Berlin "Future Day": Dynamic Solutions to Global Challenges
WASHINGTON, DC/BERLIN (July 2, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Bertelsmann Foundation, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, hosted the first in a series of “Future Days”, which serve as forums to debate and prepare for some of the biggest global challenges. This event in Berlin also marked the launch of the publication Megatrends in Global Interaction.
Bertelsmann Stiftung Program Manager Andreas Esche opened the day by introducing the primary trends to be discussed: economic globalization, global governance and demographic change. Senior Project Managers Ole Wintermann and Jonathan Stevens gave an overview of the Stiftung’s FutureChallenges.org website and Megatrends project, and Project Manager Jan Arpe presented the Global Risk project.
Discussion then focused on the megatrends themselves. Dennis Snower, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, discussed recent trends in economic globalization. Jack Goldstone, author of the demographics chapter in Megatrends in Global Interaction and director of the Center for Global Policy at George Mason University, spoke about demographic change. He compared Germany’s aging population to other countries’ expanding populations and described the impact of demography on global development and stability. Both speakers agreed that global challenges can be overcome only with communication among global players that leads to collaboration on goals and the implementation of measures to achieve those goals.
FutureChallenges.org regional editors spoke about the effects of economic globalization and global governance on their geographic regions.
Afternoon sessions were devoted to developing solutions to challenges posed by demographic change, economic globalization and insufficient global governance. Participants' ideas will be posted on FutureChallenges.org.
More than 60 participants from the private and public sector attended the event.
For more information, a video of the Berlin Future day can be seen here. The FutureChallenges.org project blog can be read here.