The 7 Well-being goals. ©Crown copyright 2020 Welsh Government WG40185.
As part of Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, national indicators for measuring progress towards the achievement of the Well-being goals must be published by Welsh ministers. A national indicator must “be expressed as a value or characteristic that can be measured quantitatively or qualitatively against a particular outcome“.
On 14th December 2021 an updated set of 50 national indicators was published and presented to Senedd Cymru. It covers wellbeing topics such as healthy lifestyles, pollution, emissions, employment, mental wellbeing, and biodiversity. The progress of achieving the Well-being goals was analysed against the national indicators, linking each indicator with the Well-being goals to which it relates. The national indicators were also mapped against UN Sustainable Development Goals in an interactive tool.
National milestones in relation to the national indicators must also be published by Welsh Ministers in order to help measure progress towards the achievement of Well-being goals. Such milestones must have measurable criteria for determining whether they have been achieved and the timeline.
In September 2021 a consultation call for measuring Wales’ progress, Shaping Wales’ Future, was released and received 94 formal responses from a diverse range of voluntary, private and public bodies. In December 2021 the Welsh Government response to the consultation outcomes was published, setting milestones.
Examples of milestones are:
- “Wales will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”
- “A million Welsh speakers by 2050”
- “At least 90% of 16-24 year olds will be in education, employment, or training by 2050”
In July 2021 the Shaping Wales’ Future blog was launched by the Welsh Government in order to “continue the dialogue with stakeholders on The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015”. The blog is aimed at drawing on the views and experiences of people across Wales and maintaining cooperation with stakeholders on the progress of the National Milestones, Indicators, and the Future Trends Report for Wales.
The national indicators and their associated milestones offer an alternative measure of progress going beyond GDP, and set an example of how democracy and sustainable development can strengthen each other.
Links
- For further detail check out the official National Indicators and National Milestones for Wales report
- For a graphic information source check out the National milestones infographic
- The official response to Shaping Wales’ Future consultation can provide a further explanation of the process
