On the occasion of the UN International Year of Forests, the WFC chose forests as the topic for the Future Policy Award 2011 to highlight challenges faced by many of the world’s forests and the solutions in place for people who depend on them.
Rwanda’s National Forest Policy was proclaimed the winner of the 2011 Future Policy Award. The Gambia’s Community Forest Policy and the US Lacey Act with its amendment of 2008 received the Silver Awards. The three winning policies which most effectively contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations were announced on 21 September 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Policies from six countries are now shortlisted for the 2011 Future Policy Award. Bhutan, The Gambia, Nepal, Rwanda, Switzerland and the USA are still in the running for the most inspiring, innovative and influential forest policies worldwide. The Future Policy Award is granted by the World Future Council, an international policy research organization that provides decision makers with effective policy solutions. The three winning policies which most effectively contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations will be announced on 21 September 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
This article examines the linkages between nuclear and climate risks, identifies areas where both threats converge, and offers an approach to move from living under these security threats to building sustain-able peace.
This report is a documentation of the parliamentary hearing hosted by the World Future Council, the Nordic Folkecenter and the Climate Service Center (CSC) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. The workshop provided a platform for policy makers and experts to share knowledge, exchange ideas, develop strategies and build up networks in order to implement the 100% Renewable Energies (RE) target across European regions.
The centrepiece of the WFC proposal is the establishment of a financing tool that uses the ability of the IMF to create new international reserve money in the shape of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
2010 has been a very successfull year for the World Future Council. We were busy counselling policy-makers and spreading ‘best policies’ and thus, multiplying incentives for positive action.
The list of nominees for this year’s Future Policy Award has been published. 19 forest policies from 16 countries have been nominated for this international award. 2011 has been declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations, with the central theme “Forests for People”, to raise consciousness of the multiple values of forests and promote greater awareness of success stories and challenges which many of the world’s forests and the people who depend on them face.
The World Future Council chose the topic of biodiversity for the Future Policy Award 2010 to raise awareness about its acute loss, which threatens wildlife, the environment and our common future. In the face of the looming biodiversity crisis, policy-makers must work urgently towards ambitious and comprehensive biodiversity policies
Nagoya/Hamburg/Montreal, 25 October 2010. As proven by the Costa Rican Biodiversity Law, exemplary biodiversity legislation can be successfully put into practice. On 25 October, delegates, ministers, decision-makers, media and donors gathered at the Future Policy Award 2010 Ceremony in Nagoya, Japan, to witness the first prize be awarded to Costa Rica and to celebrate the Costa Rican Biodiversity Law as a milestone of excellence in meeting the goals of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The effects of the law are outstanding: With 26% of its total territory designated as protected areas, Costa Rica is the first developing that succeeded in halting and reversing deforestation. Moreover, the country ranked first in the Happy Planet Index 2009, and is a recognised pioneer in ecotourism.
