“We need to build a global system that deals with problems before they turn into catastrophes.”
—UN Secretary-General António Guterres
In an era marked by complex and interwoven crises, the role of the United Nations in preparing for the future has never been more critical. Just this year, at the Summit of the Future, the international community emphasized the increasing importance of strategic foresight and preparedness in shaping a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable world.
Foresight helps governments and people make strategic choices to shape and prepare for the future they want. It requires partnerships to translate vision into action, to understand emerging trends, and leverage new opportunities.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) uses foresight to help Member States plan for a future that leaves no one behind. Through our three functional pillars – intergovernmental support, analysis, and capacity-development – UN DESA supports Member States to respond to multidimensional, systemic and interconnected risks shaping our world today.
The foresight efforts of UN DESA yield vital information, resources and analysis that help Member States to craft long-term, evidence-based strategies and solutions to benefit all sectors of society.
Our economic forecasting and modelling are essential for governments to craft policies that address both immediate economic concerns while preparing for longer-term challenges. Our support for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in their journey toward sustainable development and graduation from LDC status applies foresight to assist these countries in identifying pathways to navigate future obstacles related to poverty, infrastructure, and economic diversification.
Our frontier issues analysis looks ahead to the impacts of rapidly evolving technologies. By identifying the potential consequences of these innovations, we help Member States prepare for the transformations that will fundamentally reshape industries, workforces, and societies.
By strengthening institutional capacities, we assist countries in assessing and addressing the needs of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, older persons and persons with disabilities, ensuring that all members of society are considered in future planning.
At UN DESA, we work closely with public institutions to strengthen institutional foresight capacities. By helping to equip Member States with the tools they need to foresee future risks and anticipate long-term challenges, we enable them to take preemptive action and better protect the most vulnerable members of society. We foster resilient institutions capable of steering development in a sustainable, inclusive direction and agile organizations that can adapt as the future evolves.
We help Member States address demographic changes, such as population growth, ageing societies, and urbanization. These changes alter societies, affecting their labour force, economic productivity, demand for education and health services and migration patterns. Through robust population forecasts and foresight, UN DESA provides Member States with the data and analysis they need to plan for these shifts.
UN DESA plays a key role in advancing global consensus on financing for sustainable development. In the lead up to the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025, we are promoting financial resilience, supporting Member States to future-proof financing and debt strategies, and providing countries with tools to diversify revenue streams, manage debt responsibly, and ensure long-term financial stability.
We are also driving action towards a clean energy future, leveraging partnerships across Governments, the private sector, and international organizations. These partnerships are critical in accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy, especially in developing countries, where access to reliable energy is vital for achieving the SDGs.
Recognizing that sustainable development and climate action must go hand in hand, we emphasize the synergies between climate change and the SDGs. By helping countries – especially those in special situations, such as small island developing States – integrate climate considerations into their development strategies, we ensure that progress on one front does not undermine the other.
UN DESA is committed to building national capacities to accelerate and inclusive and just transition towards a greener global economy by providing technical support to ensure that the benefits of green growth are shared equitably. We are working with Member States to prepare for a digital future, supporting the development of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data governance. By anticipating the impacts of digital transformation, the Department helps countries navigate the complexities of the digital era, ensuring that technological advancements contribute to sustainable development.
UN DESA works to ensure that countries have the statistical capacities needed to prepare for the future. Accurate data is essential for effective decision-making, and our efforts to build national statistical capacities help governments collect, analyze, and use data to anticipate future trends. By fostering data-driven decision-making, we enable countries to better prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow and promote a shared vision of resilience and foresight.
Our work in UN DESA helps countries develop policies that are adaptable and resilient in the face of uncertainty. By embracing the principles of UN 2.0, UN DESA is committed to helping countries not only respond to crises but also proactively shape a better future for all, where no one is left behind. Our goal is to foster a culture of preparedness and long-term thinking that can guide countries through the challenges of this century and prepare for the next. The future is not predetermined; it is something we can shape through collaboration, foresight, and decisive action.
