Well-being goals
The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. It has seven well-being goals and tells organisations how to work more sustainably together to meet their duties under the Act by following five ways of working.
They are a set of goals; the Act makes it clear the listed public bodies must work to achieve all of the goals, not just one or two.
- A Prosperous Wales – An innovative, productive and low carbon society which recognises the limits of the global environment and therefore uses resources efficiently and proportionately (including acting on climate change); and which develops a skilled and well-educated population in an economy which generates wealth and provides employment opportunities, allowing people to take advantage of the wealth generated through securing decent work.
- A Resilient Wales – A nation which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change.
- A Healthier Wales – A society in which people’s physical and mental well-being is maximised and in which choices and behaviours that benefit future health are understood.
- A More Equal Wales – A society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances (including their socio economic circumstances)
- A Wales of Cohesive Communities – Attractive, safe, viable and well-connected.
- A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language – A society that promotes and protects culture, heritage and the Welsh language, and which encourages people to participate in the arts, and sports and recreation.
- A Globally Responsible Wales – A nation which, when doing anything to improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales, takes account of whether doing such a thing may make a positive contribution to global well-being.
The Act also puts in place a ‘sustainable development principle’, which tells the 44 different organisations how to go about meeting their duty under the Act. Doing something ‘in accordance with the sustainable development principle’ means that the body must act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Public bodies also need to make sure that when making decisions, they take into account the impact they could have on people living their lives in Wales in the future.
