Peaceful Futures

Pavel Luksha, Global Education Futures (I will present & will also moderate the session) Anastasia Evgrafova, VZOR Lab Anna Peplova, VZOR Lab Abi Nooks, School of International Futures and NGFP Thays Prado, NGFP Alija Blackwell, Oneiric Lab and NGFP Yiannis Laouris, Future Worlds and Structured Democratic Dialogue Robert Schram, Ecocivilization

The description of the session follows:

Peaceful Futures is an action research project conducted by Global Education Futures, School of International Futures, VZOR Lab, and Next Generation Foresight Practitioners. Its premise is to explore the possibility of creating peace based civilization on our planet in the next 50 years. Over the last half a сentury many prominent thought leaders pointed out to the fact that weaponry is becoming increasingly lethal while the global socio-economic system becomes increasingly fragile. In 2022, the world once again recognized the fact that world peace should not be taken for granted, and that the existential risk of a global thermonuclear conflict could be very real. If this condition remains, the possibility of a sustainable human civilization should be ruled out. In the words of Buckminster Fuller, “either war is obsolete, or humans are”.

Through a series of foresight and Structured Democratic Dialogued sessions participants from over 30 countries of global north and south have explored the range of political, economic, technological, educational, and socio-cultural strategies that can create peace for all. As a result, a time map of critical paths towards the peaceful futures was created, and an opportunity map of civic and cultural peace-focused solutions was produced. The project now aims to create a range of thematic groups that will explore different aspects of Peaceful Futures and plans to launch a range of collaborative initiatives to accelerate transition towards this scenario. During the workshop, results of the foresight and the manifesto of Peaceful Futures will be presented, and plans for 2023 will be elaborated together with the workshop participants.