Programme for government 2026 to 2030: Well-being statement

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (‘the Act’) provides the framework for improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales through sustainable development. The Act requires public bodies, including Welsh Ministers, to consider the long-term impact of their decisions, work collaboratively with people and communities, take an integrated approach to tackling challenges, and act to prevent problems from becoming more acute. It establishes 7 well-being goals which together describe the Wales we want for current and future generations.

The Act places a duty on Welsh Ministers to carry out sustainable development by setting and publishing well-being objectives designed to maximise their contribution to achieving the 7 well-being goals, and by taking all reasonable steps to meet those objectives.

This Well-being Statement is an annex to the Welsh Government's Programme for Government for 2026-2030. It explains:

• our well-being objectives and the reasonable steps we will take to meet them
• how meeting our objectives contribute to the 7 well-being goals
• how they have been developed in accordance with the sustainable development principle, and
• how progress will be monitored and reported during this Senedd term.

This government was elected to deliver change for Wales. Our Programme for Government sets out how we will fulfil that promise by focusing on the issues that matter most to people and communities across our nation.

The Act requires us to respond to the challenges of today while building the Wales we want for future generations. We have therefore brought our Programme for Government and Well-being Objectives together into a single framework for action. Our objectives set out the long-term outcomes we want to achieve, while the commitments in our Programme for Government form the reasonable steps we will take towards achieving them during this Senedd term.

The objectives are rooted in the priorities people have entrusted us to deliver, informed by the opportunities and challenges facing our nation, and shaped by our responsibility to current and future generations. They will help ensure that decisions taken today improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales for generations to come.

The challenges facing Wales are complex and interconnected. Progress in one area often depends on progress in another. A thriving well-being economy relies on good health, quality housing, strong communities, educational success, environmental sustainability and equal opportunities. Our objectives are therefore designed to work together, recognising these connections and supporting an integrated approach that maximises our contribution to the 7 well-being goals.

Our well-being objectives for the period 2026 to 2030 are:

1. Building a health and care service fit for the future, and cutting waiting lists
2. Helping households with the cost of living
3. Unleashing the potential of the Welsh economy, and creating good well-paid jobs
4. Raising standards in our schools, and ensuring the best conditions for learning
5. Tackling child poverty and securing the best future for every child in Wales
6. Standing up for Wales and demanding fairness from Westminster
7. Better government – delivering our priorities

A healthy population is the foundation of a thriving nation. Good health enables people to participate in work, education and community life, while strong and sustainable health and care services support people when they need them.

The Wellbeing of Wales report shows that progress towards a healthier Wales has been limited, with declining healthy life expectancy and other indicators pointing to ongoing challenges in improving population health. An ageing population, rising demand, changing patterns of illness and persistent health inequalities are placing increasing pressure on services. Too many people spend too long in ill health either waiting too long for diagnosis or treatment, affecting their well-being, quality of life and ability to participate fully in society.

We will improve population health, tackle inequalities and ensure people can access high-quality care closer to home, when they need it. We will build a sustainable health and care system fit for the future, improving access to diagnosis and treatment, reducing waiting times and supporting better outcomes for people across Wales. We will also strengthen integration between health and social care services to improve patient flow, reduce delays and ensure people receive joined-up care in the most appropriate setting. Together with the wider preventative action set out elsewhere in this statement, these measures will help build a healthier, more equal and more prosperous Wales.

We will:

• cut waiting times and improve delivery of planned care by transforming and modernising outpatient services, expanding diagnostic and surgical capacity and establishing up to 10 surgical hubs across Wales.
• ensure integrated care is delivered closer to home with prevention at its core, to support earlier diagnosis, reduced admissions and delays in discharge.
• strengthen national clinical pathways for all age groups, with a particular focus on mental health, stroke, diabetes, ophthalmology and cardiovascular care, to ensure safe, equitable and high‑quality care across Wales, embedding patients’ rights and reducing regional variation. The ambition for NHS Wales will be set out through a National Clinical Services Plan.
• deliver a National Cancer Strategy focused on prevention, earlier diagnosis, research and innovation, equitable access to services and more person‑centred cancer care.
• improve health and care outcomes and experiences for women and girls including through a strengthened NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan, ensuring women are heard, listened to and actively involved in shaping the services they use and the decisions that affect their care. We will also continue to deliver improved outcomes for women, families and babies through our broader maternity and neonatal care initiatives.
• improve outcomes for people living with dementia through earlier diagnosis, timely access to assessment and treatment including strengthened support and prevention as well as the publication of a Dementia Strategy.
• work to address the key challenges facing palliative and end of life care.
• improve access to mental health support including same‑day access pathways and strengthen the no wrong door approach.
• embed an outcomes‑focused approach to health and care, using evidence, data and patient experience to shape, deliver and improve services that achieve better health outcomes for the people of Wales.
• build a sustainable and skilled workforce through the delivery of a long‑term workforce strategy which increases the number of GPs by up to 100, improving access to out‑of‑hours care, reduces pressure on hospitals and Accident & Emergency departments, and supports flexible working and continued professional development.
• improve access to dental services, including exploring options to establish a new dental school in partnership with Aberystwyth University and Bangor University, and ensuring health boards assess local dentistry needs and take reasonable steps to ensure sufficient dental provision for their populations. 
• review and, where necessary, strengthen or change organisational and governance structures to improve the effectiveness and accountability of the system.
• develop a Sustainable Health and Care Facilities programme, prioritising high‑risk maintenance and urgent repairs, modernisation and more efficient utilisation of the estate.
• implement a 10‑year Digital Strategy that promotes innovation and the strategic use of AI and other emerging technologies across NHS Wales, improves health literacy, and strengthens the use of data to enhance patient outcomes, informs decision‑making and delivers more effective services.
• move towards a National Care Service by strengthening social care through a National Service Programme ensuring consistent standards, improved data collection and a better supported workforce.
• ensure seamless transitions between health and social care services to deliver more joined‑up, sustainable and person‑centred care.
• deliver safeguarding reform that strengthens the protection of children and adults through clearer accountability, stronger leadership and better use of data and intelligence to drive continuous improvement in practice.

