HEARING ON DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN THE OSCE REGION

(Washington) - The United States Helsinki Commission will hold a hearing to examine the demographic trends in OSCE participating States and the implications for the security, as well as the economic and social developments in the region.

**Witness Added

“2050: Implications of Demographic Trends in the OSCE Region”

Date: June 20, 2011

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Room: Room 2247, Rayburn House Office Building

The hearing will focus on the implications of current demographic trends in the expansive OSCE region through the prism of the security, economic and human dimensions. Most of the OSCE’s 56 participating states are experiencing varying stages of demographic decline, marked by diminishing and rapidly aging populations. Such patterns will likely have significant social, economic and security consequences for countries throughout the region, including the United States. Shrinking workforces in a growing number of participating States are expected to become increasingly dependent upon foreign workers in the coming decades. Meanwhile, several OSCE countries are already witnessing dramatic changes in the pool of potential recruits for military service. These and other factors could contribute to mounting social tensions as demonstrated by clashes in some participating States in recent years.

Witnesses Invited to Testify:

Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Scholar in Political Economy, the American Enterprise Institute

**Jack A. Goldstone, Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. Professor; Director, Center for Global Policy, George Mason University

Richard Jackson, Director and Senior Fellow, Global Aging Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Steven W. Mosher, President, Population Research Institute