High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy 2024

Doors will open for registration at 7:30am. A light breakfast and coffee will be served.

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With an introduction by Former Prime Minister of Finland Esko Aho.

The aging megatrend is now undeniable, and it’s built-in for decades to come. What will our society look like 20 years from now? What changes and leadership do we need to implement today, nearing the midpoint of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, to ensure we can meet the needs of our aging society? This panel will look out to the future and discuss ways to prepare for that future and the risks of inaction.

In 1950, global life expectancy at birth was 46 years; in 2023, it had increased to 73 years. Combine that with plummeting birth rates everywhere (e.g., down in India from 5.9 in 1950 to 2.0 today), creating a world with more old than young. In this keynote address, Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development at UNDESA, will speak about how the United Nations, through bold initiatives like the Decade of Healthy Ageing and the Sustainable Development Goals, is providing a vision and a framework for 21^st century leaders – in government, civil society, and the private sector – to realize an aging society that is a source of health and well-being, inclusion, and economic benefit for all. ASG Hanif will be introduced by Michael Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging.

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Twentieth-century infrastructure for healthcare and pensions was built for 20^th-century age demographics. It’s well past time to update these core institutions of society to match 21^st-century age demographic realities. Where are we seeing examples of whole-system transformations, and what conditions are required to lead that change?

H.E. Alwasil will be introduced by Pol Vandenbroucke, Chairman of the Global Longevity Council at the World Demographic and Aging Forum, and Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Shionogi.

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China, Japan, Germany, and the UK are among the fastest aging countries globally. Their government leaders have had to make fundamental changes to the policy landscape to anticipate and rise to meet the evolving needs of their rapidly changing citizens. In this inspiring panel discussion, two of the world’s most innovative and visionary policymakers – from the German Bundestag and Greater Manchester, UK, the most celebrated Age-Friendly City in the world - will join one China’s foremost experts on aging and demographic change for a conversation with GCOA’s Michael Hodin. Together, they will share their perspectives and lessons for leadership in aging societies, from Europe to Asia, and beyond. This session will also feature a special video message from the Kazumi Nishikawa from the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry of Japan.

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This panel will explore how forward-thinking strategies and cutting-edge innovations in preventive health can contribute to a healthy workforce, economy, and society. Expert panelists will discuss how a policy landscape that prioritizes innovations for health maintenance and disease prevention not only reduces the long-term economic burden on healthcare systems but also improves quality of life for aging populations – both at work and in retirement – to support robust economic growth and stability.

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The growing longevity economy brings about new investment opportunities – from health to technology and everything in between– and requires new approaches to wealth management and retirement income. This fireside chat will explore the macroeconomic implications of living longer, saving longer, staying healthier longer, and working longer and related investment strategies and public policies to meet these new financial demands. This session will feature a special video message from Claire Borelli, Senior Executive VicePresident and Chief People Officer at TIAA.

Limited seating is available for this interactive panel, so if you’re interested in attending, please register by emailing Jill Keasel (jkeasel@globalcoalitiononaging.com).

As our understanding of the complexity of dementia and its comorbidities deepens, it's evident that our healthcare systems often fail to address brain health within the broader context of mental health and quality of life. We need a better understanding and recognition of early indicators regarding behavioral symptoms and cultural differences. This gap diminishes individual well-being and increases the caregiving burden on families and society. In this interactive lunch discussion, we’ll talk about why it’s crucial to integrate brain health into holistic care models. Focusing on the importance of healthy brains throughout our lives can enhance individual quality of life, reduce societal costs, and enable people to participate in their communities as they age.

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New research shows that by 2050 AMR deaths among children under five will halve globally, and over that same time deaths among people 70 years and older will more than double. Healthy aging is seriously threatened by the progressive ineffectiveness of antibiotics to treat infectious diseases due to AMR. However, hope is not lost. On the heels of last month’s United Nations High-level Meeting on AMR, this panel will discuss promising policy solutions and tangible actions underway to fight back against this impending public health crisis. This session will feature a special video message from Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR.

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SEF participants will have a special first look into scenes from Caregiving, a two-hour documentary series premiering in Spring 2025. The series will examine the social dynamics that shape approaches to caregiving today; the lives of caregivers, their relationships with those in their care, and the associated economic pressures and health outcomes; and the broader societal context in which caregiving operates on the margins yet affects everyone. This special preview event will be introduced by Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News, author and filmmaker.

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If healthy aging is to be achievable and accessible everywhere to everyone, we must start by examining existing frameworks that are helping health systems and communities tackle the diseases and conditions that increase in prevalence with age. Now, at the midway point of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing, where have we seen progress in the focus areas of long-term care, integrated care, age-friendly environments, and combatting ageism? This session will feature a special video message from Hon. Yuji Kuroiwa, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Too often patients are blocked from receiving life-extending and life-saving medicines and treatments simply because healthcare systems are slow to accept and adopt transformational therapies. For example, research on CAR T-cell therapy shows that its benefits are not small advances but offer significant improvements and have curative potential for blood cancer patients; yet some patients are not able to access it. This fireside chat will examine the case study of CAR T-cell therapy and the importance of inspiring collective action from governments, payors, clinicians, and patients to strengthen pathways to innovative and transformational therapies. We cannot squander these critical investments in healthy aging and saving lives.

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Companies worldwide have conducted market research to understand the changing needs of older consumers, but even beyond that, the“healthy aging” market is vast, diverse, and lucrative. A cross-sector panel of leaders who are all leading in the silver economy will help bust myths about older consumers as monoliths and tackle ageism for market advantage. Audience members are invited to share their ‘silver market’ learnings and questions. (This session will utilize Pigeonhole to facilitate audience interaction).

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Video address from Lorna Sabbia, Managing Director and Head of Workplace Benefits, Bank of America. Full description to follow.

Women currently control more than $31 trillion of worldwide spending, and by 2028, will control 75 percent of all discretionary spending. And, while women live longer than men, they also spend 25 percent more time in poor health, a fact that threatens healthy aging for – and the economic potential of– women. At last year’s Silver Economy Forum, GCOA launched the WISE Council, built on the premise that when women age healthily, their families, employers, communities and economies all win. This panel will discuss the keys to unlocking the power of Women in the Silver Economy.

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This special video address will be introduced by by H.E. Fernando López-Fabregat, Ambassador of Uruguay to Germany.

Today’s changemakers will be shaping the world in which we are all growing old. Successful leadership in the 21^st century must be built on a foundation of trust as leaders are tasked with reimagining and evolving the marketplace, workforce, education, healthcare, and institutions of society to meet a moment increasingly defined by more old than young. This panel will share their experiences as leaders who are shifting their approaches to best leverage 21^st-century aging realities. What attitudes, plans, and priorities will determine success for this aging generation and the next? Who are the policymakers, business leaders, and other global influencers getting this right, and what can we learn from them?  This session will feature a special video presentation from the engAGE with Heart community-based health program.

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Program details TBA