Many countries in Europe and Central Asia face rapid demographic change: people have fewer children and live longer, and many leave their countries to look for opportunities elsewhere. Societies are growing older and, in many cases, are getting smaller, especially in Eastern Europe where low fertility rates are compounded by high levels of outward migration.
The hybrid online/in-person Ministerial Conference on Demographic Resilience aims to contribute to strengthening the capacity of countries in Europe and Central Asia to respond to the profound demographic shifts the region is experiencing.
The conference, which runs from 1-2 December, will convene ministers and other high-level representatives of governments, civil society, the private sector, academia and the international community. It will kick off a Decade for Demographic Resilience that will mobilize political support for policy responses that are comprehensive, grounded in evidence, and based on human rights. And it will provide a platform for the exchange of experiences and sound policy advice, enabling countries to mitigate negative effects and fully harness the opportunities that come with demographic change.
10:00 – 10:45
President of the Republic of Bulgaria
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA
Executive Secretary, Population Europe
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Climate Advisor at the World Economic Forum
Roma activist
Chair, NGO Committee on Ageing
TRT World
10:45 – 11:0011:00 – 12:00In this session, ministers and other high-level government representatives from Europe and Central Asia, along with prominent thought leaders, will offer perspectives on what challenges and opportunities countries are encountering in addressing demographic change with a view to reducing inequalities, ensuring sustainable growth, strengthening human capital, and expanding opportunities for all.
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Chairperson of the Senate, Uzbekistan
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Bulgaria
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Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia
UNECE Executive Secretary
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Chairperson, Agency on Statistics, Tajikistan
Mayor of Soria, Spain
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Göran Marby, CEO and President
Chief, Population and Development Branch, UNFPA
TRT World
12:00 – 12:1512:15 – 13:30Panel discussion to launch the Demographic Resilience Expo, an entirely virtual space where participants from government, civil society, academia and international organizations have the opportunity to showcase, browse and network around good practices and promising initiatives related to addressing demographic change. The Expo serves to exchange knowledge and experience for adaptation and replication in other countries.
Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, Spain
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra
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Institute for Demography and Social Studies, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine
Head of Research Group Global and Regional Population, Federal Institute for Population Research, Germany
University of Oxford
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Population Research Institute Väestöliitto, Finland
Director of the German Youth Institute (DJI)
Deputy Executive Secretary of Population Europe
Governance Innovation, Demos Helsinki
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Senior Advisor, Economics and Demography, UNFPA
13:30 – 15:0015:00 – 16:00Government representatives and prominent thought leaders will explore the interplay between demography and democracy, and discuss how demographic change can be an opportunity for making democracies stronger and more inclusive.
Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography
UNFPA Executive Director
Minister of Social Policy, Ukraine
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Portugal
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Executive Director of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)
Climate Advisor at the World Economic Forum
TRT World
16:00 – 16:3016:30 – 18:00Populations across Europe and Central Asia are ageing rapidly, and many countries are struggling to adapt to this reality. This session will showcase successful initiatives to respond to, and manage, population ageing, and discuss new ways of creating societies for all ages that foster the inclusion of older people, and help countries realize the longevity dividend.
Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, Italy
Minister for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing, Malta
Minister of Family and Social Services
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Deputy Minister for Internally Displaced Persons from Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Georgia
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Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Serbia
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CBE Professor of Gerontology, University of Oxford
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United Nations Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons
Collective Impact Director, Mozaik Foundation
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Independent Expert on International Policy on Ageing
Secretary General, International Federation on Ageing
19:0009:00 – 10:15Virtually all countries in Europe have fertility rates below replacement level. Fertility rates reflect choices that people make about their lives. When choices are affected by barriers that people face in having the number of children they want, a variety of policies can help close the gap between fertility intention and actual fertility levels. This session focuses on recent trends in fertility rates and evidence-based examples of what governments can do to help people have the number of children they want.
Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy, Poland
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Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, Tajikistan
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Russian Federation
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General Director for Policy and Development, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania
Safe Motherhood Committee, Republic of North Macedonia
Head of Secretariat, Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, Republic of Korea
President, SEX vs THE STORK Association, Romania
University of Warsaw
Vienna Institute of Demography
Regional Director, UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia
10:15 – 10:4510:45 – 12:00Improving gender equality and introducing gender-responsive family policies has emerged in recent years as a key building block in developing comprehensive responses to demographic change. The session will discuss the way gender equality and demographic change interact. It will also identify innovative, workable solutions for ensuring that working parents – men and women – are able to combine family and career.
Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Republic of North Macedonia
Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Republic of Moldova
Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Greece
State Secretary for Family Policy Strategy, Hungary
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National Population Council, Mexico
Regional Director, UN Women Europe and Central Asia
Head of Office, Austria Development Agency
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The Guardian
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UNFPA
12:00 – 12:1512:15 – 13:30Enabling young people to fulfil their potential is key for countries to prosper in the context of demographic change. Yet many young people are excluded from the labour market and political life, and millions, especially in East and Southeast Europe, see little future in their own country. This session will focus on young people and their aspirations, and will highlight successful measures aimed at building young people’s confidence in their future.
