About us



 

World Demographic & Ageing Forum (WDA Forum)

– Committed to future Generations –

 

 

Demographic Change is a societal Phenomenon

Questions concerning age and generations belong to the key themes of our time and the future. Already today, there are globally numerous and ambitious efforts addressing the issue of the cohabiting of generations and an over-ageing society, and finding a timely agreement on the required measures. However, the coordination of these countless initiatives and programs is lacking.

 

 

What is our Vision?

The World Demographic and Ageing Forum recognises that this demographic change offers not only a formidable challenge, but above all a unique opportunity. Only through an integrated approach can sustainable solutions be developed. We thus highlight inter-disciplinary the societal, economic, health and educational-political impacts of the foreseeable change. It is to this purpose that we have established an international, inter-generational and permanent platform for questions pertaining to ageing and generations, offering the possibility for a worldwide coordination of efforts and activities concerning this range of topics.

 

 

What do we do?

The WDA Forum addresses with these topics a worldwide target audience from the economy, politics, non-government organisations and research, as well as the general public.

 

Our main activities are:

 

  • World Ageing & Generations Congress
    This international congress, which lasts several days, is run yearly at the University of St. Gallen. The sixth congress will take place between 25 and 28 August 2010. With over 100 speakers from 40 countries and around 500 participants, the World Ageing and Generations Congress is a unique event.

 

  • The „Prix des Générations"
    Annually, a prize is awarded to a personality, who has rendered a long-standing contribution to the well being of different generations. Previous winners were: Helmut Schmidt (2005), Vaclav Havel (2006), Waris Dirie (2007), Mary Robinson (2008) and IKRK (2009).

 

  • Fellowship System
    Together with the University of St. Gallen (HSG), the WDA Forum has established a global network of over 100 Fellows; this WDA-HSG Fellowship System assembles top class personalities from all areas of society to promote WDA’S vision.

    The central point of the Fellowship System is visiting professorships at the University of St. Gallen, the organisation of conferences, publications (WDA-HSG Discussion Paper Series on Demographic Issues” – a high quality series of papers) and advocacy (preparation of recommendations, statements and position papers, etc.).

 

  • Conferences
    In addition to the World Ageing & Generations Congress, the WDA Forum, together with well-known partners, organises every year several specialised conferences. In the past, such partners have included Harvard University, swissnet, the ERSTE Foundation, the Bosch Foundation as well as the Swiss Embassy in Washington. In 2010, it is planned to hold a WDA Expert Symposium on the subject of “Future Demographic Changes in Islamic Countries” with prominent speakers from around the world.

    To forge a link between a scientific, or rather a societal-political, discussion and practical examination of the themes, the WDA Forum offers supplementary events for the general public. The “Generations Forum”, for example, is a public event, which attracts up to 1,000 participants from across the whole of Switzerland each time. It offers an interesting and varied event with Kurt Aeschbacher in discussion with top class speakers and exciting personalities. A series of seminars are planned regarding true-to-life themes to do with the third chapter of one’s life and how one can prepare for this.

 

 

Development

Since the establishment of the organisation in 2002, the WDA Forum has developed rapidly and has set an international movement in motion. At the end of 2006, the WDA Forum was praised expressly in a report from the Commission on Social Development of the United Nations to the United Nations General Assembly. This recognition by the United Nations is on the one hand founded on the fact that the success of the WDA Forum is due to its bringing together and enthralling numerous international organisations and personalities (e.g., UNFPA, WHO, OECD, Weltbank, EU) while on the other hand, a much observed and international private-public partnership has been founded, which has enabled an efficient and effective transfer of knowledge.

 

Since 2006, the WDA Forum has also gained an evident significance in science. In order that this academic anchoring can be progressed further, the visiting professorships shall be further developed. In the medium term, the foundation will strive for a chair in the area of “Demographic Change” at the University of St. Gallen.

 

 

Organisation

In 2009, the structure of the WDA Forum was adjusted to meet the demands of its speedy growth. The previous form of the association was transferred to a foundation called “WDA Forum Switzerland”; the WDA Forum AG is responsible for the operational activities. An international and high-ranking Advisory Board with members from academia, corporations, international organisations, politics and public organisations advise the WDA Forum on its congress programs.

 

 

Support and Partnership

The WDA Forum counts on the support of sponsors, foundations, patrons and further partners. Please inform yourself about the many opportunities regarding an engagement with the WDA Forum.

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