A new generational contract

27 April 2023 – The Club of Rome and the St. Gallen Symposium are launching an initiative aimed at addressing the pressing issues of today by embracing the energy of all generations for leadership towards regenerative futures.  

The New Generational Contract is a platform that seeks to bring together young leaders, academics, and experts from different fields to develop innovative approaches for the world’s most pressing challenges. By fostering cross-generational dialogue and collaboration, the initiative aims at facilitating regenerative futures for all.   

“We need to simultaneously face immediate crises and pursue long-term transformations. So far, we have rarely been able to bring both perspectives together. A lack of future-orientated decision making will affect current and future generations. We must reaffirm ties that bind us across generations and foster long-term future-orientated systems thinking.” commented Mamphela Ramphele co-president of The Club of Rome. 

“Unprecedented levels of inequality, environmental collapse, and challenging geopolitical developments have disrupted the balance between generations. Giving humanity a second chance on Earth requires new lenses to reframe what we call innovation and the role of technology, as well as mutual learning across the chasm of generations.” adds Carlos Alvarez Pereira, vice president of The Club of Rome.  

The idea for this New Generational Contract emerged at the conference in St. Gallen in May 2022. “Based on quantitative and qualitative global surveys, we have formulated seven principles that will be discussed at this year’s symposium,” says Felix Rüdiger, Head Content and Research at the St. Gallen Symposium. “These are: responsibility, care, voice, regeneration, openness, foresight and hindsight, and collaboration.”  

“This new initiative aims to foster equity and mutual support between generations and act as a platform for people from diverse backgrounds to come together. It is part of the agenda of The Fifth Element which invites people of all ages and backgrounds to collaborate and learn how to approach today’s challenges in their own unique ways.” said Nolita Mvunelo, Program Manager at The Club of Rome.  

With the focus on a new generational contract, the 52nd St. Gallen Symposium takes place on 4-5 May 2023. Bringing together top leaders from business, politics, and academia, it promotes dialogue and collaboration among the world’s current and future leaders. 

For more information about the New Generational Contract and the partnership between the Club of Rome and the St. Gallen Symposium, please visit the New Generational Contract website.  

The Club of Rome’s participation at the St. Gallen Symposium

23.05 A New Generational Contract

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