COFACE Families Europe spoke at the Regional Ministerial Conference “Leading Change: People-Centred Paths to Demographic Resilience”, organised by UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth of North Macedonia in Skopje under the #LeadingChange2026 initiative.
The conference brought together ministers, international organisations, experts and civil society representatives from across the region to exchange on demographic change and explore ways to strengthen cooperation at international and regional levels.
Conference participants expressed a shared understanding that demographic change is not merely a challenge to be managed, but a megatrend fundamentally altering socio-economic landscapes that requires a paradigm shift toward demographic resilience – the capacity of countries to thrive by centring policy on people’s aspirations and evidence-based planning, the conference organisers concluded in a joint summary.
COFACE was represented throught COFACE Vice-President Sven Iversen who took part and spoke in a panel discussion dedicated to international and regional cooperation, contributing to exchanges on how demographic challenges can be addressed through cross-sectoral collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The panel included representatives from governments and international organisations, including Aleksandar Nikoloski, Zulfiya Abdusamatzoda, Azat Atayev, Željka Josić, as well as Florence Bauer, Indhira Santos, and Vlatko Gjorchev.
Discussions focused on approaches and practices for effective cooperation and knowledge exchange in addressing demographic change across the region.
More information about the conference is available here.
