UNDP Maldives Accelerator Lab together with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) conducted a virtual workshop on Futures and Foresight for the Civil Service Advisory Committee on 6th April 2021. This was an introductory program to introduce futures thinking and strategic foresight methodology to policymakers. The session was facilitated by Ms Aarathi Krishnan, Strategy and Foresight Advisor for UNDP.

During the session, Aarathi shared key trends related to the climate crisis, future of work and other areas. She stressed on the importance of strategic foresight for governments to be anticipatory, which enhances their capacities to    respond and deal with the uncertainties of the future in a proactive way. 

The workshop was held during the Civil Service Advisory Committee’s 5th meeting for the year 2021 and was attended by over 30 participants, including the permanent secretaries of the ministries as well as members and senior staff of Civil Service Commission.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Resident Representative of UNDP Maldives Ms. Akiko Fujii reflected on how crisis pushes institutions and systems to change. However, she emphasized that we do not need to wait until a crisis force us to change but rather, we should be equipped with tools to understand key trends and foresight.

During the session, participants were provoked to share reflections on what keeps them awake at night when they think of the future. Participants highlighted that questions related to the future impacts of climate change and whether future generations will get to see a fair and equitable society where they can thrive as major issues.

Speaking at the closing, CSC Chairperson thanked UNDP Maldives for the longstanding support to the Civil Service Commission since its inception and reiterated the commitment to continue this collaboration.

UNDP Maldives Accelerator Lab will continue to engage with civil service entities to foster futures literacy and foresight methodologies in the policy space.