Due to increasing impact from human activities on the Earth System, the world is facing multiple planetary crises – climate change, massive loss of biodiversity and pollution of air and water – that threaten to undermine the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the foundations for human wellbeing. Strengthening the capacity for multilateral collaboration is urgently needed to respond adequately to these crises and protect safe and just boundaries of the Earth System, advance sustainable development, and secure human welfare and prosperity for all, in the present and future.

At the same time, in the international system, many countries – often those that are most vulnerable to the consequences of the multiple planetary crises – do not have the capacity to engage with consistency in important processes, including at UN Headquarters in New York. With negotiating groups operating based on consensus, the opposition of one or a few countries can render the group silent on an issue that many countries may support. Given capacity constraints, these countries typically do not benefit from robust engagement with academia, civil society and other stakeholders nor engage nationally in processes to express support for or voice concerns over specific issues or reforms, leaving many countries a part of a large silent contingent on various issues. The ad-hoc nature of coalition building across capacity-limited developing countries is also time consuming and difficult.

Present and Future Institute was created to address this situation to ensure that the issues of those often silenced are brought to the forefront and duly considered, as well as to holistically address global challenges, including in a prophylactic manner, for the benefit of all, both in the present and future. PFI brings together various stakeholders across sectors taking a whole-of-society and global approach to facilitate results-oriented actions from the design to the impact stage to achieve fit-for-purpose solutions.