UNITED NATIONS IS INCREASING ITS FORESIGHT CAPACITY By Jerome C. Glenn CEO, The Millennium Project
T
HE United Nations Secretary-
of the Chilean Node of The Millennium
and academic leaders around the world
General Antonio Guterres’s
Project proposed that an open letter
endorsed the letter, calling for a new UN
report Our Common Agenda
be sent to the UN Secretary General
Office of Strategic Threats to coordinate
https://www.un.org/en/content/
suggesting a feasibility study to be
global research on long-range strategic
common-agenda-report/ is the
conducted by the UN Secretariat on the
or existential threats to humanity, and to
most important UN document for
establishment of such a UN Off ice. The
their prevention.
implementing global futures research
letter was circulated among colleagues
and foresight as a function of the UN
of The Millennium Project, the World
f rom The Millennium Project with the
ever produced.
Futures Studies Federation, and the
World Futures Studies Federation and
September 2, 2021 the open letter
Association of Professional Futurists.
the Association of Professional Futurists
Project along with the World Futures
Press releases were issued2, listservs
including 200+ signatories and a
Studies Federation, the Association of
discussed the idea, and many futurists
background memo was delivered to UN
Professional Futurists, and Humanity+
referred to the letter in speeches and
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
conduced World Future Day: the 24-
correspondence.
March 1, 2021 The Millennium
hour around-the-world no agenda
By August 14, 2021 more than 200
Subsequently, when Our Common Agenda report was presented by the
conversation on the future. Among the
leaders in government, business,
Secretary-General to the UN General
many suggestions and insights shared
academia, and futurists including internet
Assembly, we sent an addendum to the
that day was the idea of creating a UN
pioneer Vint Cerf, and Nobel Prize
open letter explaining how the proposed
Office on Strategic or Existential Threats 1.
Laureate Oscar Arias and other business,
UN Office on Strategic or Existential
Ambassador Héctor Casanueva, Chair
political, technological, environmental,
Threats fits into and supports the report:
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HUMAN FUTURES