Experts discuss social cohesion at the 8th Berlin Demography Forum
"Demographic change is altering the country, as well as Europe and the whole world. We must intensify the dialogue and our efforts and seize opportunities so that social cohesion remains in place. Just to wait and see is not enough,” says Franz Müntefering, Chairman of the BDF Advisory Board and former Federal Minister. The future perspective depends to a large extent on society’s willingness to assume responsibility for one another, he emphasized. This also requires that the government -- federal and state -- and the municipalities work together to offer and support sustainable concepts.
Jörg Rocholl, President of ESMT Berlin, says, “In order to secure our prosperity in the future, we must use the potential of all people in our society, also enabling those who migrate here to participate more and have better opportunities for education and work. We should counter the dangers of increasing isolationism and national egoism with more international cooperation. Open borders, free trade, and the free movement of people within Europe are the cornerstones of our prosperity, and we must not gamble this away.”
Ulrich Lilie, President of Diakonie Deutschland and organizer of the Berlin Demography Forum, emphasizes the importance of social dialogue. He comments, “Our world is changing rapidly, and the answers to the question of what constitutes a good life are diverging more and more. Many find it difficult to navigate this new terrain and therefore prefer to communicate in their closed societies. That must change. It is important to listen to the many different perspectives and to talk and cooperate with people who have different backgrounds if we want to face the challenges of our time constructively.”
The challenges currently facing Germany and all of Europe include the different living conditions and ways of life in urban and rural areas, North and South, East and West, globalization, migration, climate change, uncontrolled financial markets, digitization, and job insecurity. To respond to these challenges, new forms of international governance and cooperation are needed. The Berlin Demography Forum contributes to a better understanding of these challenges and brings together key stakeholders from politics, science, business, and civil society.
About ESMT Berlin
ESMT Berlin is a leading global business school with its campus in the heart of Berlin. Founded by 25 global companies, ESMT offers master, MBA, and PhD programs, as well as executive education on its campus in Berlin, in locations around the world, online, and in online blended format. Focusing on leadership, innovation, and analytics, its diverse faculty publishes outstanding research in top academic journals. Additionally, the international business school provides an interdisciplinary platform for discourse between politics, business, and academia. ESMT is a non-profit private institution of higher education with the right to grant PhDs and is accredited by AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, and ZEvA. It is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all its activities and communities.