The rising cost of everyday life is affecting the security, well-being and opportunities of households across Wales. The Wellbeing of Wales report highlights that around a fifth of people and a third of children live in relative income poverty.

Using the levers available to us, we will take practical action to ease household costs through affordable childcare, secure and energy-efficient homes, and fair taxation. By reducing inequalities and strengthening family finances, we can improve health and well-being and enable more people to fulfil their potential. We will also pursue the powers needed to develop made in Wales social protections that meet the needs of our people and communities.

We will:

• deliver a transformative and universal new Childcare Offer for children from the age of 9 months to 4 years, building progressively to 20 hours of funded childcare a week for 48 weeks a year, while maintaining the existing 30‑hour offer for eligible 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds.
• introduce a single, streamlined application system so families can easily access funded childcare.
• expand Welsh‑medium early years provision through our new Childcare Offer.
• work closely with childcare providers to build capacity across the sector and grow the workforce in order to absorb the expansion.
• improve the Welsh Benefits System to make support easier to access and fit for purpose.
• press the UK government to devolve social security so that we can design and deliver made in Wales social protections that better reflect the needs and values of our people and communities.
• introduce new measures to strengthen the rights and protections of renters, including fair rents, and we will improve the overall quality of rental properties.
• work towards realising a right to adequate housing in Wales.
• deliver more social housing – at least 20,000 additional social homes by 2030 – and support community‑led housing that meets local needs.
• establish Unnos to enable the delivery of more publicly-owned, energy efficient homes.
• expand access to retrofitting by adopting a tenure‑neutral, area‑based approach whilst retaining existing energy efficiency schemes for low‑income households.
• focus on the pace of remediation of properties with fire safety defects.
• explore ways to make Council Tax fairer.
• use our devolved tax levers to support essential public services, and design our taxes to support our goals, including helping home buying, and reducing waste in landfill.

A strong and productive economy is the foundation for better living standards, good public services and a more prosperous Wales. Our ambition is to generate more wealth and retain more of it within Wales, creating good, well-paid jobs and ensuring that communities in every part of our nation benefit.

Wales has enormous economic potential, but opportunity, investment and growth are not shared equally. The Wellbeing of Wales report shows that while employment and qualification levels have improved over the longer term, Wales continues to have lower levels of economic output and household income than the UK average, while progress in improving productivity, pay and income levels has been more limited. We will support Welsh businesses to grow, equip people with the skills they need, improve connectivity and strengthen the rural and regional economies that sustain communities, our culture and Cymraeg.

By investing for the long term and making better use of Wales’s skills, natural resources and public spending, we will build a fairer, greener and more resilient economy that works for people and communities across Wales.

We will:

