UWTSD academic helps shape UNESCO discussions on knowledge and action.

A University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) academic has played an active role in shaping international discussions through her work with UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, helping to strengthen connections between knowledge, policy and action.

Luci Attala is the Deputy Executive Director of BRIDGES and Director of its UK Hub and BRIDGES International Programme Office, based at UWTSD. BRIDGES is part of the wider UNESCO MOST Programme and works to develop approaches that strengthen connections between knowledge, policy and action in response to complex societal challenges.

Luci took part in the 2026 UNESCO MOST Forum in Paris which brought together policymakers, researchers and practitioners from around the world to explore approaches to social transformation.

The Forum provided an opportunity to present three BRIDGES instruments - the Manifesto, Policy Framework and Policy Toolkit to the Member States of the MOST Intergovernmental Council. Following deliberations, the Manifesto, Framework and Toolkit were unanimously approved by the Intergovernmental Council.

The BRIDGES International Programme Office, based at UWTSD, has played a leading role in developing the three guiding instruments in partnership with Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the Club of Rome and BRIDGES hubs and coalition members around the world.

The Manifesto, A Time of Great Consequence: A Manifesto for Bridging Knowledge and Action, sets out a call for action in response to the major social, environmental and technological changes facing societies.

Alongside the Manifesto and Policy Framework, the Policy Toolkit is intended to provide practical guidance for policymakers, helping them to develop more inclusive approaches and strengthen connection between research, knowledge with decision-making.

Luci also played an active role in the three-day programme of BRIDGES events in Paris, which was designed and delivered by the BRIDGES International Programme Office team at UWTSD in collaboration with UNESCO. Sophie Spooner and Catrin Bradley were instrumental in supporting the organisation, design and communication of the programme of events, working alongside BRIDGES partners and colleagues from across the international coalition.

As part of the programme, Luci led a BRIDGES workshop entitled Creating the Conditions for Youth-Leaders: We Are Not Waiting, co-facilitated with Nolita Mvunelo from the Club of Rome. The workshop brought together young people, policymakers, researchers and practitioners to explore how youth leadership is already taking place in different contexts and what conditions are needed to enable it to flourish.

Participants shared examples of youth-led initiatives and worked together to identify the factors that can support or constrain youth leadership. These insights will contribute to the development of the BRIDGES Policy Toolkit, which will be tested and refined through UNESCO field schools around the world.

Luci also co-facilitated a workshop on Community Resilience with the Tamkeen Foundation, Morocco. The workshop created space for participants to explore how resilience is built through relationships, shared practices and locally grounded knowledge, generating important insights into the conditions that enable communities to respond to change and uncertainty.

Together, the workshops demonstrated the approach at the heart of BRIDGES: creating spaces where different forms of knowledge and experience can come together, enabling participants to learn from one another and generate insights that can inform policy and practice.

The programme also highlights the international reach of BRIDGES and UWTSD’s role in creating and facilitating meaningful dialogue and collaboration between researchers, policymakers, practitioners, young people and communities to address complex global challenges.

Luci Attala said:

“Being at UNESCO in Paris provided an opportunity to bring together different perspectives and to think about how we can move beyond simply producing knowledge to finding ways of making that knowledge useful in shaping policy and practice.

“The youth leadership workshop was particularly valuable because it started from the recognition that young people are already leading change. Our focus was on understanding what enables that leadership and how we can create the conditions for it to grow.

“The work of BRIDGES creates opportunities for UWTSD to be part of important international conversations and, importantly, to help shape them through meaningful dialogue and collaboration.”

BRIDGES is an international programme working to strengthen connections between knowledge and action in response to complex societal challenges. Its International Programme Office and UK Hub are both based at UWTSD.

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

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