The Futures Balance: Policymaking with Inter-Generational Equity
The Futures Balance is a forward-looking methodology and an AI-powered tool for long-term sustainability, prosperity, and well-being, anchored in the principle of generational equity.
Co-developed with The Beyond Lab, the Futures Balance translates foresight into impact by helping decision-makers evaluate how today’s policies and investments create assets, or liabilities, for future generations.
Responding to the growing need for embedding intergenerational equity in policy and investment decisions, the Futures Balance methodology provides the conceptual foundation, anchored in interegenerational equity and regenerative development. In addition, its AI powered tool, offers a practical interface, helping policymakers and institutions see how today’s, or tomorrow’s, policies spill over into the future across domains and time horizons
from insight to influence
Explore how the Futures Balance can shape dialogue on intergenerational equity and policymaking and empower leadership to embed intergenerational equity in policy and practice.
Listen to Sally Bardayán Rivera, Deputy Permanent Representative of Panama to the WTO.
Listen to Shehrbano Jamil, Associate Manager at DAI, World Economic Forum’s Future 50 Leader
Listen to Valentin Dai Zotto, Member of the NextGen Sustainability Forum, Pictet Group.
invest in long-term sustainabiilty & impact
The Futures Balance steers how intergenerational accountability can move from concept to practice, transforming how institutions plan, invest and measure their future footprint. Its impact unfolds across three dimensions:
Mindset: Steering a global shift toward long-term sustainability through our strategic positioning in Geneva, engaging governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society in a shared ecosystem of change-makers.
Institutional: Integrating the Futures Balance into policies, governance frameworks, and financial systems, working with partners to scale adoption and embed accountability in the rules that shape the future.
Societal: Over time, fostering decisions that are fairer, more sustainable, and regenerative, strengthening the societal fabric for generations to come.
If your institution is exploring how to embed intergenerational equity into its strategies or wishes to engage in upcoming collaborations, we invite partners and investors to join this journey co-designing the solutions, alliances, and mindset necessary to make long-term sustainability possible.
Events & highlights
THE VISION BEHIND THE FUTURES BALANCE
In this short video, Özge Aydogan, Director The Beyond Lab, shares the vision beyond the Futures Balance outlining how the Futures Balance enables policymakers embed intergenerational equity in decision-making.
bUILDING BRIGDGES EVENT wHAT’S NEXT ON ACCOUNTING FOR THE FUTURE
Held as part of Building Bridges 2025, this session introduced the Futures Balance and methodology and prototype, uniting governments, youth and financial leaders to embed intergenerational equity and long-term accountability in governance.
Partner: the beyond lab
The Beyond Lab is the collaborative space at the United Nations in Geneva where people and organizations come together to shape a more sustainable future.
Created by the United Nations in Geneva, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (civil society), and the Government of Switzerland, we are built to be multistakeholder from the start. That means we don’t just talk about cooperation, we practice it every day, by working side by side with governments, youth, researchers, NGOs, international organizations, and the private sector.