State Secretary for Youth and Sport, Serbia
Permanent State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Germany
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State Secretary, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Head of Youth Agency, Georgia
Chairperson, National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan
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Teenergizer, Ukraine
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YPeer, Turkmenistan
Regional Director, UNICEF Europe and Central Asia
former Vice-President of European Youth Forum
Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN
13:30 – 14:3014:30 – 15:45Across Europe and Central Asia, people leave rural areas to look for opportunities in urban centres or abroad, making life harder for the mostly older people staying behind and making it costly to maintain infrastructure and services in sparsely populated areas. The session will showcase promising examples of rural revitalization and strategies to successfully adapt to smaller populations in areas with limited opportunities for revitalization.
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Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Armenia
Deputy Head of Cabinet of Dubravka Šuica, European Commission
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Senior Policy Expert at Presidency of Council of Ministers, Italy, and Vice Chair of OECD Rural Working Party
Director General for Policies against Depopulation, Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain
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Deputy Director of the Center for Demographic Studies of the University of Havana, Cuba
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Chairwoman of the Board of the Latvian Young Farmers' Club
Resident Representative, UNDP Serbia
The Economist
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Think Tank Populari
15:45 – 16:0016:00 – 17:15Demographic shifts such as population ageing and population decrease have put major strains on the sustainability of social systems, infrastructure and services. This session will provide an opportunity to look at lessons learned from countries with longer experience in adapting social and other systems to demographic change, and discuss the implications of new data and evidence.
Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Azerbaijan
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Czech Republic
Chair, Parliamentary Commission on Social Protection, Health and Family, Republic of Moldova
Viceminister for Human Development and Social Inclusion, Costa Rica
Public Finance Economist, Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization
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National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
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Senior Adviser, Economics and Demography, UNFPA
UNFPA Serbia
17:30 – 18:00
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Republic of Bulgaria
Executive Secretary, Population Europe
Regional Director, UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bulgaria
Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, Tajikistan
UNECE Executive Secretary
Regional Director, UN Women Europe and Central Asia
Climate Advisor at the World Economic Forum, former President of the European Youth Forum
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Portugal
Regional Director, UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Georgia
Secretary General, International Federation on Ageing
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Russian Federation
Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Azerbaijan
Collective Impact Director, Mozaik Foundation
Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour, Lithuania
Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, Italy
Head of Youth Agency, Georgia
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General Director of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, Russian Federation
Deputy Minister for Development of the Economy, Trade and Agriculture, Ukraine
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bulgaria
Deputy Prime Minister of Economic and Social Policies and Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Bulgaria
Executive Secretary, Population Europe
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Chairwoman of the Board of the Latvian Young Farmers' Club
State Secretary for Family Policy Strategy, Hungary
Minister for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing, Malta
Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, Spain
The Guardian
Director of International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
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Senior Advisor, Economics and Demography, UNFPA
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Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Serbia
Vice Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, Costa Rica
State Secretary for Demography and Youth Issues, Croatia
The Economist
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA
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National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra
Executive Director of European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Chairman of the Agency of Statistics under the President of Republic of Tajikistan – Head of national delegation
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Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Regional Director, UNICEF
Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia
Minister of Social Policy, Ukraine
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Director, Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine
Head of Research Group Global and Regional Population Dynamics, German Federal Institute for Population Research
Founding Director, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons
former Vice-President of European Youth Forum
Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Poland
President, Safe Motherhood Committee, Republic of North Macedonia
Mayor of Soria, Spain
University of Warsaw, Poland
Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford
Regional Gender Advisor, UNFPA
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Armenia
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
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Deputy Director, Center for Demographic Studies of the University of Havana, Cuba
YPEER Volunteer, Turkmenistan
Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine
Chairperson of the Senate, Uzbekistan
Chairperson, National Statistics Committee, Kyrgiz Republic
Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albania
Director General for Policies against Depopulation, Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain
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Head of Board, Teenergizer, Ukraine
Chair, Parliamentary Commission on Social Protection, Health and Family, Republic of Moldova
Chair, NGO Committee on Ageing
Resident Representative, UNDP Serbia
President of the Republic of Bulgaria
President SEX vs THE STORK Association, Romania
TRT World
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Secretary General, General Secretariat of the National Population Council, Mexico
Population Research Institute Väestöliitto, Finland
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Roma activist
First Vice-Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Kazakhstan
Independent Expert on International Policy on Ageing
Chief, Population and Development Branch, UNFP
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Republic of Moldova
Deputy Head of Cabinet of Dubravka Suica, European Commission
Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN
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European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Czech Republic
Chairman of Parliament, Tajikistan
State Secretary for Demographic Policy and the Family, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Greece
Permanent State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Germany
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Public Finance Economist, Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization
Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Republic of North Macedonia
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Minister of Youth and Sports of Serbia
Director of the German Youth Institute
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General Director for Policy and Development, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania
Minister of Family and Social Services, Turkey
State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers, Ukraine
Deputy Executive Secretary of Population Europe
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Executive Director - Think Tank Populari
CEO and President
Head of Secretariat, Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, Republic of Korea
Head of Office, Austria Development Agency
Chairperson, Agency on Statistics, Tajikistan
CBE Professor of Gerontology, University of Oxford
Senior Policy Expert at Presidency of Council of Ministers, Italy, and Vice Chair of OECD Rural Working Party
Governance Innovation, Demos Helsinki
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Republic of Bulgaria