• progress our productivity mission which will consider all government activity with reference to driving up productivity.
• establish a new Economic and Fiscal Commission to help us set targets, collect relevant data and measure progress to make government more accountable for its economic decision making.
• create a new, business‑led National Development Agency, at arms‑length from the Welsh Government, to help Welsh businesses to grow, innovate and trade internationally, secure inward investment, and increase numbers of good quality, well‑paid and sustainable jobs. The agency will work for people across the nation and across the economy.
• reform the Development Bank of Wales and the financial products it offers to support the growth of medium-sized businesses and ensure that its financing promotes and embeds fair work and a Real Living Wage.
• aim to increase the level spent on procuring goods and services from Wales‑based suppliers towards 70%, using public procurement as a driver of economic growth. We will introduce a new measure of Welsh economic value from public procurement to maximise the economic and social benefits that public spending delivers for Wales.
• develop the supply chain for Welsh timber, using public procurement to stimulate demand, and promote innovation and business growth in the sector, whilst improving resilience and working with the sector to deliver on the Welsh Timber Industrial Strategy.
• Adopt a Fair Work First approach to awarding public sector grants, loans and contracts.
• reform and rebalance business rates to better support high street businesses in hospitality, leisure and retail. 
• use the Town Centre Taskforce to explore the options around revitalising our town centres including bringing empty properties into use as social housing.
• legislate for a community right to buy to empower communities to take ownership of local assets.
• provide more specialist support to create, grow and sustain new co‑operative, employee‑owned, and social businesses, and improve their access to finance through the Development Bank of Wales.
• develop a Skills Strategy for Wales, informed by a national skills audit, to align skills provision, vocational education and qualifications with current and future economic needs. We will support a system that strengthens pathways into education, training and employment, helping people gain the skills, support and opportunities they need to enter, remain and progress in fair, secure and sustainable work.
• take steps to create a financially sustainable tertiary education system that delivers high‑quality education, skills and research, supports collaboration across the sector, and secures long‑term value from public investment, starting with our independent review of higher education funding. 
• work to ensure that young people in Wales can live, study and work in Europe – including by maximising the opportunities for Welsh students that stem from the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ scheme and examining options for the future of the Wales‑specific Taith programme
• deliver a new Digital Strategy which will support digitisation and innovation in the Welsh economy, drive forward public service digital transformation, and deliver the conditions to support safe and ethical adoption of AI to support productivity and more efficient public services.
• continue to work with UK government and telecoms providers to ensure businesses and homes have access to superfast broadband at a minimum.
• prioritise the resilience of connections across the Menai Strait through short and medium‑term improvements whilst planning for long‑term solutions.
• work with partners to address road resilience in the South‑East Wales corridor.
• promote road safety and ensure that our roads are safely maintained. 
• bring forward a renewed pipeline of short, medium and long‑term priority rail projects. 
• create a more integrated public transport network by expanding tap‑on, tap‑off, pay‑as‑you‑go ticketing, introducing simpler and fairer fares across bus and rail to improve services for passengers and communities across Wales, making travel simpler and more affordable.
• continue to provide £1 single bus fares and £3 day tickets for children and young people aged 5‑21 and retain bus passes for over 60s and disabled people.
• transform bus services through franchising, bringing routes, fares and standards under a single publicly accountable system that puts passengers first. We will enhance links between communities through the new North‑South coach service and deliver an integrated network that improves access to services, supports economic growth, and helps reduce carbon emissions. 
• deliver a renewed EV strategy for Wales.
• put active travel at the heart of Wales’s transport system, making it a practical, safe and inclusive choice for more everyday journeys. We will reduce barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling to support our ill health prevention mission, and promote wellbeing and economic opportunity.
• put children and young people at the heart of a joined‑up approach to learner travel, strengthening cross‑government working so that public services work together to improve access to education, including by addressing barriers to Welsh‑medium education.
• take a strategic approach to secure Cardiff Airport’s long‑term sustainability and maximise its economic potential.
• work with Welsh ports to strengthen their resilience and maximise their contribution to the Welsh economy, while pursuing full devolution of port regulation.
• support the agriculture sector in Wales in a way that underpins the long‑term sustainability of farm businesses and protects the future of the Welsh family farm in a changing climate. We will evolve and refine the Sustainable Farming Scheme, in strong collaboration with the farming community, so that it supports a thriving agriculture sector to produce food while also progressively delivering key environmental outcomes.
• implement a new approach to managing nutrients across catchments, moving away from the “farming by calendar” approach and supporting farmers to reduce agricultural water pollution.
• introduce a new Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) Plan, taking a holistic approach to eradication that is evidence-based and science‑led, incorporating the 3 pillars of cattle, people and wildlife. 
• develop a renewed and science‑led Animal Welfare Plan, addressing the welfare of both companion animals and farm animals.
• support a sustainable fishing and aquaculture industry, and the communities that rely on it, as part of the food system and economy.
• deliver a Rural Development Strategy for Wales.
• legislate to require rural proofing of spending plans and policy programmes to ensure they are fully responsive to the needs of rural communities.
• deliver a new comprehensive National Food Strategy.
• examine options for extending permitted development rights for single dwellings and converting farm buildings for residential use to improve access to affordable housing in rural areas.
• develop a National Energy Strategy, mapping Wales’s current and future energy needs and setting out a clear, long‑term plan for the infrastructure required to meet them.
• coordinate action across government and key sectors through delivering a new Renewable Energy Sector Deal.
• merge Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, Ynni Cymru and the Welsh Government Energy Service to create a strengthened national energy company to grow community ownership.
• review the 182‑day threshold for holiday accommodation and create clear and reasonable new exemptions where that accommodation would not qualify as a private home.
• work with local authorities to review the effectiveness of existing measures on second homes and holiday lets and assess what further action is needed to help young people remain in their communities and to promote the Welsh language and culture.
• review the role of Visit Wales and consider whether it is the best model for supporting tourism and promoting careers in the industry.
• reform the planning system, so it better serves our people, communities and businesses, building a more connected and prosperous Wales.
• overhaul spatial planning and produce a National Development Framework for Wales that provides renewed vision and oversight on an all‑Wales basis.
• replace the current fragmented and overlapping approaches to marine management by delivering a Marine Planning Framework, built on genuine co‑management with fishers, environmental, community and industry stakeholders.

