SOFIA, 22 November 2021 - High-level government representatives, thought leaders and experts from across Europe and Central Asia will gather in Sofia, Bulgaria and online, on 1-2 December 2021 to discuss pathways for societies to thrive in a world of rapid demographic change.

The Ministerial Conference “Shaping Europe’s Demographic Future” is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the Republic of Bulgaria, and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Themes that will be covered by the conference include population ageing, fertility, gender equality and family policies, aspirations of young people, revitalization of rural areas, and financing of social policies, as well as the interlinkages between demography and democracy.

At an entirely virtual Demographic Resilience Expo, participants will be able to learn about and engage with good practices and promising initiatives related to addressing demographic change.

The conference will result in the launch of a Decade of Demographic Resilience 2022-2032 and the Sofia Alliance, a Member State-led community of practice to facilitate sharing of experiences and broker policy advice and technical assistance on strengthening demographic resilience in the region.

More information about the conference, speakers and programme is available here.

Journalists are invited to follow the event in our virtual conference space and can register here.

For more information, please contact:

Jens-Hagen Eschenbaecher, UNFPA, eschenbaecher@unfpa.org, +905497483655

Bilyana Boeva, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Bilyana.BOEVA@mfa.bg, +359 2 948 2218