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22/03/2005 - Is poverty inevitable? Should people help themselves or rely on the state? Can we afford to pay pensions to people who retire with several decades of life expectancy ahead of them? And how do we help families to raise new generations of children in today’s competitive world? Such issues will be at the heart of talks between OECD Social Affairs Ministers in Paris on 31 March and 1 April 2005 .
A number of media events will take place at OECD headquarters in association with this meeting, whose theme is "Extending opportunities: How active social policy can benefit us all".
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At 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday 30 March, the OECD’s Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, John Martin, will present the issues at a news briefing
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At 11.30 a.m. on Thursday 31 March, OECD pensions-policy expert Monika Queisser will chair a seminar for journalists on the challenges facing governments in relation to future pensions policies.
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From 3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Thursday 31 March, ministers and representatives of business, labour and civil society will debate policy issues in a Forum on “What are the appropriate rights and responsibilities for different parts of society in delivering social protection?” chaired by Sweden’s Minister for Social Affairs, Berit Andnor, with opening remarks by Neil Gilbert, Professor of Social Welfare at the University of Berkeley, California. The Forum is open to journalists.
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At 11.00 a.m. on Friday 1 April, Pedro Marques, Secrétaire d'Etat à la sécurité sociale (Portugal) will hold a media briefing.
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At 12.30 p.m. on Friday 1 April, Pascal Couchepin, Conseiller fédéral (Switzerland) will hold a media briefing.
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At 1.00 p.m. on Friday 1 April, a closing news conference will be held with the Chair of the ministerial meeting, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Aart Jan de Geus.
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at 2.30 p.m. on Friday 1 April the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services, Wade Horn, will hold a media briefing.
Print and broadcast interviews with individual ministers can be arranged through OECD's Media Relations Division
Television and radio studio facilities are available for broadcast journalists on a first-come, first-served basis. A press room will be available with transmission facilities. To register for these events, journalists are invited to contact the OECD's Media Relations Division (tel. 33 1 45 24 97 00). For further details, please see: www.oecd.org/socialmin2005.
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