A United Reformed Church minister has been named one of 100 changemakers who have made a positive difference in Wales.
The Revd Gethin Rhys, Policy Officer for Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales), featured on the Future Generations Changemaker 100 list compiled by Sophie Howe, Wales’ first Future Generations Commissioner, to mark the end of her seven-year term.
Wales has been commended by the United Nations for its unique Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 which protects the interests of children and future generations.
The list highlights changemakers from all across society working for a “better Wales” and includes renowned actor Michael Sheen, charity workers, environmentalists, and many more.
Speaking about being placed on the list, Gethin said: “I am not a great one for honours, to be honest, but I am really pleased that the Future Generations Commissioner has acknowledged the importance of a faith perspective in the public debate. A deep concern for the wellbeing of future generations and of the planet on which they, like us, will depend is surely at the heart of Christian faith, and so I have always supported this Act and the work of the Commissioner.”
The Commissioner’s citation read: “Gethin has championed the need to ensure that the wellbeing of Future Generations Act is central to many social and political aspects of policy. He has often advised my team on how public bodies and others can consider faith and religion, including the relationship between these and other policy areas such as climate change and education.”
The list was announced at a special event at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Recent years have brought to the fore the scale of the global challenges we face. Chief among these is the pressing need to work towards a more sustainable future.
“To deliver on our ambitions for a stronger, fairer, and greener Wales we need to continually ensure that the way we work in government is driving forward the positive vision we have for the future shaped by the Well-being of Future Generations Act.”
Read the full list here.