Thank you, Rama. The role of changing perceptions on sustainability over time is a rich thread worth exploring further. One of the tensions I find most interesting in this space is that sustainability is often assessed at a fixed point in time (whether at programme design or close), against conditions that may look very different five or ten years later. A foresight lens invites us to ask not just whether a programme is sustainable under current conditions, but whether it is resilient to the range of futures that are plausible given climate trajectories, political shifts, or ecosystem dynamics. Would you be willing to share an example from your own experience where changing perceptions of sustainability, perhaps across funders, governments, or communities, shaped how evaluation findings were received or acted upon?
RE: From Hindsight to Foresight: How Evaluation Can Become Future-Informed
Kenya
Steven Lynn Lichty
Managing Partner
REAL Consulting Group
Posted on 26/03/2026
Thank you, Rama. The role of changing perceptions on sustainability over time is a rich thread worth exploring further. One of the tensions I find most interesting in this space is that sustainability is often assessed at a fixed point in time (whether at programme design or close), against conditions that may look very different five or ten years later. A foresight lens invites us to ask not just whether a programme is sustainable under current conditions, but whether it is resilient to the range of futures that are plausible given climate trajectories, political shifts, or ecosystem dynamics. Would you be willing to share an example from your own experience where changing perceptions of sustainability, perhaps across funders, governments, or communities, shaped how evaluation findings were received or acted upon?