Transcript Report of SA Node to the MP Planning Committee

Report of SA Node to the MP
Planning Committee
Minneapolis
July 2007
Follow up on Last Report
• In our last report to the Planning Committee
(July 06) our main priorities were:
– To organise and host the WFSF biennial
conference successfully in SA; and
– To conduct a research project on the role of
public scenarios in the transition in SA.
• These projects were in addition to the normal
Millennium Project work undertaken for the
MP in SA (participate in Delphis, distribute
SoF etc).
Conference
• In the course of 2007 is became clear that the
WFSF (World Future Studies Federation) and
the SA Node were simply not on the same hymn
sheet regarding this Conference. It was thus
decided not to proceed with the WFSF
conference.
• The SA Node is now organising its own futures
conference.
• This will take place near Cape Town, SA, on 5
to 8 November 2007 with the theme of building
futures intelligence capacity for growth and
development.
Conference (cont)
• The Conference is financially
supported by the SA govt; the Finnish
Embassy in SA and the Oppenheimer
Memorial Trust.
• It is hosted in partnership with the
Institute for Futures Research at the
Univ of Stellenbosch.
• It will be the first of its kind in Africa.
• The Finland and SA Nodes will meet
bi-laterally during Conference.
Conference - Invitation
• Jerome Glenn and Jerome Bindé (Unesco)
have been invited as key note speakers.
• The SA Node wishes to invite the Planning
Committee to consider holding its next
meeting in SA in conjunction with the
Conference; and attend the Conference.
State of the Future
• In July 2006 we reported that the University of
the Witwatersrand (Wits) uses the 15 Global
Challenges in their Public Management and
Development Programme.
• As from 2007 the Institute for Futures
Research (IFR) incorporated the 15
Challenges as a module in its Masters
programme in Future Studies.
• The result is that the annual State of the
Future will gain a much bigger footprint in SA.
Scenario Learning Project
• This research project has been completed
successfully. Final text editing and
arrangements for publication are now under
way.
• The report makes a valuable contribution to
the use of public scenarios in Future Studies.
• The report will be officially published and
discussed at the Nov conference.
SOFI for SA
• A new initiative the Node embarked upon was
to try and launch a SOFI for SA.
• The Node was successful in obtaining a
substantial grant from the HSRC (a
government funded research council) to
develop a State of the Future Index for SA.
• This is a multi-year project and we will build
on it over the coming years.
Thanks!
• We wish to record our appreciation to Jerome Glenn
for his wise counsel in our dealings with the WFSF
and in organising ourselves.
• And to Ted Gordon for generous advisory support on
our SOFI project.
• Thanks to our partners, the IFR and Wits, who teach
the 15 Global Challenges; and to the IFR for cohosting the Conference.
• Thanks also to our financial sponsors who are
making it possible for the SA Node to function:
– Anglo American Chairman’s Fund
– Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
– SA government thru its Dept of Science & Technology
– The Finnish Embassy in SA