First-Ever High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy Assembles World Leaders in Helsinki

Elite gathering will address the business, government, and societal imperative of capturing the aging opportunity

New York, NY (July 8, 2019) – Tomorrow, the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), the global business voice on aging, and the Finnish Government will host the High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy, the first-ever conference focused on global business and government leadership to reimagine aging. The two-day Forum, taking place in Helsinki, Finland, at the iconic Finlandia Hall, will examine how business and government can drive innovation and economic growth by leveraging opportunities in healthy aging, elder home care,  the future of work, technology, and combatting ageism. The Forum is the first official convening of the Finnish EU Council Presidency.

Recognized as a major global megatrend at this year’s G20 Summit in Osaka, aging presents a unique opportunity for leaders across industries to leverage the significant momentum gaining around this pressing topic. With WHO designating 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing, world leaders in government and business alike are recognizing that the time to address the challenges and opportunities of our unprecedented longevity is now.

“The aging of our global population is the most consequential megatrend of our time,” said Michael W. Hodin, PhD, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging and co-organizer of the Forum. “Business and government alike have critical roles to play to combat the negative and incorrect assumption that our aging populations around the world are drains on society, but in fact are already  becoming drivers of economic growth and benefits to all of us across society.”

The Forum will draw close to 700 attendees from 45 countries, including government leaders from around the world, CEOs from Fortune 100 companies, and thought leaders from academia, think tanks, the media, and non-governmental organizations to offer solutions and innovative ideas on how to ensure that aging is a driver of continued economic growth. Attendees will gain new perspectives on the social, financial, and policy opportunities of longevity and aging, strategies that create value for businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, and a renewed mindset focused on the possibilities of the growing Silver Economy.

To view the Forum program, click here, and to view the full roster of expert speakers, click here.  For additional information, visit the Forum website at www.thesilvereconomyforum.com.

The Silver Economy Forum’s two-day event will:

  • Identify the silver economy business opportunity. The world’s 60+ population is set to double to 2 billion between now and 2050. With a combined spending power well in excess of US$15 trillion, this demographic’s market share will grow even larger. This group is healthier and living longer than ever, so how can companies develop strategies to better serve this untapped market?
  • Redefine age in the workplace. Older adults play key roles across society, as active citizens, powerful consumers, and valued members of their communities. Yet, these contributions are often overlooked, and many seniors face discrimination in the workplace. How can we reshape our view of aging and challenge preconceived notions of seniors’ contributions at work, now that there are five generations in the workplace?
  • Determine the policy agenda. Crafting effective policies with aging in mind will be the most important imperative for governments – at national and city levels – going forward in the coming decades. From physical and mental wellbeing to caregiving, and from social benefits to infrastructure, aging will be the central driver of policy reform. How will national policies adjust? How can the private and public sectors collaborate to address aging on the policy level together?

The High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy was organized in collaboration with the public and private sectors and with the support of our partners and sponsors. For more information about the Forum, please contact Susan Wile Schwarz at [email protected] or +1 917 946 1254.

Latest Developments

We keep our members and partners in touch with the most recent updates and opinions in the worldwide dialogue on population longevity and related issues.

Brazil Must Fight Antibiotic Resistance

The threat posed by antimicrobial resistance is urgent and spares no country - including Brazil. According to The Lancet, 63 deaths per 100,000 are associated with AMR in Brazil and Paraguay, a rate that exceeds the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. AMR-associated deaths in Brazil are second only to cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

We Missed 100 Million Adult Vaccines – Here’s How We Get Back on Track

Like other pandemics throughout human history, COVID-19 has caused profound changes that are still rippling through our societies, even as people are understandably eager to move on. In fact, these impacts are all the more dangerous when they are largely ignored or effectively invisible. The decline in adult vaccination may be one of the most significant, as a new report finds that ~100 million doses were missed in 2021 and 2022 alone – reversing global progress towards widespread adult immunisation as a new standard of care in a world of more old than young.

New Analysis Shows Lost Ground on Adult Immunisation During the Pandemic with 100 Million Doses Potentially Missed

New data shared today by GSK, in collaboration with the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science and the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), estimate approximately 100 million fewer doses of some adult vaccines (excluding Covid-19 vaccines) were administered in 2021 and 2022 than anticipated, based on the global vaccination adoption trends observed from 2013 to 2020, compounding already low adoption rates pre-pandemic.

Going Beyond Applause: The Potential of Caregiving to Unlock Job Opportunities of the Future

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of caregivers – staff and family who provide care for older and dependent people to carry out activities such as eating or moving - catapulted to the front of our collective conscience. The daily applause for front-line care workers showed a high level of recognition for their incredible work and provided insight into how our health systems must change as our society ages. We need to continue to recognise caregivers as essential to our ageing society.

High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy 2023

Join us for the High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy 2023. Now in its fourth year, the Silver Economy Forum 2023, December 6 and 7, will explore aging at every stage of life, looking at the growing global Silver Economy through a multigenerational lens. Linking to the goals and aspirations of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, SEF 2023 will highlight key themes at the intersection of aging at every age, and the Silver Economy.

Global Coalition on Aging Workshop Calls on G7 Countries to Fund Pull Incentives to Spur Antibiotic Innovation

The Global Coalition on Aging, in partnership with JPMA, today announced the release of its workshop report on the AMR crisis facing G7 countries and the world, “The Value of Pull Incentives in Japan to Encourage Investment in Antibiotic Innovation to Solve the AMR Crisis.” If strong action is not taken to address AMR, we will lose the antibiotics we need to cure infections, which is likely to outpace cancer as a major cause of death, killing an estimated 10 million by 2050.