Education opens doors, helps people fulfil their potential and develops the skills on which a strong and prosperous Wales depends. A high-quality education system can improve life chances, tackle inequality and equip people to contribute to their communities and the future of our nation.

Too many learners still face barriers to achieving their potential. The Wellbeing of Wales report highlights persistent inequalities in educational outcomes, with learners from more deprived backgrounds continuing to experience poorer outcomes. We will raise standards, improve attendance and well-being, and ensure learners receive the support and high-quality teaching they need to succeed.

By creating clear pathways through education, training and employment, supporting our education workforce and expanding opportunities to learn through Cymraeg, we will help learners of all ages develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to achieve their ambitions.

We will:

• publish a Literacy and Numeracy Plan and raise standards by establishing national targets, including a baseline assessment for learners entering school. We will support our workforce to develop individual targets for all learners.
• review curriculum and assessment arrangements to simplify and clarify expectations for schools and settings. This will include ensuring clear expectations for knowledge and education about our nation’s culture and history.
• develop a coordinated framework bringing together schools, health and social care, and youth services to address behaviour, attendance, wellbeing and educational inequality. These also reflect wider societal issues, and we will work across government to address them. We will improve professional learning, reporting of incidents and information sharing between schools, and test implementation through our Community Schools Plus pilots.
• strengthen the long‑term sustainability of the Additional Learning Needs system. We will work in partnership, including with health partners, to strengthen system clarity, capacity and workforce confidence to deliver inclusive education in Welsh and English, so that children and young people receive the right support at the right time to meet their needs.
• develop a tertiary education system with clear and coherent learner pathways, supporting lifelong learning and enabling people of all ages to progress confidently between education, training and employment throughout their lives and to reach their full potential.
• reform Academi Seren, building on its strongest elements to support more learners, including from disadvantaged backgrounds, to fulfil their potential and progress into higher education, training or employment including here in Wales.
• strengthen opportunities for young people to fulfil their potential including increasing access to vocational pathways such as junior apprenticeships and ensuring the contribution of youth work is better valued and understood.
• grow the proportion of children and young people receiving Welsh‑medium education, and improve accessibility to Welsh‑medium education, setting local targets to ensure the steady growth of Welsh‑medium provision in all schools.
• increase the number of students able to access tertiary pathways in Welsh, supporting and developing the work of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and working with the Coleg and Medr to increase opportunities to study Welsh as a subject. 
• support an increase in the number of teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh, promoting and developing the Welsh‑language skills of practitioners and developing new sabbatical opportunities.
• work with our education workforce and social partners to make teaching an attractive, respected and rewarding career.
• improve recruitment and retention by reducing workload, providing more flexibility for planning, preparation and assessment and supporting high‑quality professional development for all teachers, leaders and teaching assistants.
• build on our increase of the Initial Teacher Education Priority Subject Incentive from £15,000 to £20,000 to help attract more teachers into shortage subjects and explore opportunities to increase this further.
• strengthen safeguarding leadership and governance across education by ensuring learners and educators can recognise and report grooming. We will provide comprehensive digital safety and media literacy education, and ensure safeguarding and educational standards are consistently upheld and independently scrutinised.

Tackling child poverty is a defining mission of this government. It is both a moral imperative and an investment in Wales's future. Every child should be able to learn, participate and fulfil their potential, regardless of their family’s circumstances.

Poverty, inequality and discrimination can limit opportunity and affect people’s health, education and life chances. Evidence from the Wellbeing of Wales report shows that around a third of children in Wales live in relative income poverty. Their causes and consequences are interconnected, requiring action across government and society to remove barriers, protect rights and ensure everyone can participate fully in their communities.

We will combine immediate support with long-term action to break the cycle of poverty and advance equality. By working with people with lived experience and tackling the structural inequalities that hold people back, we will build a fairer, healthier, more equal and prosperous Wales - where everyone is treated with dignity and every child can thrive.

