Intergenerational Fairness Day Date in the current year: November 16, 2024

Intergenerational fairness, also known as intergenerational equity, is the idea of fairness between generations. It can be applied to fairness between current and future generations, as well as to the dynamics between children, youth, adults, and seniors. The concept of intergenerational fairness emphasizes the importance of treating people of all ages equitably, taking into account the specific interests, needs and concerns of each generation.

Today’s youth and future generations face unprecedented risks such as accelerating global warming, arms races, biodiversity loss, misaligned artificial intelligence, and pandemics, to name a few. Yet governments around the world continue to overlook these pressing issues. Young people also face the challenges of mounting national debt, the cost of living crisis, skyrocketing housing costs, and dwindling pensions.

In short, the actions of national governments and society as a whole are disadvantaging young people and future generations. While specific circumstances vary from country to country, a common trend is emerging: governments are prioritizing immediate concerns over long-term sustainability, affecting resource management, government spending, and investment in younger and future generations. If humanity is to survive beyond the next decade, we must make a concerted and intensive effort to change the situation.

In January 2023, a group of organizations from Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Nations Foundation came together to create an international day of action for intergenerational equity. Their gathering was initiated by the Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations (FRFG), a German activist group focused on intergenerational justice and sustainability.

The first Intergenerational Fairness Day was observed on November 16, 2023 to raise awareness of the problems faced by young people around the world and the growing inequities they face due to a lack of government intervention and policy reform. It also aims to urge decision-makers to recognize their duty to future generations and to promote cooperation to create a just and sustainable future for all by taking concrete steps to respond to existing and emerging challenges.

Intergenerational Fairness Day advocates for policies that prioritize the long-term needs of society, protect the rights of future generations, respect the limits of our environment, and avoid shifting costs to future generations without providing equitable benefits. Achieving this requires the adoption of policies that focus on long-term investments, effectively address current challenges, and uphold democratic values. Policies based on intergenerational equity seek to address public debt, provide social safety nets, and promote investment in education and infrastructure.