Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) is a think - tank engaged in crafting new policy concepts that enable decision makers to prepare for a future in uncertain times. Founded in 2002 to create new forms of intellectual capital, our body of work today encompasses over 50 countries, across four continents.

SFG has published over 30 in-depth research reports in English with some translations in Arabic and Spanish. We currently work within three areas of focus: 1. Water Diplomacy 2. Peace, Conflict and Terrorism 3. Global Foresight

SFG analysis and recommendations have been discussed in the United Nations, UK House of Lords, House of Commons, Indian Parliament, European Parliament, Alliance of Civilization, World Economic Forum (Davos), and quoted in over 1500 newspapers and media sources. Several Heads of Government, Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament have participated in SFG activities.

SFG Timeline

2002

Strategic Foresight Group was founded by Sundeep Waslekar, Ilmas Futehally and Shrikant Menjoge as a think-tank to craft new policy concepts and to enable decision makers to anticipate and influence future. To begin with, SFG conceptualised macro-level scenario-planning frameworks for countries and regions. Its first two reports, The Future of Pakistan and Rethinking India's Future attracted international media attention.

2003

SFG began its transformation from a South Asia oriented think-tank to a global think-tank with its report Shifting Sands: Instability in Undefined Asia providing scenarios post Iraq War.

SFG President was invited to speak at Davos meetings of the World Economic Forum for every year from 2003 to 2006 and also at the WEF Middle East summits. SFG President was made a member of the Council of 100 Leaders established by the World Economic Forum to foster good relations between religions, cultures, and civilizations.

2004

SFG organised the first international roundtable on Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror in New Delhi.

SFG conceptualised a comprehensive methodology to measure costs of a conflict on a large number of parameters. The first Cost of Conflict report (on India-Pakistan) was published.

In one year, The Times of India, twice mentioned SFG in its main editorials.

2005

Paul Martin, Canada's Prime Minister, invited SFG to be part of a select group of think-tanks to develop the concept of L-20, which eventually came to be known as G-20, now a major force in global governance.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited SFG for private consultations on global issues, particularly West-Islam relations, and to consult with all senior Cabinet Ministers and Chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees of Turkey. The discussions focussed on the idea of a dialogue of civilizations. Before long, Turkish and Spanish Prime Ministers launched UN Alliance of Civilizations.

Javier Solana, EU High Representative, and a number of world leaders invited SFG for private discussions on global issues.

SFG collaborated with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament and the League of Arab States to organise the Second International Roundtable on Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror. It was held in the European Parliament, Brussels. The third international roundtable followed in the same mould in 2006.

SFG President delivered Nelson Mandela Foundation Benefit Dinner Speech in Dubai, along with Bob Geldof, when he presented the concept of "An Inclusive World" attracting worldwide response ranging from former President Clinton of the United States to Sheikha Mozah, first lady of Qatar.

2006

SFG conceptualised and executed scenarios for Malaysia's future, presented by Urban Forum Malaysia, with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Dato Najib (now Prime Minister), former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammed, and several other senior leaders.

2007

SFG conceptualised a theory of terrorism as a phenomenon operating at the intersection of demand and supply with supply curve shaped by democratic, developmental and dignity deficit. The Oxford Union debated the theory and voted 70:30 in its support.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Alderdice convened a meeting of Parliamentarians and representatives of major institutions at the House of Lords to discuss SFG agenda of work in the Middle East. The idea of Inclusive and Semi-Permanent Conference on the Middle East was born.

2008

SFG published its report on scenarios for Global Economy and Security to 2020. It listed financial system crisis as one of risks to watch out for.

In its 2002 Future of Pakistan report, SFG had projected that General Musharraf would lose power in approximately 5 years.

President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, visited Mumbai to inaugurate the SFG conference on Responsibility to the Future.

2009

SFG report Cost of Conflict in the Middle East was launched at the United Nations in Geneva and discussed by a panel of ministers at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul. It was covered by leading media in over 50 countries around the world.

2010

SFG began its engagement with trans-boundary water issue, under joint sponsorship of Governments of Sweden and Switzerland, with an international workshop at Montreaux, addressed by HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.

SFG report on water security in the Eastern Himalayan river basins was launched at the opening of the Singapore International Water Week.

2011

SFG conceptualised the Blue Peace framework to transform water into an instrument of peace, security and cooperation. Its report on the blue peace in the Middle East was launched by Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of Switzerland, at an international press conference in Geneva and discussed with Ministers for Water in the Middle East.

