Guardian of
Article 8 of the Sustainable Development Act, Cap. 521 establishes the Guardian of Future Generations with the aim to safeguard intergenerational and intragenerational sustainable development in Malta.
Following the amendment by virtue of Act No. I of 2019, the composition of the Commission has been amended to recognise all voluntary organisations as contributing towards the sustainable development agenda whilst also ensuring that the environmental dimension, being the third pillar of sustainable development, is duly recognised.
Vision
As an interdisciplinary group of professionals, we seek to promote, support and incentivise policies and ideas which enable all citizens of Malta and Gozo, including those of future generations, irrespective of race, gender and social backgrounds to have the right to live in a country which provides them the best outcomes for their wellbeing, and a healthy environment which enables them to thrive and prosper.
Mission
The Guardian of Future Generations, as established by Article 8 of the Sustainable Development Act, Chapter 521 of the Laws of Malta, seeks to ensure healthy outcomes for all citizens in Malta and Gozo by advancing and implementing effective policies, stronger systems, and innovative practices that result in equitable and optimal health, prosperity and wellbeing for all, including community building and a resilient society.
The Guardian’s mission shall, thereby, be that of fulfilling its role as defined through legislation and the below core values on which its strategic process is based in order to enhance sustainable development through collaborations, research-based recommendations and rights.
Strategy
Identify, demonstrate, support and promote rights and wellbeing innovations that will result in sustainable change, working in partnership with providers, policymakers, academic institutions, community-led groups, and state agencies.
Strategic Process (2023 – 2026)
- Rights-based value system inspired by SDGs.
- Research-based approach to recommendations.
- Participatory approach to community activities.
Priority Areas Embedded in the Strategic Vision
The Guardian of Future Generations’ strategic process is mainly influenced, and based on SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities which ensures that cities and human settlements are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The priority areas include:
- The re-use of existing buildings and sites in a sustainable way.
- The development of socially aware designs of public places, such as pedestrian pathways and roads through the use of participatory methodologies with minorities and relevant stakeholders.
- Community-building through projects that put the person, their health and wellbeing at the centre.
- The promotion of safety and security in the urban environment for all.
Shared Values & the Ethical System
The Guardian of Future Generations’ core values of justice, respect, accountability, collaboration, and equitable action have been intentionally and collaboratively designed to reflect the culture we strive to embody and the ways that we approach our work. We aspire to uphold these values in order to positively impact our society as well as the systems, practices, and policies that promote the rights and wellbeing of children, older adults, women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, migrants, people of colour, black minorities and people with disabilities.
Core Values
Justice as a Core Value
The Guardian of Future Generations aspires to apply a rights-based approach so that one day our society can live in a more just and harmonious way where everyone’s wellbeing will always be safeguarded. The Guardian acknowledges that injustice is itself a type of trauma.
Social Cohesion as a Core Value
The Guardian of Future Generations demonstrates respect for ourselves and each other within MFWS and those we work with externally including organisations, communities, children and families. The Guardian’s bottom-up approach to fostering social cohesion within our diverse communities aims to build and support a flourishing environment.
Accountability as a Core Value
In its projects, the Guardian of Future Generations aims to safeguard existing social ties and relationships by providing tools and skills to our diverse communities. By taking both a person-centred and preventative approach, the Guardian aims to co-develop resilient communities. The roles of accountability and prevention are key, while they complement SDG 11, which aims to foster transparent decision-making processes, inclusivity and resilience.
Collaboration as a Core Value
The Guardian of Future Generations values collaboration and alliances to achieve a sense of social glue within our diverse communities. As a team, the Guardian believes in collaborations and seeks to engage with public agencies, policymakers, researchers, providers, community-based organisations, and families who are directly impacted in order to make evidence- and community-based decisions to improve wellbeing.
Equitable Action as a Core Value
The Guardian of Future Generations strives to take action that seek to make equitable improvements within our national systems and policies that impact us now and in the future. The Guardian believes that such action can only enhance the larger social-serving system so that inequity and injustice no longer impede the opportunities afforded to children and their families, older adults, women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, migrants, people of colour, black minorities and people with disabilities.
Current board
| Chairperson | Dr Rachael Marie Scicluna |
| Members | Ms Natalia Bezzina Dr Ian Ellul Ms Michela Scalpello Ms Mariella Schembri |
| Secretary | Dr Tiffany Ann Attard |
The Guardian of future
Generations’ Projects
Our Spaces, Our Communities - Healthy, Secure and Playful Together
The ‘Our Spaces, Our Communities – Healthy, Secure and Playful Together’ project was spearheaded by the Guardian of Future Generations, under the leadership of Chairperson Dr Rachael Marie Scicluna, in collaboration with the Ministry for Energy, the Environment and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour and the Gabriel Caruana Foundation.
The aim of the initiative is to co-create vibrant, healthy, playful, and secure urban spaces that benefit all residents, enhancing the quality of life in the towns of Żurrieq, Safi, and Kirkop. The research, conducted between 2024 and 2026 across these localities, engaged over 200 participants of different ages and explored how communities perceive their urban and natural surroundings. This process supported the co-design of more sustainable neighbourhoods that promote wellbeing and help reduce health disparities.
The project highlighted the social value of infrastructure, promoted health equity, and encouraged community building by integrating nature into the design of more connected and inclusive spaces. Through ongoing dialogue with local councils and key stakeholders, it also generated valuable insights for planners, developers, and policymakers working to support residents’ wellbeing, contributing directly to Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
The programme concluded its research phase with a vibrant touring exhibition shaped by the voices and creativity of local communities. Featuring modular structures, illustrations, photographs, posters, and clay work developed through an art-based, participatory process, the exhibition explored how safer, greener public spaces can enhance everyday life, particularly from the perspective of children and young people.
This marked an important milestone and was followed by a collaborative workshop bringing together contributors to share learning and sustain momentum.
What came next?
The Guardian published a policy document grounded in robust evidence and lived experience, setting out clear, actionable recommendations that reflected the needs of all people, leaving no one behind.
Reimagining the Urban from an Ageing Perspective
Reimagining the Urban from an Ageing Perspective is a collaborative initiative between FSWS-ACTS and the Guardian of Future Generations that seeks to reposition older people as active contributors in shaping urban life. Through a series of creative, community-based workshops held in familiar local spaces, the project will explore older adults’ experiences of the past, present, and future built environment.
Activities include reflecting on historical neighbourhoods through old photographs, documenting current realities and aspirations through participant-led photography, and co-creating imaginative street-furniture concepts, potentially with intergenerational input. These engagements will feed into a visual timeline capturing how urban spaces have evolved and how they can become more age friendly. Supported by an in-house artist who will document the process, the project will produce practical outputs such as recommendations, infographics, and visual materials.
Findings will be shared with key stakeholders including local councils and national entities and disseminated publicly through social media and print media to encourage broader dialogue on inclusive urban design.
The Voices of Our Young Generation
The Voices of Our Young Generation is a collaborative project between the Caritas Malta and the Guardian of Future Generations aimed at re-engaging students who participated in the 2023/24 Caritasfest ‘Choose to be the Change’ initiative.
Through a combination of surveys and school-based focus groups, the project will explore how students’ perspectives have evolved over the past two years, while assessing the initiative’s lasting impact. It will provide young people with a meaningful platform to share their views on Malta’s progress, the role of children’s voices in society, and priorities for the future.
The findings, both qualitative and quantitative, will be compiled into a comprehensive report, alongside policy recommendations designed to strengthen child participation in decision-making. The project will also include two child-centred events to present results and co-create recommendations with students.