Monday, February 9, 2015

“Pakistan Foresight Initiative” Launched by AGAHI, Pakistan Node of The Millennium Project.

“Pakistan Foresight Initiative” Launched by AGAHI, Pakistan Node of The Millennium Project

The Millennium Project and AGAHI sign a MOU, collaborating on Global Futures Studies and Research and specific applications for Pakistan.

The magnitude of the challenges that Pakistan is already facing is a crucial indicator to provide the population with meaningful knowledge skill-sets that would create an environment for policymakers, legislatures and political groups to realign the decision-making process. A test case study has been launched in 2012, to assess the Future of Pakistan until 2060. The research conducted was to check and test assumptions about Pakistan’s future among the leadership and wider society, explore perceptions of Pakistanis from both inside and outside the country, and identify future risks and opportunities.
 
Puruesh Chaudhary, Founder and President AGAHI said that “the ‘Pakistan Foresight Initiative’ creates a great opportunity for stakeholders in Pakistan to contribute to the global information system across 15 challenges such as: Sustainable development and climate change, Clean water, Population and resources, Democratization, Global Foresight and Decision-making, Global convergence of IT, Rich-poor gap, Health issues, Education, Peace and Conflict, State of Women, Transnational organized crime, Energy, Science and technology, Global ethics. AGAHI will partner at national and sub-national levels with experts and organizations based of their contributions, expertise and knowledge for producing specific futures studies and the State of Futures Index-Pakistan.”
AGAHI assumes the lead responsibility as a country Node for The Millennium Project in Pakistan to help improve humanity’s future prospects. Jerome Glenn, co-Founder and Director of The Millennium Project said that humanity needs to think together in a systematic research-based common platform about our planetary future; The Millennium Project’s annual State of the Future” reports and the Global Futures Intelligence System has begun to address that need. On behalf of The Millennium Project with its 55 Nodes around the world, Glenn welcomed the Pakistani Node to connect the views of Pakistan’s future-oriented institutions and individuals with others around the world to help build a better future for humanity as a whole.

Puruesh Chaudhary is also a member of the Planning Committee of The Millennium Project, which oversees the quality of the Project’s work, assuring that its research is apolitical, publishing results, and promoting public awareness and dialogue.

AGAHI in its independent capacity is developing alliances with key stakeholders at the academic and government tiers, with individual experts and civil society organizations in order to advance the purposes of foresight thinking in policymaking and strategic planning in the country.

AGAHI-Network will work on producing research that focuses on human capital development, strengthening institutions in Pakistan and Globally by institutionalising futures thinking on matters related to human security and territorial sovereignty, and participate in The Millennium Project studies. The Millennium Project is currently preparing to conduct a global assessment of how to prepare for future changes in the nature of work as artificial intelligence and other forms of automations are being implemented over the next 20 to 30 years.

The Millennium Project is a global participatory think tank connecting 55 Nodes around the world that identify important long-range challenges and strategies, and initiate and conduct foresight studies, workshops, symposiums, and advanced training. Its mission is to improve thinking about the future and make it available through a variety of media for feedback to accumulate wisdom about the future for better decisions today. It produces the annual "State of the Future" reports, the "Futures Research Methodology" series, the Global Futures Intelligence System (GFIS), and special studies.

AGAHI is a non-governmental organization established in Islamabad in 2011 under the Society Registration Act 1860It started off as an initiative of Mishal Pakistan and gradually became an independent organization. AGAHI is heavily focused on Research and Development mainly on national and international security, ICT, competitiveness, human capital development, and governance issues. It also aims to promote quality journalism through the Media Development Initiative program