We, the Young Voices of the Berlin Global Dialogue 2025, represent the next generation of global leaders. As a group of 30 post-graduate students from 20 countries, representing 17 of the world’s leading universities, we embody the diversity, dynamism, aspirations, and determination of our generation.
We come from business, finance, public policy, technology, and entrepreneurship. Despite our differences, we are united by a commitment to shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world. This diversity gives us legitimacy to speak not only as young professionals, but as the generation that will live with the consequences of today’s choices – aspiring to build bridges between today’s leaders and tomorrow’s realities through dialogue and collaboration.
The 2025 Berlin Global Dialogue is anchored in four interconnected themes: Geopolitical Shifts, Technological Advances, Climate Change, and Global Inequality. Together, they capture the tensions and trajectories that define our generation. As Young Voices, we believe that addressing these complexities requires integrated leadership across politics, business, and academia; leadership that not only manages risks but also unlocks opportunities for equitable growth and shared prosperity.
A multipolar world demands a perspective that goes beyond the politics of rivalry, one that amplifies diverse voices and recognizes the urgent need to restore multilateral cooperation in trade, migration, security, health, and social policies. Global prosperity is dependent on the right to self-determination and cooperation amongst peoples. We are deeply concerned that decisions taken in the midst of growing geopolitical rivalry are eroding the space for dialogue, disproportionately harming vulnerable populations and driving inequality.
We believe universities are essential platforms for cross-cultural dialogue and independent, evidence-based policy research that can foster cooperation. We call on political and business leaders to take responsibility and plan beyond their electoral cycles or corporate mandates. We demand actions anchored in a shared vision of a collaborative and rules-based future. Multilateral organisations and regional trade blocs must play a more assertive role in advancing consistent, long-term initiatives that foster inclusive social and economic development. It is time to reject zero-sum logic and reclaim multilateralism as a driver of stability and development.
Our generation demands more concerted action in the face of mounting climate threats. As a society, we have failed to provide solutions at scale that address climate change. Carbon-intensive industrial activity continues to drive environmental collapse. There can be no progress without a fair energy transition, ensuring that no one is left behind. Without rapid adaptation, human, economic, and environmental costs will continue to escalate, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations. Guided by the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, we call on more developed economies to strengthen collective action on tackling climate mitigation and adaptation, and to support emerging markets in their just transition by providing climate finance and capacity building. Equally importantly, we call on emerging markets to steer their economies towards sustainable and inclusive development based on just and achievable goals.
We call on political and business leaders to take actions in line with the core principles of the circular economy, biodiversity conservation, and energy transition. Capital and talent must be steered by decision-makers toward sustainable solutions, not exploitative models. Climate cooperation must include sharing technologies and knowledge to build climate resilience systems. We ask the public and private sectors to work together. We urge that they develop and use metrics that measure prosperity not only via economic growth, but also through well-being, ecological preservation, and restoration of the communities impacted.
We recognize that technological advances, especially in Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology, represent powerful opportunities to combat climate change, reduce inequality, and improve public health. However, we may be actively heading in the opposite direction. As Young Voices, we believe that to keep control of our future, innovation cannot be fragmented; it must emanate from collaboration. Interoperable standards are essential to guarantee openness, trust, and cooperation across borders.
We demand that leaders establish and enforce common standards that ensure protection from privacy violations, disinformation, unethical genetic manipulation, and job displacements coming from technologies that we cannot fully understand or control. We urge academic institutions, companies, and governments to investigate the societal impact of emerging technologies, and to equip society with the technological literacy to navigate the growing influence of tech in the public sphere.
Inequality continues to deepen the chasm both across and within nations. Political polarization and mass migration are some of the tangible costs of the failure to address global inequalities. Humanitarian crises from conflicts remind us of the devastating human toll when inequality collides with war and instability. Rising debt levels in developing countries are fueling fiscal disparities and instability, straining resources for essential investments like education and healthcare. Yet economic inequalities do not exist in isolation, but are compounded through systemic structures and cultural norms, with gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity, age, and physical abilities, adding further layers of exclusion and injustice.
We therefore call on political leaders to establish global targets and standards to reduce inequality across the board. Governments must guarantee universal access to basic rights, especially during conflicts and emergencies. Debt sustainability must be treated as a cornerstone of responsible global financial governance to enable developing countries to thrive. From business leaders, we expect the eradication of exploitative labor and a firm commitment to ethical practices across supply chains in both formal and informal sectors. Education remains the foundation of equality; leaders must build open-access platforms, fund schools in under-resourced areas, and equip future generations with the skills to thrive.
As Young Voices, we cannot afford to be passive observers. We stand together, determined to be agents of change. We pledge to act at our scale – in our universities, workplaces, and communities – advancing the principles and aspirations we call for in this Declaration. We commit not only to dialogue, but to holding both ourselves and today’s leaders accountable for choices that will shape the decades ahead. We see our role as bridge-builders between generations, regions, and sectors, determined to transform dialogue into concrete action.
At times, this means constructively challenging decisions to bring forward perspectives that may otherwise be overlooked. We pledge to carry these priorities forward in our careers and networks, ensuring that the call for responsible leadership in a multipolar world resonates long after Berlin.
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