The opening session, Objects of the Future, was designed & facilitated by Stuart Candy, Associate Professor of design at Carnegie Melon and Luciana Mermet, the UNDP Resident Representative in Bolivia. The objects of the future, as tangible representations of a range of alternative futures, are meant to stretch the boundaries of thinking and generate a different type of conversation by embodying the world a generation or even a century from now. The intent with this conversation is to create a more real sense of long-range impact of actions we might take (or not take) today, upon what will happen tomorrow. The panel featured:
Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, the world’s 1st commissioner representing the interests of the future generations at the government level.
Faruk Kaymakci is Deputy MFA Minister, Turkish Government and a key supporter of Istanbul Innovation Days. He discuss what innovation and disruption means for the Government and how their relationship with the UN can help further that mission.
Roman Krznaric takes a long term view and encourages the stewarding assets for future generations. The author discusses deep-time humility and cathedral thinking in his book, ‘The Good Ancestor’.
Nanjira Sambuli is a researcher, policy analyst, and advocacy strategist who works to understand the intersection of information and communications technology (ICT) adoption with governance, media, entrepreneurship, and culture through a gender lens. She presently holds board positions at Transform Health, the Digital Impact Alliance of the UN Foundation, and Development Gateway.