SFG presented the first copy of its publication Big Questions of Our Time to Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister of Sweden. Bildt enjoyed it as his holiday reading.

SFG was invited by the Directorate General of Police of the Government of Maharashtra State in India to provide knowledge partnership for a national counter-terrorism programme.

SFG President received Doctor of Literature (HonorisCausa) of Symbiosis International University from President of India.

2012

A High Level Group chaired by HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal and comprising of former cabinet ministers of Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq was formed to steer the Blue Peace process in the Middle East.

The High Level Group had a session at the House of Lords in the presence of ministers from UK Foreign Office and Department for International Development.

2013

The SFG report on Blue Peace for the Nile was discussed at an intergovernmental meeting of donor countries convened by the World Bank in Washington DC.

The Blue Peace Middle East Media Network was launched at a meeting of over 70 senior media persons and Parliamentarians from the region.

The Blue Peace process in the Eastern Himalayas was revived with a focus on India-Bangladesh water relations. A new formula to resolve the Teesta dispute between India and Bangladesh was presented by SFG reflecting consensus by major political parties in the two countries.

SFG published its report "Water Cooperation for a Secure World" which presented a new maxim that 'any two countries engaged in active water cooperation do not go to war for any reason whatsoever'. A joint Op-Ed based on this report co-authored by HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal, Chairman of the UNSG's Water Board and SFG President was simultaneously published by over 25 leading newspapers in English, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew and Persian.

2014

Former Ministers and Water Commissioners of Israel meet with Palestinian and Jordanian experts to initiate Blue Peace track between the three countries.

Iraqi and Turkish leaders establish Tigris Consensus for exchange and harmonisation of data on Tigris river by establishing compatible monitoring stations in the border areas. When completed, 30 million people in the Tigris basin to benefit.

2015

Ministers of West African countries together launch the first edition of Water Cooperation Quotient. Senegal River Basin Organisation (OMVS) tops the world.

Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace was launched in Geneva, co-convened by 15 countries from all parts of the world and chaired by Danilo Turk, former President of Slovenia and former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. Possibility of 200 billion dollars of hydro peace dividend for 2 billion people living in shared river basins of the world.

2016

SFG worked with UNSC Member States to convene the first ever meeting of the UN Security Council in the history of the UN, on water, peace and security. The UNSC Session 7818 on 22nd November 2016 was convened under the chairmanship of Senegal. SFG President was invited to address it in the beginning, along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Chairman of the Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace, Danilo Turk. The special session of the UNSC was attended by 69 Member countries of the United Nations.

SFG cooperated with the Brazzaville Foundation, President of the Republic of Congo and other stakeholders to conceive the Congo Basin Blue Fund.

2017
The final report of the Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace was launched in Geneva.

The SFG Water Cooperation Quotient 2017, was launched in Ottawa, by John Chrétien , former Prime Minister of Canada.

2018
SFG, Geneva Water Hub and the Government of Switzerland had a joint meeting with Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.

SFG launched the Global Terror Threat Indicant in Brussels.

2019
SFG collaborated with the Government of the Region Normandy, to launch the Normandy Manifesto for World Peace. The signatories included Mohamed ElBaradei (Nobel Peace Laureate), Leymah Gbowee (Nobel Peace Laureate), Anthony Grayling (Master of New College of Humanities), Denis Mukwege (Nobel Peace Laureate), Jody Williams (Nobel Peace Laureate) and Sundeep Waslekar (President of SFG).

2020
SFG celebrated a decade of Blue Peace at the House of Lords, London with an international conference.

2022
A World without War, a book by SFG President, Sundeep Waslekar was published by HarperCollins.

SFG, Geneva Centre for Security Policy and Region Normandy launched the P5 initiative on Catastrophic Risks. An international roundtable of experts was convened in Caen, Normandy.

2023
SFG and Geneva Centre for Security Policy convened historic track two dialogue on nuclear risk reduction with participation in person of strategic experts from US, Russia, China, UK and France.  This was a rare P5 meeting on the background of the ongoing Ukraine war.

SO FAR,
SFG has worked with or on more than 65 countries from four continents. It is presently best known for its macro-level scenarios, Blue Peace framework for trans-boundary relations, Cost of Conflict methodology, its approach towards deconstructing terror and its facilitation of nuclear risk reduction processes. It has been quoted in almost 3000 newspapers, periodicals and Internet sources from 70-80 countries around the world. It has created young talent in India in new approaches to conflict analysis and peace building. As the implementation of some of its ideas is discussed, it provides hope for almost 500 million people in three different parts of the world.