Building Bridges Event | What's Next on Accounting for the Future?

Achieving sustainable development today demands a fundamental shift in policy and financial systems that are tuned not only to current needs but also to the well-being of future generations. With only 18 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track to being achieved by 2030, it is clear that approaches grounded in short-term gains and traditional models of progress are failing to deliver. To shape a truly inclusive, regenerative future, decision-making processes must systematically account for the long-term social, environmental, and economic impacts of today’s choices.

At the core of this challenge lies the principle of intergenerational equity: ensuring that meeting our needs now does not diminish the prospects and rights of those who come after us. Yet, all too often, policy planning and financial frameworks remain focused on immediate returns, often overlooking long-term and cross-generational “spillover effects”—the ways in which today’s actions ripple out to shape tomorrow’s opportunities and risks. Whether it’s a well-meaning investment in infrastructure that drives social displacement, or an economic policy that accelerates environmental degradation, these social, economic and environmental ripple effects—if left unaccounted for—can compound over time and worsen inequalities, affecting communities and systems in unexpected ways. Addressing this will require new mindsets, methods and tools that increase transparency and accountability of the long-term impact of the decisions we make today.

Only by embedding intergenerational equity at the heart of governance, decision-making and financial investments can we ensure that progress today does not come at the expense of tomorrow.

Event summary

As part of Building Bridges Week this year, the Beyond Lab will be hosting an interactive discussion on 30 September 2025 as part of the Beyond Lab's “What's Next” series, a multi-stakeholder platform for intergenerational and cross-disciplinary dialogue to challenge existing paradigms and explore innovative ideas for long-term sustainability.

As we face complex and rapidly evolving economic, social and environmental challenges, it is more urgent than ever to embed intergenerational equity, transparency and long-term accountability as key principles at the heart of sustainable development, long-term governance and finance. Together with Member State representatives, global leaders, public and financial decision makers, youth and policy experts, participants will explore new approaches, practical examples and insights on moving beyond short-termism towards truly sustainable, participatory and inter-generationally equitably policy planning and decision-making through the following themes:

‍Beyond Generations: Futures-thinking and foresight

• Why is futures-thinking and foresight important? What tools and approaches are there to enable sustainable planning and thinking?
• How can public and private sectors build cultures of ‘future literacy’ to encourage more future-conscious leadership and ongoing anticipation of opportunities and risks across generations?
• What frameworks, mechanisms or best practices can we adopt to balance current needs with those of future generations and ensure equitable policy and financial decision-making?‍

Intergenerational fairness and accountability

• What role do young people play in shaping future-oriented agendas, and how can their voices be more systematically included in both the private and public sectors?
• How can we make accountability for future generations a more explicit part of political and financial governance processes?
• How can we build bridges between the public and private sector in driving societal transformation for long-term cross-generational decision-making?‍

Innovative solutions: Minimizing debt and creating assets for the Future

• Interactive demonstration of the Beyond Lab’s Future Balance tool for long-term policy planning and decision-making, anchored in the principle of intergenerational equity. It is intended to support policy- and decision-makers in better understanding the consequences of their actions (or inactions) in creating (or reducing) assets and liabilities towards limiting our debt for future generations.

Objectives

• To explore how to leverage strategic foresight and innovation to identify and assess the impacts of long-term policy and investment decisions for sustainable development.
• To elevate youth and underrepresented voices in driving intergenerational equity and systemic changes of for long-term sustainability.
• To encourage collaboration between governments, private sector, youth and civil society in building future-ready decision-making tools and solutions.

Format

• This invitation-only interactive discussion will be conducted in a circle format under the Chatham House Rule to foster an open and inclusive environment. Speakers and other participants are encouraged to share freely, with the understanding that while the information discussed can be used, the identity and affiliations of speakers or any other attendees will remain confidential.

Expected Outcomes

• Enhanced awareness of intergenerational equity in policy- and decision-making, including the need to account for the spillover effects of today's decisions.
• Stronnger cross-sector collaborations for intergenerational impact in policy making and financial investments.
• Practical examples of innovative tools and solutions supporting long-term decision-making and intergenerational impact assessment.

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To attend this session, a valid registration to the 2025 Building Bridges conference is required, which is accessible here. If you are already registered and would like to attend this event, please contact beyondlab@un.org.