Daunis Auers, Chair of the Board of the LaSER think tank, participated in the high-level expert forum Latvia’s Strategic Development Planning Architecture: Inclusive Foresight for Purposeful Transformation, held at the Latvian Parliament. In his address, he highlighted international experience and emphasised the need to introduce a structured and institutionalised foresight practice within Latvia’s public administration.
Foresight is not the same as forecasting—it does not seek to predict the future with precision, but rather explores future opportunities and challenges, providing a roadmap for national development. Ireland was presented as a notable example of a country that successfully transformed its economic trajectory by agreeing on a national strategy and building on its competitive advantages. The discussion also examined the experience of the Nordic countries and Latvia’s Baltic neighbours, with particular attention to the Estonian Parliament’s Foresight Centre, which provides institutionalised and continuous analytical support for decision-making.
More information about the forum is available here.
Photo: Ieva Ābele, Saeima