UNESCO-PMU Symposium 2023: Towards Evaluation Frameworks for Futures Literacy and Foresight

Welcoming | 14:30 - 15:15

Welcoming Remarks: Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director General, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO

The State of Futures Studies in the World: Sotirios Zygiaris, Dean of the College of Business Administration, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (Saudi Arabia)

UNESCO-PMU Futures Literacy Playbook Launch: Mariagrazia Squicciarini, Chief Executive Office and Director of Division for Social Policies a.i., Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO

First Panel | 15:15 - 16:35

Moderator: Shermon Cruz, Chair of the Association of Professional Futurists, and Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Governance and Regenerative Cities at Northwestern University (The Philippines)

Presentations:

• “Advancing Foresight Evaluation Practice and Thinking”
  • Annette Gardner, Associate Professor (retired) at the University of California, Director of the Association of Professional Futurists’ Taskforce on Foresight Evaluation (USA) (remote)
• “Organization’s in capacity to anticipate and include over time: evaluating the transformation towards an inclusive future through anticipation practices?"
  • Narcis Heraclide, Doctoral Candidate at University of Poitiers, Head of Innovation at Paul Guinot Association (France)
  • Fabrice Roubelat, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Foresight and Strategic International Intelligence, University of Poitiers School of Management (France) 
• “Towards Evaluating Responsible Foresight”
  • Ted Fuller, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Responsible Foresight for Sustainable Development, University of Lincoln (United Kingdom)
  • Anne Marchais-Roubelat, Associate Professor, Le Cnam (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers / National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts) (France)
  • April K Ward, PhD Candidate, University of Lincoln (United Kingdom)

Second Panel | 16:50 - 18:10

Moderator: Lourdes Rodriguez, Senior Foresight Consultant, Global Hub Director at Teach the Future (Spain)

Presentations:

• “The Futures Consciousness Scale as a tool to evaluate and assess futures education”
  • Sanna Ahvenharju, PhD, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of Finland Futures Research Centre (Finland)
• “A New Approach for Research for Future Education”
  • Yu Jinshen, Joint Doctoral Candidate with East China Normal University and Ecole des Ponts (China)
  • Bu Yuhua, Professor and Deputy Head of the Institute of Schooling Reform and Development, East China Normal University (China)
• “Survey for Anticipatory Stance Evolution”
  • Norbert Kołos, Managing Partner, 4CF (Poland)

Closing | 18:10 - 18:45

• Introduction of Q-Sort (tbc)
• Wrap up and closing

Evening Reception | 18:45 - 20:00

Welcoming | 09:00 - 09:30

Third Panel | 09:30 - 10:50

Moderator: Ibon Zugasti, Partner/Director,  European Institute for Futures Studies and Strategy (PROSPEKTIKER), Member of the Board of Directors of the Millennium Project and Node Chairman in Spain (Spain)

Presentations:

• “Testing a systems transformation approach to evaluation of strategic foresight”
  • Peter Glenday, Programme and Research Director, School of International Futures (United Kingdom)
• “Evaluation strategies in an AI-based horizon scanning process: insights from BMBF project 'Wertschöpfungsradar'”
  • Ludwig Weh, Research Fellow, Unit Futures and Innovation, Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy (Germany)
  • Anne Sonnenmoser, Research Fellow, Unit Futures and Innovation, Fraunhofer-Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy (Germany)
• “Evaluation frameworks for Futures and Foresight – practical examples from Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund”
  • Rose Thompson Coon, Senior Lead, Impact Evaluation, Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra (Finland)
  • Katri Vataja, Director of Strategy and Foresight, Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra (Finland)

Briefing on UN Work related to Futures for Intergenerational Equity | 10:50 - 11:30

Presenters: 

Tiina Neuvonen, Strategic Foresight Lead, United Nations Global Pulse Finland
Christin Pfeiffer, Programme Specialist, Futures Literacy and Foresight, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO

Fourth Panel | 11:50 - 13:10 

Moderator: Muamar Salameh, Director of the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Center for Futuristic Studies and Dean of Faculty Affairs, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (Saudi Arabia)

Presentations:

• “A novel country development planning approach for Botswana: Two proposals for evaluation”
  • Tanja Hichert, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Complex Systems and Transformative African Futures, Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
• “A Foresight Framework for Building An Anticipatory System for Culture and Tourism: The Department of Culture and Tourism: Abu Dhabi Case Study”
  • Fawaz Hazza Abu Sitta, Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Systems for Prosperous Future, University of Dubai, (United Arab Emirates) (remote)
• “What method should be adopted to evaluate Moroccan national “prospective” exercises?”
  • Manal Mouhsine, Doctoral Candidate, Africa Institute for Research in Economics and Social Sciences (AIRESS), UM6P (Morocco)

Free time for lunch | 13:10 - 14:30

Guided Networking Activity | 14:30 - 15:00

Featuring group work to explore upcoming opportunities/joint projects and initiatives.

Fifth Panel | 15:00 - 16:20

Moderator: Erik F. Øverland, President of World Futures Studies Federation (Norway)

Presentations:

• “Future Orienteering Evaluation Model: Forecasting, Foresight and Anticipation Indexes”  
  • Roberto Poli, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Systems, University of Trento (Italy) 
• “Using Paradoxical Thinking to make sense of the Future”  
  • Laura Bechthold, Professor for Technology Assessment & Cultural Management, Bavarian Foresight-Institute at TH Ingolstadt (Germany)  
• “Indigenous knowledge and approaches to evaluating foresight and futures in the Pacific”  
  • Emily Sharp, Director, Strategy, Performance and Learning, Pacific Community-SPC (Fiji) 

Closing: Collective Reflections | 16:20  - 17:30