We will:

• work with partners to develop and deliver a new plan to tackle child poverty, setting clear targets, benchmarks and milestones to drive ambitious, deliverable change.
• press the UK government to use the levers they have, including removing the benefit cap, increasing Local Housing Allowance, and introducing social tariffs to deliver real change for families living in poverty.
• seek to pilot Cynnal, a Welsh Child Payment, providing a direct weekly payment for young children in families claiming Universal Credit.
• expand access to free school meals in secondary schools, starting by ensuring that all students in Years 7‑11 from households claiming Universal Credit are able to claim a free school meal, with no income limit. We will align provision with the work on a new National Food Strategy.
• work across all areas of government to end violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence, through a whole‑system, prevention‑led and society‑wide approach. 
• support victims and survivors by protecting funding for specialist, survivor‑centred services, and by exempting refuges from the Renting Homes Act to ensure access to safe accommodation.
• work with people with lived experience to advance equality, including LGBTQ+ equality, disabled people’s rights, gender equality and an anti‑racist Wales. We will strengthen delivery and accountability, and report on progress and impact. 
• support the UK government in taking forward a full, trans‑inclusive ban on so‑called ‘conversion therapy’, maximising Welsh Government action to tackle these harmful practices and support survivors.
• uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant and work across public services to improve support for veterans and their families.
• take forward proposals to develop human rights‑based legislation for Wales.
• work with partners to support sanctuary seekers to participate and integrate into Welsh society, helping them rebuild their lives safely and with dignity.

This government is ambitious for Wales and determined to ensure that decisions affecting its people are taken in their interests. Achieving this requires the powers, resources and voice needed to respond to the challenges and opportunities facing our nation.

Through this objective, we will seek a fairer settlement, strengthen Wales’s influence at home and internationally, and build strong national institutions. The Wellbeing of Wales report highlights a number of persistent challenges, including lower levels of economic output and household income than the UK average. We will champion Wales’s interests and ensure our nation has a confident voice in shaping its future.

We will:

• pursue fiscal reform, including fairness in the way Wales is funded, the operation of the Barnett Formula, greater fiscal flexibilities, fair funding of devolved powers, and further responsibilities for the Senedd over taxes in Wales.
• fight for the rail funding we are owed and that we need to invest in Welsh rail – including consequential funding from HS2 – and for rail to be devolved.
• deliver a national programme to secure and restore disused tips, ensuring every tip is properly monitored, maintained, and managed. We will continue to insist that the UK Government funds this work properly and in full.
• establish a Wales‑wide strategy on remediating contaminated land to map, prioritise and progressively restore post‑industrial land so communities are no longer exposed to derelict sites, toxic soils, and polluted waterways. We will continue to press the UK government to fund this restoration.
• seek the devolution of air passenger duty.
• explore new and innovative forms of financing
• establish a new National Commission for Wales to provide independent advice to the Welsh Government on Wales’s constitutional future, building on the work of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. The Commission will support an inclusive and informed national conversation, build the evidence base for debate and decision‑making, and provide advice on devolution priorities and wider constitutional reform. 
• formally request the devolution of the right to decide on the timeline, question, and process for an independence referendum.
• pursue the full devolution of justice and policing to Wales with the urgency this deserves.
• formally request the full devolution of power over water in Wales.
• work to secure devolution of powers for the Senedd to legislate to establish a new economic regulator and planning body for Wales, so all decisions about water are made in Wales for Wales.
• prioritise securing the devolution of the Crown Estate.
• work towards the devolution of powers over broadcasting, including powers to regulate, supervise, and ensure accountability for broadcasting and communications in Wales. We will begin by establishing a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales to protect and strengthen local and national public service media platforms.
• pursue the full devolution of welfare powers.
• pursue the devolution of further powers on energy regulation and pricing.
• pursue full devolution of port regulation.
• work with the sector including our creative industries to create and deliver a targeted Culture and Sport Strategy for a healthier, wealthier and more resilient Wales. 
• prioritise equality of access to the arts, culture, heritage and sport for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, considering how our entry policies can support this.
• bring forward a European Strategy which will include our determination to align with world‑leading European standards in environmental protection, public health and food.
• evolve and progress a comprehensive bilateral cooperation framework with Ireland to strengthen cultural and trading ties.
• develop and implement a comprehensive Diaspora Strategy to promote Wales as a place for diaspora entrepreneurs to invest, and encourage and incentivise recent emigrants to return.
• provide strategic and long‑term support to national governing bodies to attract and host international events in Wales. 
• deliver a lasting legacy as hosts of the Tour de France 2027 and Euro 2028 men’s football events.
• build a coherent and effective Welsh public service that is open, cooperative, and focused on improving people’s lives.
• progress plans for a Welsh National School of Government.
• renew the relationship between the Welsh Government and local authorities, ensuring that they are full partners in the design and delivery of public services.
• establish a national approach to coordinate crime prevention and diversion across police forces, NHS Wales, local authorities, schools, and third‑sector partners – sharing best practice and addressing the root causes of crime.
• maintain Welsh Government support for Police Community Support Officers within the context of negotiations on devolution of policing. 
• bring forward a Welsh Tribunals Bill early in the Senedd term, to create a clearer, more coherent and more independent tribunals system – with modernised procedures, stronger accountability, and a sharper focus on improving the experience of service users.
• review the Well‑being of Future Generations Act and collaborate with the Future Generations Commissioner to ensure it delivers measurable change.

Delivering lasting change requires government to work differently. We will break down silos, focus resources on shared outcomes and ensure that decisions across government contribute to our priorities and improve people’s lives.

