Today, representatives from politics, the business world, academia and society met at an international public dialog event held at the Allianz Forum in Berlin. The event focused on the issue of "Social and Demographic Change in the 21st Century".
Keynote speaker Wolfgang Schäuble, Federal Minister of Finance, explained how important sustainable public finances are when it comes to mastering the challenges of demographic change. "Sustainable public finances and demography are interdependent. Without sustainable public finances, we will not be able to cope with an aging society. However, we will also not be able to guarantee sustainable public finances if our economy does not continue to grow - and the necessary basis for this is a sufficiently qualified workforce to safeguard sustainable public finances as taxpayers", according to Schaeuble. The global challenges that demographic change creates were addressed in another keynote speech by Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Young academics from across the globe took part in a panel discussion to talk about key demographic trends and their impact on both individuals and society as a whole from the perspective of the younger generation.
"Our societies are undergoing profound change as they get older and digital technology becomes more widespread. This will alter the face of tomorrow's society completely", explained Michael Diekmann, CEO of Allianz SE.