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UNRISD Research Coordinator Katja Hujo was a panellist at the international conference on pension reform “Thanks, Otto! 125 years of pensions” hosted by BMZ, GIZ, Helpage International and Allianz in Berlin on 28-29 October 2014. The conference celebrated 125 years since the first ever public pension system was introduced in 1889 by then German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and which has influenced the development of pension systems around the world. It can be considered a policy success that today contributory public pension schemes cover the majority of people in the developed world.
However, more than 50 per cent of elderly people in middle and low-income countries do not have access to pensions, and all pension systems are being affected by current global changes in demographics, labour markets, state finances, poverty and inequality. The objectives of the conference were to look into the impact and relevance of the Bismarckian model in this changing global context and to discuss reform options and models for the future.
The conference brought together more than 100 participants from 20 countries, including representatives from international organizations, government, academia, the private sector and civil society. Participants signed the Berlin Communiqué on Pensions, advocating for joint action to secure universal social protection for older populations worldwide.
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