Many of the challenges facing Wales, including poor health, inequality, child poverty and climate change, cannot be addressed by a single service or organisation acting alone. We will therefore take a whole-government approach to prevention, recognising the contribution that housing, education, employment, transport, culture, sport and the environment can make to improving well-being and reducing future pressures on public services.

We will take a joined-up, long-term approach to the challenges that will shape Wales’s future and strengthen our national resilience. This means responding to the climate and nature emergency, supporting a thriving Welsh language, working effectively with our partners and preparing Wales for future challenges.

We will:

• ensure climate action and nature are prioritised and effectively coordinated across government, embedding decarbonisation, sustainability and environmental protection across all portfolios. 
• take bold action to improve air quality, reduce waste and tackle pollution by keeping materials in use for longer, and ensuring the polluter pays as we transition to a circular economy. 
• apply a whole‑system, catchment‑based approach to improve water quality and strengthen climate and nature resilience in Wales. Our ambition is for every water body in Wales to be on a clear trajectory towards good status. Working in partnership across sectors, we will accelerate delivery of nature‑based solutions that reduce pollution and build resilience to future environmental pressures. 
• develop and implement a cross‑government Climate and Nature Action Plan for Wales, supported by a Climate and Nature Board. The plan will strengthen climate and nature resilience, enhance environmental sustainability, support a just transition and identify practical action towards a pathway to net zero by 2040. As part of the plan, we will set ambitious targets to achieve substantive nature recovery by 2050. 
• establish a strong and independent Office for Environmental Governance Wales to hold public authorities to account for delivering environmental targets.
• publish and implement a new strategy for Cymraeg with a renewed focus on increasing the number of speakers to a million and more by 2050, doubling the daily use of the language, and ensuring that the language belongs to us all in Wales.
• work to strengthen the resilience of Cymraeg as a community language and in workplaces, implementing the recommendations of the Commission for Welsh‑speaking communities, and work towards designating areas of higher linguistic sensitivity and protecting Welsh place names.
• work towards extending Welsh Language Standards to UK government bodies and to services operating in Wales, and ensure that Cymraeg is at the heart of all public policy, including health, housing, planning, transport, education, culture and the economy.
• improve public health and wellbeing at population level by developing a new, comprehensive Public Health Strategy and Framework for Wales, based on a root and branch review of current and future public health needs.
• embed health prevention in all policy development across government ensuring strategic alignment of government action on the social determinants of health and wellbeing. 
• harness expertise and plans to minimise the impact of communicable diseases with a focus on elimination targets by 2030 for tuberculosis and blood-borne viruses including HIV.
• make the renewal of Welsh housing stock a national mission, along with reforms to ensure greater security for renters and increased availability of social housing. Safe and adequate housing is an essential bedrock of health.
• embed a Housing First, trauma‑informed and person‑centred approach to tackling homelessness, ensuring our new homelessness legislation is implemented effectively and kept under review. Our Housing and Regeneration Strategy will be rooted in the ambition that everyone should have a safe and secure home.
• invest in the preventative role of culture, heritage and sports to promote good health for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
• deliver a national School Swimming and Water Safety programme, giving every pupil in Wales a foundation for an active, healthy life, building their confidence, and keeping children safe around water.
• work with our newly created Flood Forum for Wales to bring together local authorities, Natural Resources Wales, emergency services, and community organisations to coordinate national strategy on flooding.
• renew the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Welsh Government and local authorities, ensuring they are involved in the design and delivery of public services and we will support effective regional collaboration.
• review the funding formula for local government to better reflect the real cost of delivering services in different parts of Wales and introduce a funding floor to ensure that no local authority is disproportionately impacted.

Governments are elected to deliver the commitments they put before the people of Wales, and our starting point was therefore the mandate secured at the election.

We translated that democratic mandate into our Programme for Government and well-being objectives through a cross-government process involving policy teams and ministers across portfolios. In doing so, we brought together the priorities on which we were elected with evidence and insight held across government, including the national indicators and the Future Generations Report. We also considered how the objectives and reasonable steps would contribute to the government's priorities, maximise contribution to the 7 well-being goals and the interests of the people and communities affected.

The sustainable development principle has shaped both the development of our objectives and how we will deliver them. We have considered the importance of balancing the needs of current and future generations and applied the 5 ways of working: long-term, integration, involvement, collaboration and prevention.

Long-term

We looked beyond this Senedd term to the kind of Wales we want to build for future generations. Our understanding of the long-term challenges and opportunities facing our nation was informed by the national indicators and well-being milestones for 2050, alongside the Wellbeing of Wales Report and the Future Generations Report referenced above.

