Not all engagement with the future operates at the same depth or ‘level’, and confusion often arises when these different forms of work are collapsed into one category.

One way to clarify the landscape is to think in terms of levels of engagement — not as a hierarchy of worth, but as distinctions in depth and function.

This article explores these “levels”.

This article critically re-examines the Futures Cone, a foundational but frequently misapplied tool in foresight practice. Often treated as a forecasting method or creative prompt, the Cone is reframed here as a relational and epistemic scaffold that only gains meaning through reflective, participatory processes. Drawing on foresight theory, decolonial perspectives, and design facilitation, the paper introduces a five-stage framework to guide its responsible use. Grounded in narrative, emotion, and historical inquiry, this approach restores the Cone’s original intent to organize complexity and hold space for plural, situated possibilities.

This strategic foresight report is the product of close cooperation between UNESCAP, the United Nations in Viet Nam and the National Institute for Economics and Finance (NIEF) under Viet Nam’s Ministry of Finance. UNESCAP and the UN in Viet Nam, in collaboration with NIEF, undertook this foresight study to inform the development of “Viet Nam 2045” – a visionary national plan intended to guide the country’s development over the next two decades.

In this article we illustrate the importance of early career perspectives and diverse partnerships to develop solutions and overcome key challenges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.