Foresight for Children’s Futures
A primer

Highlights
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for the United Nations to develop a forward-thinking culture and cutting-edge skills. Foresight is one of key elements of achieving these goals and essential to get back on track and achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.
Foresight uses tools to scan and collect information, analyse trends and drivers of change, generate scenarios, identify a preferred direction, and explore implications for policy. Studying the forces shaping the world enables organizations to prepare for shocks and surprises.
United Nations bodies have already applied a foresight approach to issues from disarmament to the green transition, and they have used foresight in country planning processes or to support the creation of national development plans.
Foresight for Children’s Futures: A primer considers how best to use foresight for the benefit of children, making the case for truly child-focused foresight that is designed around children’s experience of the world. We hope this primer will encourage timely steps to be taken to protect children’s lives and enhance their well-being.
The primer includes snapshots and links to 35 foresight tools, 9 of which are described in detail with a case study or example of use. Links to additional examples are also provided.
