the first time, as well as taking a fresh look at our National Indicators to see if the pandemic has highlighted any gaps. We’ll also be producing an updated Future Trends Report which sets out the likely future trends in the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales.

It’s important that we draw on the views and experiences of people across Wales as we carry out this work. This blog is one of the ways we intend to do that. Over the coming months we’ll be posting a series of posts focusing on milestones, indicators and trends in turn. We’re also planning some guest contributions from outside the Welsh Government, to share views on the key drivers and trends affecting Wales.

We hope you’ll take the opportunity to read and engage with this blog, and we are keen to hear your thoughts in the comments. And we’re always up for a more in-depth chat, if that’s something you’d prefer to do. Just get in touch.

As well as upcoming posts we will also be holding engagement sessions over the coming months. If you’d like to be involved, please let us know.

We’re looking forward to sharing progress with you and working together to shape Wales’ future.

Email: ShapingWalesFuture@gov.wales