This long-term approach runs throughout our Programme for Government. For example, our Climate and Nature Action Plan will identify practical action towards net zero by 2040 and set ambitions for substantive nature recovery by 2050. Our renewed strategy for Cymraeg will focus on increasing the number of speakers to a million and more by 2050, doubling daily use and strengthening the language for future generations. Further, our commitment to break the cycle of poverty recognises that action taken now can improve children’s health, educational outcomes and life chances over the course of their lives. This, alongside the preventative action we’re  taking now, will ensure all people live healthier lives for longer. These steps illustrate how action during this Senedd term can contribute to lasting change.

As these commitments are developed and delivered, we will continue to consider their impact on current and future generations. We will draw on relevant evidence and insight to understand progress, respond to changing circumstances and ensure that decisions taken today support lasting improvements in Wales’s well-being.

Integration

We considered how each objective, and the reasonable steps beneath it, could contribute across the seven well-being goals and support progress towards our other well-being objectives. Although each reasonable step is presented under one objective for clarity, we mapped its contribution across all relevant well-being goals. This helped us identify connections across policy areas and consider the wider effects of the action we intend to take.

For example, central to the development of our long-term Culture and Sport Strategy is the integration and alignment of action across health, education, child poverty and the economy, while also contributing to a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. This recognises that culture and sport cannot be treated as an add-on but have an important role to play in delivering our well-being objectives and are embedded throughout the Programme for Government. This will be reflected in the way we care for and share our national heritage, collections, libraries, creativity and sporting facilities. It also reflects the vital contribution that culture and sport can make to preventing ill health, supporting economic growth, strengthening communities and building confidence the confidence to stand up for Wales on the world stage.

The challenges facing Wales are interconnected, and we were also mindful of how our objectives relate to those of other public bodies in Wales. As our commitments are developed and delivered, we will continue to consider these relationships, maximise their contribution across the well-being goals and ensure that progress towards one objective does not undermine progress towards another.

Involvement

Our approach to involvement began before the Senedd election. The Plaid Cymru manifesto was shaped by sustained engagement with people and communities across Wales, including stakeholders, charities, representative organisations and subject specialists. It also drew on research and the experience gained by elected representatives through their regular engagement with constituents and communities.

The manifesto placed those priorities before the people of Wales, providing an opportunity for people across Wales to determine the direction they wanted their government to take. The democratic mandate secured at that election therefore provided the foundation for our Programme for Government and well-being objectives.

In translating that mandate into our objectives and reasonable steps, policy teams and Ministers considered the interests of the people, communities and sectors affected. This was informed by insight gained through existing and previous policy engagement and established relationships with service users, public bodies, delivery partners and representative organisations.

Involvement has continued as our commitments have been delivered. For example, survivors, delivery partners, key stakeholders and the VAWDASV National Adviser were directly involved in the rapid review of the current Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence National Strategy. Their involvement has helped inform the decision to develop a new whole-government, whole-system and prevention-led strategy

We are also creating opportunities for people to influence detailed proposals through calls for evidence, consultation and wider involvement. This includes seeking evidence and experience to inform the National Cancer Strategy, consulting and involving Welsh citizens on proposals for rural proofing, and inviting people and communities to help shape the National Development Framework.

We will continue to involve the people and communities affected by our decisions so that their knowledge, experience and perspectives can inform policy design, delivery and evaluation. This recognises that involvement is an ongoing process and that people can have influence at every stage, from helping to shape options, priorities and proposals at an early stage through to meaningful engagement on the detail of developed policies and programmes.

Delivery of our commitments will be accompanied by impact assessment. This mechanism, which requires meaningful involvement, is an essential part of building a comprehensive and balanced case for policy options or legislative proposals and covers a wide range of areas including equality, Welsh language, children’s rights and environmental impact. 

Collaboration

We drew on insight gained across government through established relationships with local government, public bodies, businesses, trade unions, the voluntary sector and other partners. Many of our commitments will depend on these relationships because government cannot deliver lasting change alone. We also identified where objectives and reasonable steps were linked or mutually supportive, recognising that effective collaboration across government can help maximise progress towards shared outcomes.

For example, delivering our new Childcare Offer requires different parts of government to work alongside local authorities, childcare providers, workforce representatives and sector experts. An Expert Steering Group and cross-government taskforce are bringing this knowledge and experience together to support the expansion, including by addressing workforce planning, access, delivery and system simplification. This collaboration will help us meet our objectives on the cost of living, education, child poverty and the economy.

Our commitment to renew the Strategic Partnership Agreement with local government provides a further example. Developed with the Welsh Local Government Association, it supports agreement on shared priorities and ways of working in areas where local authorities have an important role in helping us meet our well-being objectives.

Collaboration will continue as our commitments become detailed policies and programmes. We will bring together the organisations, communities, individuals and areas of government best placed to help us meet our objectives, recognising that coordinated action can achieve more than working alone. Alongside this, we will continue to engage with international partners and sustainable development networks to share learning and contribute to collective efforts to address shared global challenges.

Prevention

When developing our well-being objectives and reasonable steps, we considered where earlier action could improve outcomes and reduce future pressures on people, communities and public services. This is reflected throughout our Programme for Government, including our focus on preventing ill health, breaking the cycle of poverty, improving educational outcomes, reducing inequalities, building resilience to climate change and giving children the best start in life.