It is with great pride that I present this review of UN DESA’s strategic foresight and preparedness work, highlighting the progress we have made and the path forward.
Under-Secretary-General
for Economic and Social Affairs
Li Junhua
The world is at a critical juncture with less than six years to deliver the SDGs and the promises of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The situation is further complicated by a series of multiple global crises that not only complicate recovery efforts from the pandemic but threaten the very existence of humankind and healthy ecosystems.
The SDGs need urgent rescue and will require more dedicated action from everyone. Financial resources are urgently required for sustainable development, countries need to intensify efforts to strengthen good governance and to action policies that address the needs of their vulnerable populations so that no one is left behind, and international collaboration is paramount to tackling global risks.
The world is facing continuous change and disruption. To build global resilience for a sustainable and inclusive future, we must consider both present and future risks and their impacts on people and the planet to be able to develop long-term solutions. However, the nature of risks is fast changing and bringing new vulnerabilities. The risk landscape is increasingly complex, new risks are global and multi-dimensional in nature, and the interlinkages between risks means that they cannot be tackled in isolation and require international cooperation to be addressed at scale.
Emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and evolving migration patterns come with risks of illegal or fraudulent activity, and conflict and cooperation between countries is creating geopolitical flux and shifting global power dynamics.
The world needs to stay ahead of the curve by better anticipating risks, increasing understanding and knowledge-sharing, and moving beyond short-term reactions to more long-term sustainable action. Fast-changing environments and emerging risks require different policy outcomes that can ensure a more resilient future. This is where foresight approaches, knowledge and tools can help to strengthen policy making processes and outcomes so that they are fit for the future. Strategic foresight enables multiple possible future scenarios to be considered which can help to inform policy choices.
A foresight-based approach should also ensure that future strategies are inclusive and that they incorporate diverse voices so that policy changes do not widen economic and social inequalities. This will require foresight and cooperative action at international levels so that developing countries are not left behind. At national levels, it will also require strategies to address existing and newer forms of vulnerability to move towards more equal societies.
The Pact for the Future outlines solutions to pressing challenges and calls for effective global cooperation. The SDG Stimulus urged by the Secretary-General will mobilise investments and finance for developing countries in growing sectors such as renewable energy, universal social protection, decent jobs, quality healthcare and education, sustainable food systems, urban infrastructure, and digital transformation.
UN DESA’s work is contributing towards realising this vision and remains fundamental to supporting the wider processes within the UN system. The Department’s work is complementary to the work of other UN agencies, and its analytical work and policy advice are often taken up by other agencies to deliver action on the ground. Its analytical work is a key input to strategic planning and foresight as it explores draws on reliable data to project future and emergent trends, consider unanticipated shocks and changes, rather than only projecting from the past or addressing current challenges. Capacity building helps public sector officials to develop strategic leadership and become agents of change, and knowledge and tools are equipping institutions to reduce systemic risks and become better prepared for emerging risks and opportunities to build a more resilient future.
Foresight and preparedness work needs to be grounded in inclusion so that no one is left behind. By giving voice to vulnerable groups in international forums, developing topical policy guides and providing toolkits and guidance, UN DESA is helping to make inclusion a reality.
The UN is universally recognized as a trusted platform for collaboration. Through supporting intergovernmental processes UN DESA is giving momentum to urgent issues that need to be addressed by the global community. By convening and fostering partnerships at international and national levels UN DESA is promoting collaboration between governments, civil society and the private sector, and promoting a science-policy interface. These measures are helping to surface critical information on early warning, facilitating the exchange of ideas, information and best practice on managing risk, and promoting collaborative action.
We have an opportunity to reimagine the future together – one that enables every citizen of this world to have equal access to opportunities for a better life. This will require global commitment and action, stronger leadership, contemporary approaches to policy making that makes provision for uncertainty, stronger governance and systems, and transparent and inclusive decision making. The Pact for the Future sets out necessary action to put the world back on track to a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future for all. Only by committing together to our common future, can we hope to not only reap the benefits today, but also leave a positive legacy for future generations.