From April 2009-May 2013 Halina Ward was Director of the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development (FDSD). FDSD began work in 2009, with an ambitious mandate to develop ideas and practical tools to equip democracy to deliver sustainable development.

In March 2013 FDSD launched a Democracy and Sustainability Platform (www.democracyandsustainability.org). The Platform is a space for collaborative learning and action anchored in a short Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability which was developed following an international consultation process which Halina coordinated. The Manifesto’s six Principles and associated Commitments set out an agenda for change so that democracy is designed to deliver a healthy environment and fairness for all, now and in the future.

Halina also played a key role in bringing the creation of the Alliance for Future Generations; a grouping of UK-based organisations and individuals. Members of the Alliance for Future Generations have agreed to work to bring long-termism and the needs of future generations into the heart of UK democracy and policy-making, in order to safeguard the earth and secure intergenerational justice.

Before joining FDSD, Halina was Director of the Business and Sustainable Development Programme at the International Institute for Environment and Development. She has also worked as a Senior Fellow with Chatham House, as a solicitor practising commercial environment law, and as a Senior Consultant with the consultancy Environmental Resources Management.