Many of the challenges facing Wales are complex and long-standing. We have therefore sought to prioritise action that addresses underlying causes as well as responding to immediate needs. For example, our commitment to embed health prevention in policy development across government recognises that many of the factors which shape health and well-being sit beyond health and care services. Housing, education, employment, transport, culture and the environment can all influence long-term health outcomes and help address the root causes of poor health and inequality. This preventative approach is also reflected in the way we are organising government, including through the appointment of a Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and cross-government ministerial arrangements focused on prevention and the wider determinants of health.

As our steps are developed and delivered, we will continue to consider where preventative action can improve long-term outcomes and reduce avoidable pressures on people, communities and public services. Preventative thinking will also inform decisions about how resources can best support lasting improvements in our nation's well-being.

Delivering

Delivering our well-being objectives is a collective responsibility of the Welsh Government. Individual Cabinet ministers are responsible for delivering the commitments within their portfolios, while the First Minister and Cabinet are collectively responsible for ensuring that progress towards our objectives is maintained across government throughout the 2026 to 2030 Senedd term.

The Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution has responsibility for supporting delivery of the Programme for Government and ensuring progress is reported regularly to Cabinet. This will strengthen accountability, maintain a focus on delivery and support action where issues cut across portfolio boundaries.

Ministers are supported by the Welsh Civil Service in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing the steps set out in this statement. A strengthened Cabinet Office will support coordination across government, helping departments work together to address shared challenges, provide assurance on progress and deliver shared priorities.

Delivering our well-being objectives also requires resources to be aligned with the Government's priorities. Budget decisions will continue to be informed by the Programme for Government, and the evidence and insight available. Alongside this, a longer-term approach to fiscal planning is applying the five ways of working to address the strategic challenges that we face here in Wales. Development of this cross-government work alongside our budget processes, will enable us to address the challenges of balancing available and short-term resources with the potential for legacy decisions that better support the well-being goals.

Monitoring and reviewing progress

Our well-being objectives and the reasonable steps we are taking to meet them will remain under review throughout this Senedd term. Progress will be considered regularly by Ministers and Cabinet, informed by evidence, performance information and changing circumstances, including findings from the annual Wellbeing of Wales report and other relevant sources of evidence.

We will review our well-being objectives and the reasonable steps being taken to meet them on a yearly basis and report on progress through the Programme for Government Annual report. The report will record the outcome of that review, including progress against our objectives and the reasonable steps being taken to meet them.

Through this process, we will continue to assess whether further action is required in response to changing circumstances, emerging challenges or new evidence, helping to maximise our contribution to the well-being goals and improve outcomes for current and future generations.

Our well-being objectives are designed to maximise the Welsh Government's contribution to the 7 well-being goals. While each objective has a primary focus, we recognise that the challenges facing Wales are interconnected and that action in one area can often contribute to progress across multiple goals.

We considered how each objective and the reasonable steps supporting it contribute to the well-being goals, as well as Wales's national indicators and milestones. In doing so, we identified both where objectives make a direct contribution and where there is potential to support wider progress across Wales's economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.

The text below summarises the well-being goals supported by each objective and the national indicators and milestones to which it is most likely to contribute.

1. Building a health and care service fit for the future, and cutting waiting lists

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A globally responsible Wales

Relevant milestone number: 2, 3, 5, 21, 29
Relevant national indicator: 1, 30

2. Helping households with the cost of living

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A resilient Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language

Relevant milestone number: 10, 18, 21, 33, 37
Relevant national indicator: 6, 19, 31, 34, 49

3. Unleashing the potential of the Welsh economy, and creating good well-paid jobs

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A resilient Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language

Relevant milestone number: 3, 5, 8, 10, 17,18, 21, 22, 37, 44
Relevant national indicator: 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 24, 26, 35, 38, 41, 43, 45, 48, 49, 50

4. Raising standards in our schools, and ensuring the best conditions for learning

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language

Relevant milestone number: 8, 10 18, 21, 22, 37
Relevant national indicator: 7, 24, 25, 29, 36

5. Tackling child poverty and securing the best future for every child in Wales

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A globally responsible Wales

Relevant milestone number: 5, 17, 18, 21, 22, 290
Relevant national indicator: 6, 19, 25, 27, 30, 49

6. Standing up for Wales and demanding fairness from Westminster

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A resilient Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A globally responsible Wales

Relevant milestone number: 17, 18, 21, 37, 44
Relevant national indicator: 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 23, 24, 25, 27, 35, 38, 41, 43, 45, 47

7. Better government – delivering our priorities

Relevant well-being goals:

• A prosperous Wales
• A resilient Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A globally responsible Wales

Relevant milestone number: 2, 3, 5, 33, 37, 41, 44
Relevant national indicator: 4, 15, 27, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43, 45, 49